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Ultimate solution: A personal trainer

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Rhodes
Rhodes

You may be asking yourself, “Why work with a personal trainer in the first place?” The sounds of encouragement from your personal trainer will help you overcome obstacles and roadblocks along the way to the perfect you.

A personal trainer, or PT, is certified by a number of organizations. They are trained in physiology, kinesiology, various health fields, athletics, CPR and more. No matter how much experience you have with exercise, the knowledge and expertise of your PT go beyond the realm of what you, the client, know.

With more than 230 joints and more than 600 muscles, our bodies are very complex. Not only that, but they’re each very different. A certified personal trainer knows what kind of exercise your body needs — and can recommend a variety of ways for you to reach your fitness goals.

Working with a personal trainer can be one of the most beneficial ways to improve health and fitness. Today, personal trainers are used by people of all ages, fitness levels and economic status. Hiring a personal trainer will motivate you to achieve desired results and most importantly, keep you in shape.

Further reasons why a personal trainer is effective:

• Improve overall fitness. Surveys show the primary reason people hire personal fitness trainers is to get professional assistance in improving strength, flexibility, endurance, posture, balance, coordination and cardiovascular health. Personal trainers monitor progress and fine-tune programs along the way, helping clients work their way towards success.

• Ensure proper form and technique. Do you really know what you’re doing with those weights? A personal trainer teaches clients the correct way to use equipment and ensures that they use proper form and technique for cardiovascular and weight training exercises to avoid injury.

• They’re constantly learning. Personal trainers continually update their knowledge base and areas of expertise so that they can share with you, the client, the latest techniques and methods. Additionally, your personal trainer can share with you the theories behind certain exercises so that you have a full understanding of why certain exercises are prescribed and how they will help you achieve your goals.

• Reach or maintain a healthy weight. Body fat reduction, toning, weight reduction and weight management can be achieved with the aid of a qualified personal trainer. Personal trainers help clients set realistic goals and provide safe strategies and encouragement to meet those goals.

• Learn to stick to it. Sticking with well-intentioned plans is one of the biggest challenges people face. A certified personal trainer provides motivation for developing a healthy lifestyle that places a high priority on health and activity and helps clients overcome obstacles to exercise.

• Focus on personal unique health concerns. Surveys show that 50 percent of personal fitness trainers' clients have special medical needs such as arthritis, diabetes or obesity. Certified personal trainers help with these or other issues including lower back pain, rehabilitation of an injury, and pre- and postnatal training.

They will work with clients’ physicians, physical therapists or other health providers to plan a safe, effective program to help clients reach their health goals. Women especially must focus on their bone density. Your PT can prescribe regular weight-bearing activities and exercises that strengthen bones as well as muscle.

• Stop wasting time. Get maximum results in a short time with private workouts. One-on-one workouts enable personal trainers to tailor a client-specific program for help in achieving goals efficiently and effectively.

• Learn new skills. Want to improve strength and flexibility? Personal trainers can develop a sport-specific fitness program to improve overall conditioning and help increase performance.

• Your personal cheerleader. Your personal trainer will help you turn exercise into a lifestyle, not a chore to be dreaded. He or she will develop new ways for you to reach your health and fitness goals while actually having fun.

• The bottom line. A plan for you that includes healthy eating based on your calorie goal, strength training and cardiovascular exercise is imperative to a successful training regimen. Your trainer will put an emphasis on proper technique, design a program specifically for you and hold you accountable to your goals.

Through this approach, your personal trainer will enable you to reach those goals through constant support, encouragement and personal challenge.

Beth Rhodes, Certified Exercise Specialist, is the owner of Fitness Together at 119 Colony Crossing in Madison, by Pizza Inn, and 1127 Old Fannin Road in Brandon, by Spillway Road.