Personal Training

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• How to Get Active in Canterbury
• Keeping Motivated
• Starting Out Walking: Some Helpful Tips
• Starting Out Running
• Green Prescription
• More About Healthy Lifestyles
• A Training Plan Just For You
• Personal Training

The following is some advice from Diane Howell, a Personal Trainer at Equilibrium Fitness Ltd.

A personal trainer is someone who conducts 1 to 1 training with a client at a time convenient to both parties. This training can be in a variety of forms and take place in varying locations depending on what the training is for that session.

Here are Some of the Benefits of Personal Training

• The training is purely focused on YOU and achieving YOUR goals
• You achieve results quicker than on your own as you work harder than on your own
• You can have fun and enjoy your training
• You ensure that exercises are completed correctly and with great posture, maximising the benefits
• You work at a level that fits with your lifestyle
• You push YOUR own boundaries and do things you may never have done
• You gain knowledge you didn't have before and can ask those "not so silly questions"
• You can make your workouts time efficient, so there is no need for hours in the gym
• You can improve your flexibility through focussing on stretches
• Training can be tailored to whatever type you require (cardiovascular, strength/resistance or distance programmes)
• "YOU" time

Shop Around for a Personal Trainer as Costs and Skills Vary

Personal trainers have individual personalities, specialities and target audiences they would like to help. It's essential to find one that suits you so you have a positive experience and achieve the results you want! Not every trainer will suit everyone...

Personal Trainers will often offer you a complimentary session as a means of introduction to them and their services. Take them up on it... you get to see how they work and the premises they use. This will give you a great indication of whether they will work for you or not.

You also need to consider the cost of their service to ensure you get what you need. It is generally more expensive than going to a gym but then the benefits can be seen in a shorter time frame and with more time efficient workouts. Think about what you want to achieve before you go to a trainer as this will ensure you pick the right one!

You may want to consider using a Registered Exercise Professional which is one way to ensure that the trainer has been trained to a level where they are competent fitness professionals and can keep you safe whilst exercising. To find a local Registered Exercise Professional, call 373 6391.

Here are some other good places to start your search for a personal trainer:

• Sport and Recreation New Zealand
• Internet web search for 'Personal Trainers' or 'Fitness business'
• Yellow pages
• Business cards / Posters in coffee shops, sports shops, gyms etc

What to expect when you sign up or go to your first personal training appointment

The first thing any quality Personal Trainer will do is meet with you and complete a "screening form" (or do it by email before your first appointment). This is not as scary as it sounds. It should cover things like medical / injury history, contact details, exercise likes / dislikes, smoking history, blood pressure, lifestyle goals that are important to you and the key goals you want to achieve with the help of the trainer. There may also be a section on how you like to be motivated and how you will feel when you achieve your goal, this helps you to visualise it in reality. Finally you are likely to be asked to sign a disclaimer, this means the trainer will do everything they can to keep you safe but as with anything nowadays you take part in exercise at your own risk.

Taking your "Blood Pressure" is the second thing a good trainer will complete. This allows them to consider anything that needs to be changed (during your sessions) depending on the result. If you have "high", "low" or "normal" blood pressure you can exercise it just means that if it is above a certain level then they may ask you for a doctor's clearance to ensure you are safe!

The third key element for any quality trainer is ensuring they know what their client wants to achieve and relevant timeframes i.e. running a marathon, toning their tummy, putting on muscle, improving their balance etc. Everyone's goals will be different and not all clients require the same type of training and not all Personal Trainers will be able to offer what you want.