7 Signs You Need a Personal Trainer

Are you struggling to make time for a workout? Feeling lost in the sea of fitness options? Here are seven signs that you need a personal trainer.

Exercise is a foundational component of a healthy lifestyle. In fact, it is even prescribed by doctors to help maintain healthy levels of cholesterol and to keep blood pressure in check. Physical activity–from walking to group classes to playing recreational sports–is a great way to decrease your risk for many health-related issues.

Most of us know that we should exercise on a regular basis; it’s knowing what to do, when, how often, and for how long…that tends to be the problem. Choosing your individual workout routine can be confusing. You need to take your own body needs and weaknesses into consideration. You might want to target specific problem areas to get the best out of your time spent exercising. You may have some limitations, such as joint discomfort, but still want to maintain an athletic lifestyle.

There’s no question that you should find ways to be active. But you might wonder whether you need to hire a personal trainer to help you. While it’s not absolutely necessary to work with a personal trainer, there are some amazing benefits.

 

1.  You are at risk or prone to injury

There are many forms of exercise that you can do safely on your own.  However, when it comes to weight training or other activities that involve technique…safety starts to become a concern.

Working with a personal trainer helps to decrease your chances of injury. They can work with you to make sure that you’re performing each exercise correctly and efficiently.

They’re trained to give you cues and to correct movements.

 

2. You don’t have a lot of spare time

We’re not just talking about time to workout…but also the time to actually plan what you’re going to do to achieve your fitness goals.  After all, success rarely comes when a well-defined system isn’t in place.

There’s a reason that movie stars and celebrities can get so fit so fast and stay that way.  They work with personal trainers who can develop the exact regimen that will get them the best results for their body type in the quickest time possible.

Every person is different. Some people are genetically predisposed to retaining body fat or water weight while others have structural limitations that make exercising more challenging.

Discussing your goals with a personal trainer can help you narrow in on specific ways to achieve success, what to expect within various timelines, and, of course, what types of exercises and workouts are best.  Some people want to lose weight, while others are simply looking to build a stable level of strength and fitness.

A personal trainer not only designs an exercise program just for you, but they also do so in the allotted amount of time you sign up to work with them.  For example, if you plan to see them for one hour, once a week for six weeks, they will take that into account and stick to the plan.

 

3. You’re not sure what foods you should (or shouldn’t) be eating

Personal trainers can give their clients an excellent dietary overview and make recommendations about the types of food to eat alongside their exercise programs.

Remember, it’s not just about cutting calories. You need to eat the right foods to maintain energy for those fantastic workouts whether it’s before, during, or after.

Some will recommend resources, like mobile apps, to help you stay on track and record what foods you eat on a daily basis.

 

4. The idea of working out by yourself is intimidating

If you’re just working out yourself, it’s easy to skip parts of your workout. You might go to the gym intending to do a circuit and hit the pool for laps but then the pool sounds like a hassle, and you skip that part. You might just get bored during the workout and concerned over all of the things you still have left undone on your desk.

When it’s just you, it’s harder to keep motivated to finish every step for the best use of your workout time. Your personal trainer also has creative ideas and new exercises to keep you interested in what you’re doing. Most of the best trainers are also fun to work with, even if they tire you out.

 

5. You tend to stop when the going gets tough

Two strategies to improve the likelihood that you’ll set out to accomplish a goal are to write them and verbally tell someone about them and that you’re going to work on accomplishing them.

These are great, but hiring a personal trainer goes one step further.

For one, you now have to schedule time with a professional that you’re hiring to work with.  While not true for all personal trainers, missing an appointment and failing to notify ahead of time can involve being charged as if the session was used–much like a doctor’s appointment.

Depending on the personal trainer, they may also provide support via text message, FaceTime/Skype, phone, and/or email outside of the days you meet.  This extra support keeps you honest.

 

6. Your exercise routine hasn’t changed in the last 10 years

Your personal trainer can show you new techniques, and they often have access to wonderful equipment you can use during your sessions. This means you’ll get to try new things, some of which you’ll want to keep up with for future workouts.

You’d be surprised to know the number of exercises you can do with one piece of equipment–personal trainers can be very creative!

 

7. You’re new to working out and don’t know where to start

A personal trainer’s business is diet and exercise. They have a wealth of knowledge to back up their work. This means you get full advantage of all the experience your trainer has spent years learning. They understand how the muscles in the body work and can help you strengthen problem areas and improve overall health and stamina.

Even if you just want to see a personal trainer for a short time to get you started, the education they give is yours to keep. Those sessions will teach you the proper way to do exercises, which activities work with problem areas, and how to eat well. That information will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, even if you don’t want to continue with a personal trainer permanently.

 

Hiring a personal trainer is an investment, but it’s often far less expensive than people think. You might also decide to work with a trainer for a short span of time and continue to maintain an active lifestyle on your own.