You’ve decided to get some help in the area of fitness. One morning you looked at yourself in the mirror and said a phrase that ended in those fateful words, “…for someone my age.” You no longer look great. You no longer look fit. You only look good “for someone my age.”
It’s a shock to think that you will never be as slim and fit as you did in your prime. But you don’t want to give up on it. You’re not that old. You’re only (fill in the blank). But you are sane enough to realize that if you’re going to roll back the calendar at all, you’re going to need some help.
You’re going to need a professional. You set out to find a personal trainer.
The first thing you notice is that there is a personal trainer for everybody. Absolutely everybody. You can find trainers for kids, for the elderly, for niche enthusiasts like Tai Chi fans and, of course, for serious athletes. How do you sort out the one that’s right for you?
Personal Goals
First, take a good look at yourself and do a little thinking about what you want to accomplish physically. Do you just want to lose a few pounds or do you want to put on some muscle? If you want to lose a few inches around the middle, why do you want to do that? To look better? To feel better? Dig deep within yourself. Your motivation is important because it is crucial to setting personal goals.
If you tell yourself you just want to lose weight when you really want to look better, you’ll be disappointed when you find yourself thin but lacking the lean body component that makes a person really attractive.
What are you good at?
The next thing you should consider is what you like to do. You’re going to be doing some form of exercise regularly for months if not years. Results don’t come overnight. In order to stick with a program, you have to like it. Anyone can bite the bullet for a few weeks and make themselves go to the gym and push through a routine, but when it comes to fitness, you shouldn’t expect any measurable results for six months. That is a long time to be doing something you hate. Make a list of some activities you’ve liked in the past and go from there.
Find a personal trainer
Now you’re ready to start talking to personal trainers. One way to find personal trainers is by looking through websites like Origym or Workouttrainer. You’ll see a whole list of certified trainers and their profiles.
When looking for a personal trainer, one of the first things you will want to talk about is the kind of exercise you like to do and whether the facilities are conveniently available to do it. Try to get a feel for how comfortable the candidate is with your preferences.
Naturally, you will want someone with whom you can expect a good relationship. The personality isn’t everything, because you want to get results, but it is crucial. In the same way that you will not stick with a program you hate for six months, you won’t stick with a trainer you don’t like either, no matter how good they are.
Be ready to learn
Up until now we’ve talked about your goals, what you like to do, and making sure you like the person you are going to hire to get you fit. Now it’s time for some reality. If what you had been doing up until now worked, you wouldn’t need a trainer. If what you thought you liked to do was the best exercise for you, you wouldn’t need a trainer.
You must open your mind to the possibility that you will need to consider new things, even uncomfortable things, to get you where you want to go. You must be open to the idea that something you didn’t like before may turn out to be something you will grow to like.
Growth tends to do that to a person.
