My decision to hire a personal trainer was not an easy one. I have always been an active person. I grew up being involved in organized sports (including competitive soccer for a number of years), community volleyball, yoga and baseball and I've held a membership at a gym for the last several years. I have always felt good about myself, my body and my eating habits. However, it seemed no matter what workouts I did or how often I did them, I wouldn't experience any real changes in my body, energy level, or mental motivation. This is why I decided on personal training – if I am going to set aside workout time, I want to make the most of it. To do that, I needed someone with the knowledge to tell me what I should be doing to reach my goals, to push me, to get me out of my comfort zone and most importantly, amp me up when I am feeling defeated.
So, the first step was to actually find a trainer. This wasn't as simple as strolling into my gym and booking a session with the first available trainer. No, this was a calculated decision and one I didn't take lightly. The fact that I would be spending upwards of 3 hours a week with this person, I knew it would have to be the right fit. After a few lengthy conversations with a couple different prospects; enter John; the 300 lb 6'3" ex-college football player from Chicago. This guy means business. For instance, he called his own father “coach" for the first 20 years of his life. Needless to say, I was extremely nervous for my first session. I sat in my car for a while before going in. I needed to gear myself up. Once I met with John, discussed my history and goals, my anxiety slowly disappeared. However, I was a bit worried on our first workout when I heard him mutter the words “give me your best push up."
I am into my fifth week of training and I must say it has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone to the point that I don't even know what that zone looked like before I started training. Not only am I no longer scared of push ups, I can complete a set of 10 (while balancing on medicine balls).
Personal training may or may not be for you but it comes down to what you really want. Is the investment worth it? Of course, an all-inclusive trip for two to Mexico sounds like pure bliss when you compare it to the blood, sweat, tears, swearing, aches and pains that are going to come from my next seven months of training but the choice is yours. Make an investment in your health. I am, and it's been one of the best decisions of my life so far.