With New Year’s looming, a lot of people are starting to gear up for their resolutions. Over the holidays, many of us have overindulged on all the holiday delights. On top of that, the pandemic has not been kind to many of us. On average, women and men have gained about 25 and 36 pounds over the last year. I wish there was more talk about getting healthy on the mainstream media outlets. But what do I know? I am just a personal trainer. Nonetheless, many people look at January 1st as the start date for turning their health around. Unfortunately, by the end of February, about 80% of people have quit their New Year’s Resolutions. The health journey can be daunting, and a quality personal trainer can ease the stress of developing great habits that will ensure your success when changing your health. We will be going over the many benefits of hiring a personal trainer when starting your health, wellness and fitness journey.
Accountability
One of the most common things I am told by clients is, “If I didn’t have a scheduled session, I probably wouldn’t exercise on my own.” While this is unfortunate to hear, it rings true to many individuals. Even as a personal trainer, I have to first schedule in my own workouts and then clients around those times, otherwise I will not fit it in. Exercise takes time, and if you have a busy schedule, it many be difficult to find time for your health and fitness. Many people like to know when and where to be when it comes to their workouts. Whether it is someone who is working two jobs or a high-level CEO, most of us need a schedule so that we can execute on all of the other tasks that need to be completed. A great trainer will meet you where you are at in life and develop a plan that you can succeed at no matter what your situation many be.
Technique
Exercises have many benefits which include building strength and muscle, burning body fat, improving how one moves, relieving pain and speeding up the metabolism. Unfortunately, any exercise can quickly go from extremely safe to extremely dangerous. Having a trainer who can coach you in how to effectively perform an exercise as a skill can not only make it safer but also much more effective. Knowing the technique and how to connect to each target muscle will yield more results than just simply moving the load. Poor technique can increase your risk of injury and further imbalances that can take a toll on the body later in life. While no exercise is risk free, having proper technique will dramatically decrease that risk and a well-educated trainer can aid you in that.
Programming
Programing is a trainer’s bread and butter. Knowing what to do and when it is time to do it is the most important aspect of training. If you don’t have intent and purpose around what you are doing for your workouts, it is simply working out and not training. Training has a specific goal in where you are at in any given time. It is adaptable. It is specific to you. It has an end goal that is relevant to you at that point in time. One of my favorite analogies I like to use when it comes to someone’s workouts is that their training is not etched into stone but written on a white board and can be changed at any point in time. Well because you know, life happens. Work gets crazy, you go on a trip or God for bid you get injured. Programming must adapt to what you need today in order to make you successful tomorrow, and a great trainer will wipe that board clean and write a new approach to your workouts that suit your needs right there and then. Sometimes you are over stressed and need to work inwards through stretching and meditation. Sometimes, you get injured, and you need to back off your training and start to heal through correctional exercises. Sometimes you’re so busy that you can only get one session in a week. Life happens and a trainer can make your workouts adapt to your life.
Injuries
Some injuries just happen. Whether it is a defender coming cleats high in a meaningless Sunday men’s league soccer game or something falls on you; life simply happens. Most often this isn’t the case when dealing with injury. Most injuries occur during activities of daily life. This means that you have weak area that aren’t properly firing and have developed improper movement patterns. Sometimes you are well into your training and adding weight too quickly before your body was ready for the extra load. Your form slipped and put the tendons and joints under too much pressure, and low in behold, an injury occurs. By hiring a well-educated trainer, you don’t only have to pursue muscle growth and weight loss. You can overcome injury and master mobility that will ultimately reduce this risk. In my experience with clients, those who come to me with a recent injury found benefit in strengthening their affective area before injury which led to shorter recovery time and getting back to their pre-injured state both stronger and more functional. On the flip side, a trainer that is versed in correctional exercise can bridge the gap between physical therapy discharge to being a better version of yourself. As you can see, training is more than just looking better naked in the mirror. Its about living a higher quality of life, and a personal trainer can help make that happen.