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Personal trainer

There's nothing like a bit of one-to-one encouragement to help you stick to a health and fitness regime. A personal trainer can tailor-make an exercise programme just for you.

Why have a personal trainer?
Regular exercise helps you stay flexible, gain strength and stamina, and keeps you slender and fit. But how often does it all seem like too much effort? When you've made a commitment to working with a personal trainer, and paid for their time, you've much more incentive to get off the sofa and start working out.

Having a trainer can give you the focus you need to achieve your own fitness goals, and help you get there safely and quickly.

A trainer really wants you to succeed and will push you just as far as you want to go – and maybe a bit further – to get the results you want.

Ideally you'll build a really good relationship with your trainer, so that sessions will be something to enjoy and look forward to. How to find a personal trainer.
Before you start looking, ask yourself some basic questions. When are you free to train, and where do you want to work out?
Are you training for a specific reason, such as to gain or lose weight, for a sport or event like a marathon, or to get generally fitter?
How healthy is your lifestyle?
Do you want nutritional advice as well as an exercise plan from your trainer?
What's your budget?

Cost varies widely across the country, and you could pay from £15 to over £50 per hour.

Ask around for a recommendation, check out the notices in the local gym, or search the website of the National Register of Personal Trainers to find the right person for you.

Look for a trainer with good qualifications, first aid training and professional insurance. Go for one with plenty of experience, and, if you can, talk to one of their clients.

A trainer should give you a full fitness evaluation before developing a programme for you.

Trainers can come from a wide range of backgrounds, and have specialised expertise in many different areas. Seek out a trainer who has experience in the area that interests you.

When you've found one or more possible trainers, contact them to talk through what you hope to gain from training. Ask them how they'd train you. Go with your instincts. As well as having the right experience, a trainer also needs the right personality to gel with yours if the training is to be successful.

Be your own personal stylist – Help and info.
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Links
FoodFitness
www.foodfitness.org.uk
Government site with practical advice on healthy eating and an active lifestyle.

National Register of Personal Trainers
www.nrpt.co.uk
This site has a searchable database of registered trainers and a forum.

Books
Fitness for Life Manual by Matt Roberts (Dorling Kindersley, 2002)
Provides exercises with step-by-step photographs and includes goal-driven fitness programmes, from pre-ski holiday exercises to fitness during pregnancy. Also features real-life case studies with before and after pictures.
Get this book from Amazon

Your Personal Trainer by Douglas Brooks (Human Kinetics Europe, 1999)
People who are struggling to come up with or stick to an exercise programme should benefit from this book. The author – a personal trainer -presents the programme components and exercise techniques that he prescribes for his clients on a daily basis.
Get this book from Amazon

Ultrafit: Your personal trainer by John Sheperd (A & C Black, June 2004)
Whether thinking about joining a gym, or beginning a training programme, this book is filled with essential information on how the body works, how to exercise effectively and the techniques to get and stay fit.
Get this book from Amazon

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