This was a question I asked myself 18 months ago. Post London Marathon in 2013 my exercise and visits to the gym were fluctuating between a few good weeks followed by a few ‘I just can’t be bothered’ weeks. Consequently I didn’t feel like I was making any progress in any aspect of my life, my running, my weight, my stress levels, my diet – I could go on…

I then had the good fortune to come across Nick and after a couple of fairly detailed consultation sessions I started training with him twice a week.

So, this is how having a personal trainer can help you:

1. You don’t know where to start – maybe you’ve never exercised before, you’re scared to go in the gym on your own, you don’t want to look silly, you want to do something for yourself. There are hundreds of reasons why you’ve been putting off exercise but with a PT there are no pre-conceptions, no judgements, no silly reasons – they are there to help you – that’s why they’re called PERSONAL Trainers.

2. Goals – the most important aspect of working with a trainer is to set out and agree your goals. Not only should you have goals but they should be SMART goals:
   1. SPECIFIC
   2. MEASURABLE
   3. ACHIEVABLE
   4. REALISTIC
   5. TIME BOUND

Goals keep you on track and because they are measurable you can see the results.

3. Accountability – this works for both parties. To have someone looking at your food and exercise diary and offering advice and a kick up the bum when needed helps keep you on track. We all (mostly) know what we should and shouldn’t be eating and drinking but sometimes just being accountable to someone else helps us make better choices.

4. Commitment – over the last year or so I have been getting up at times that I would normally only see once in a day! Who knew there were two 6 o’clocks in every 24 hours?! But, having an arrangement to meet for a training session gives you the motivation to exercise at whatever time of the day.

5. Life coaching – now I know that personal trainers are not generally life coaches but if you develop a good relationship with your PT you might just find that you start sharing snippets of your life and asking for and receiving some unbiased opinions.

6. Nutritional advice – how many times have you started a diet on a Monday only to be off it by Wednesday? A PT won’t prescribe a diet as such but will encourage you to make healthy changes to the way you eat and work out with you what suits your body – eg do you need to eat more protein, less carbs, more carbs, more fat etc. There is no one diet that suits everybody but through working together you will be able to work out what suits you and how your body responds.

7. Excitement! – maybe that’s too strong a word but what I mean is that a PT will keep your training interesting. As you train your body will adapt and therefore you need to keep challenging yourself if you want to achieve your goals. That’s where your PT comes in. He/she will plan your workouts so that they are progressive and therefore you will start achieving your original goals and setting new ones.

8. By challenging you – have there been times when you’ve gone to the gym for a half-hearted workout? With a PT you will be challenged – it might be a little uncomfortable sometimes, it might make you curse, it might even hurt a little bit, but if it’s not doing these things it’s not challenging you and you won’t achieve your goals.

9. Relieve some stress – exercise will help you forget about those things that have been irritating you and because of the endorphins that are released during exercise will help combat the negative effects of stress. Stress is a big problem in our busy lives but your PT can offer you advice – sometimes making small changes to your lifestyle and habits can have a big impact.

So, if you think it would help you to have a Personal Trainer don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re waiting to hear from you!