Having a personal trainer would be great and all, but like, that’s so expensive!

Personal growth is something that is sought after by basically all human beings. Whether it be getting smarter, wealthier, and/ or healthier in both a mental and physical sense, people are always looking for ways to improve themselves, and thus their quality of life and standard of living. People are willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money on seeking professional help to accomplish these goals (ie. school courses, counsellors, psychologists, physiotherapists, etc) without even thinking twice about it, yet many people look at having a personal trainer as a luxury expense. Is it?

First off, and to state the obvious, I am biased. Being a personal trainer myself, I definitely believe in the benefits of my profession and how it can help improve one’s quality of life. I am writing this from my perspective, taking into account what I have learned over the years, and what I have seen from people who have hired a personal trainer, whether it be for short term help or for a sustained period of time.

Real talk though; can you do it on your own, without hiring a trainer? Of course! I personally have never hired a trainer for myself, and I figured it out on my own. The thing is, I spent years researching, studying, and perfecting my workouts for my specific goals. My life has revolved around health and fitness for the last 15 years. My competitive speed skating background was my first taste of training that subconsciously taught me about workout periodization, macro- and micro-cycles, different training variables and how to specifically train them, and the determination and self-accountability needed to reach my goals. Coaching high performance athletes allowed me to delve deeper into training and fitness and continue learning the specifics of training and how different training can elicit different results. And my own research and trial and error approach involved with my personal fitness goals aided in expanding my knowledge. So ya, I “figured it out on my own”, but it took years to learn what I have so far, and I’ve only just scratched the surface of it all myself!

That’s the best part about having a personal training – they take the guess work out. You tell them your goals and what you want to accomplish, and they use the knowledge they’ve acquired from years of studying to build you a plan to accomplisht these goals. The only thing you have to do is actually show up and do the work! Which leads me ot my next benefit of having a trainer…

A trainer helps to keep you accountable. One of the hardest parts about training is just making it to the gym; once you’re there, you may as well work out! Having a specified appointment with someone can be just what you need to get your butt there and commit to your goals. I’ve had plenty of clients that, once at the gym, are totally motivated and able to work out, but they just need someone to actually get them there. And having someone design a program tailored for their needs help as well.

Some people are able to self-motivate, while others have trouble finding motivation or staying motivated for their workouts. A personal trainer is also there to help with motivation. They are able to manipulate programs to keep them as fun and enjoyable as they could be, as well as provide encouragement to aid in enjoyment. Working out is hard, but it doesn’t have to be hated.

So, long story short – do you need to hire a personal trainer to reach your fitness goals? Of course not. Do you need to hire a mechanic to work on your car? An accountant to look after your finances? A realtor to sell your house? No, but most people do because they don’t have the knowledge to do these tasks on their own, so hiring a professional helps make sure the job gets done properly as well as quickly.