Can you Afford not to have a Personal Trainer?
Personal training has long been considered a luxury just for the rich and famous and with prices ranging from £20 – £120 per hour ($35 – $200 for our American friends – Beeble) it is not hard to see why. However I still firmly believe that everyone should have a personal trainer in their life one way or another.
But you would say that…
Okay, so being a personal trainer myself you would expect me to say that and you are probably now waiting for the sales pitch. Well it is going to come but first you have to remove your cynical hats and just hear me out for a few paragraphs.
Why a Personal Trainer should be part of your life
More people than not will be reading this knowing that they have tried and failed to reach their personal fitness goals. How do I know this? Because it is evident all around us with quick fix diets and pills that are being sold everywhere for people who want to believe the product’s promises. We are quite happy to hand over our hard earned money for products that state they can reduce fat or give you a 6 pack in 5 minutes. However, when it actually comes to educating ourselves so we know how to treat our bodies, we don’t seem so keen. That is what a personal trainer is for: not only to train your body but your mind as well. By learning from your personal trainer you will be able to progress and eventually be able to exercise and eat healthily all on your own. A trainer should never be a permanent thing, it should be a learning curve where at some point you will be confident enough and sufficiently well-informed to part company with your trainer.
Picture a run-down house that needs a lot of work. You know that getting in the builder is an expensive move compared to a bit of DIY; but it will take the builder less time and the finish will be much better than your own work. It is the same with your body: you know that avoiding the bad foods and doing more exercise will help you reach your goals. But you also know it will take that much longer, the results won’t be as good – and could even result in injuries or other physical problems – without the professional guidance of a personal trainer.
But I can’t afford a personal trainer
This is a big problem for some people as personal trainers are expensive. If you want to get the best results it is ideal to train 3 times a week and the more of these that are under supervision with your trainer the better. However that is a lot of money per week for most people. Don’t worry because any guidance is better than none. Spend within your limits. So, taking the average cost of a trainer as £40 ($80) per hour, consider how often you can afford to part with that money. Once a week? Once a month? Once every other month? As you can see a trainer can be used as frequently as you like so long as you have regular guidance and help – that is the most important factor.
Can a personal training session once a month really help?
Yes it can! We all need someone to help us stay in the right direction. Having a personal training session once a month will help direct you. They will take your measurements (blood pressure, weight, bodyfat percentage and body measurements), make new goals for you to achieve for the next meeting and create and take you through an exercise program that will help get you there. The good ones can even set you a monthly healthy eating plan. Okay, so you won’t learn as much as the person seeing their trainer once a week, but you are going to be much better off than the person listening to hearsay and following dangerous diet plans. Just think, seeing a trainer once a month is the equivalent of £1.30 ($2.60) a day. Is it starting to sound like a more affordable option now?
Is it worth it?
Of course it is: having a personal trainer can increase your life expectancy, it can keep illness and disease away by improving your body’s immune system and function and of course best of all it can give you the results you are looking for in the shortest period. You also get to keep the results for life if you continue along the healthy path.
This is not a move that you can just try, this is a lifestyle choice that you are going to have to stick to and adhere to, for….yes you guessed it, for life. I can promise you, making the lifestyle change will make a whole lot of difference and in a few months you will be thanking yourself for starting it (and of course thanking us for giving you such good advice! – Beeble).
I wish you all the best with you training and diet goals. Remember: understanding how and why the training works benefits you much more than just following rules without any real knowledge. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
August 7th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
[...] So you’ve taken our advice on our previous post: “can you afford not to have a personal trainer” and now you are looking for your very own trainer. But how do you choose? Do you go for someone who is supplied by your local gym, or do you go for a self employed trainer who will come to your home? Does paying more get you the better service and skills so that you will reach your goals faster? [...]
December 5th, 2007 at 4:20 am
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