It’s all about Motivation…
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Where To Begin...
Many of us struggle everyday to lose weight, get in shape, or just become healthier. Many of us give of the struggle because we don’t have the inspiration and the encouragement to be able to stick with it. When we hear no words of praise, all we can hear is the self-doubt in our heads much of the time. It’s not a personal flaw, in fact we all have been there at one time or another. This lack of self-confidence can hit us as a result of many different things happening in our lives, not just when we are trying to get in better shape. But we tend to see a lack of self-confidence most often when we are faced with the challenge of wanting to become more fit and feel better, and we have no one to cheer us on.
When we see no results and don’t feel anything but sore, we feel as though we are fighting a losing battle and cannot see the benefits in continuing, if all we will be is in pain all the time, and getting nowhere. However, if you have made your commitment to a healthier life, this is not true at all. When you say yes to exercise and no to sedentary living you are on the right path and with perseverance nothing can stop you.
You may not see change all the time, especially when the fat in your body is turning to muscle. In fact, many people actually see a temporary increase in their weight when this change begins. The reason? Muscle weighs more than fat. Although you may look at the scale and see extra pounds, you are actually healthier than you were when you started exercising and eating healthy. Have no fear, if you are sticking with your fitness goals, you will begin to see the weight drop again since the more muscle you have the harder and longer you can workout-and the more your metabolism increases. A higher metabolism is what you want in this case. The better your metabolism, the more fat and calories you will burn. Although, I do recommend having a professional help you in tracking these changes. While your body may begin to require a higher calorie intake, you don’t want to begin taking in more than you burn off. If this happens, you will lose your way on the road to a new you, and become discouraged.
I have mentioned before the importance of locating and utilizing professionals to repair your car or complete your major home repairs. Now, I ask you to look at fitness as the foundation of your house. Consider your personal trainer the professional to help you attain the ultimate goal, a new healthy lifestyle. Much like a contractor comes in to make the needed changes (or lay the groundwork for a new) foundation, a personal trainer does much of the same thing. We are here to help make repairs and build your new foundation for a healthy life. Your healthy life starts with a foundation built on exercise. From this, you (and your trainer) help you to envision and lay the groundwork for you to obtain your ultimate end result, a new healthier body and outlook on life.
I still say you can easily maintain this new lifestyle after you have reached most of your toning and weight-loss goals, by either working out on your own at home or at your local gym. A personal trainer is great in the beginning because they are your best friend in fitness. They might not always tell you what you want to hear, but they will tell you the truth. A good personal trainer cares; they want to see you succeed. Any advice or admonishment you get is because they are there to see you become what you want to be physically and mentally. Much like a good best friend, they tell you what you are doing wrong, but at the same time pick you up when you are feeling down by showing you how far you have come, just by your dedication and hard work. A good personal trainer becomes that positive voice in your head brought to life. The voice that motivates and inspires you to keep going, even when you are so sore you feel like you cannot do another crunch, leg lift, or kick.
My advice is never go to a personal trainer that only tells you positive things all the time, quite simply they are telling you what you want to hear. They think by praising you all the time you will stay with them, and keep paying for less than beneficial services. On the same note never go to a personal trainer than admonishes you all the time, you have a right to know how far you have come. For many fitness starts with baby steps and motivation for the smallest thing can be your source of encouragement for the bigger fitness hurdles down the way.
Gym, Studio, and Online, There Are So Many Options!!!
When you begin research on personal trainers consider both face-to-face and online training options. They are both beneficial based on your requirements such as fitness goals, motivational needs, cost, and time constraints. There are a variety of package options at many places, from monthly, quarterly, number of sessions, to yearly. However, many places attempt to sell you a dazzling amount of features. Pay attention here! You as the client need to make sure you are seeing the benefits you will receive by signing up with the individual or company, not just a list of features. More often than not the highest price is looking to enthrall you with many features, over half of which you will never use. If you are putting out your hard-earned money, you need to see benefits that relate to your fitness goals specifically.
Another thing to look for is the credentials of the trainers. Many gyms hire young people who either are working towards a certification or are just looking for an easy job. Nothing against these individuals, we all started somewhere and this may be what you are looking for, if you just want a little motivation. If you have more serious health goals as a result of personal or medical needs, I suggest looking for a trainer who has been the business for several years, and perhaps has special groups training.
Remember too, with a gym membership the cost of personal training is usually extra and more often than not, you are getting “personal” training in the company of anyone else working out in the gym at that time, it is rarely if ever private. One-one-One personal training allows the focus to be on your needs and the session at hand, typically in this case it is just you and the trainer working on your needs-with no busy gym distraction. I suggest this route. Having worked in both settings, I have seen a higher success and satisfaction rate with my clients in private one-on-one sessions. These personalized sessions can be either in a studio or via online workout routines with your own trainer. Remember, it’s your money, so it’s about your fitness needs and goals, not those of your potential trainer!
Start today! Begin looking for your best friend, they are just waiting to motivate you and see you accomplish your fitness dreams!
