Has anyone ever hired a personal trainer? I am losing my motivation quickly and thinking about hiring one. About how much do they charge? Did you think the money was worth it?

I joined a 24 hr fitness several years ago and got a trainer for 5 sessions. It was great. First he was young and adorable (in a bad boy kinda way... ohhmyyyyy he had some awesome tattoos lol) and he gave me a bit of confidence... Anyway, he really worked with me in those sessions. I wish I could have afforded more time with him. We had just started to get a good routine, and I only just started to understand the principles. There was so much smooshed into the time I couldn't remember it all. The sad part was when my sessions were over, I became invisible. Passing him in the halls I didn't even get a nod. But it was great to have the motivation, and the accountability while it lasted.

In a nutshell, I'd do it all over again. If you can afford it, keep going until you are comfortable with your new routine.

I've had a personal trainer for over two years now and I consider him to be the single most important factor in my success (I've lost 30 lbs and dropped from a size 14 to a size 2-4). In the beginning, having a trainer really provided the motivation I needed to do the rest of it--modify my diet and exercise on my own. Without him, I'm sure I would have stopped going to the gym in a few months and would never have tried to change my diet.

In addition to the motivation (which, after two years, I don't really need help with motivation anymore--staying in a size 2 is all the motivation I need), here are some of the other reasons I continue to work with my trainer:

• He pushes me to work harder than I would on my own. He also pushes me to do exercises that I would never try on my own.
• The workouts are interesting. We do literally hundreds of different exercises, some of which he makes up. Every workout is different. Most exercise is boring, but I've never had a boring session with my trainer.
• I work out every day and it's always a struggle to figure out what I'm going to do next and push myself to do it. For three days a week, it's nice to just show up and let someone else tell me what to do.

Every trainer is different--they're human, after all. I've had two trainers and had great experiences with both. But if you get a trainer you don't click with, try another.

I pay a lot--around $60 a session, but that's because my trainer has extra certifications and so my gym charges more for him. I don't mind because he is really good at what he does and when I think of all the I spend money on, it's easy to justify the training. At least it is making me healthier and prolonging my life (assuming I don't get hit by a bus or something), as opposed to a lot of the rest of the junk I buy. The health benefits of my lifestyle changes go way beyond weight loss. I've reduced my risk of heart failure (a big concern in my family), stroke (another big concern), diabetes, some forms of cancer...the list goes on and on.

I think cost of trainers can vary quite a bit, depending on the gym, area of the country, etc., but I would expect that you could find a trainer for $50 or less per session. There are ways to make training more affordable:

• Try small group training. I belong to Bally's and they offer small group training, usually 2 to 6 people in a group. I think the cost of that is around $20 to $30 per session, depending on the size of the group.
• See if you can spread your sessions out. I do three sessions a week, but it would be a lot cheaper if I just did one session or two sessions a week. Let's say you find a trainer that charges $50 a session. You might not be able to afford $150 a week, but could you afford $50 a week?
• If your trainer is affliated with a gym, ask the gym if they can make it any more affordable for you. I've heard of people getting some great deals this way.

Barbara, how long are your sessions? At my gym the trainers are $100/hour and up. Do you just do half hour sessions?

My sessions are an hour. Wow! And I thought I was paying a lot! What gym are you at? Bally's is considered sort of low budget gym (not a lot of the extras that you get at more expensive gyms), so maybe that's why they are cheaper. Or it could be because you are in NY, which is about the only place in the continental US that has a higher cost of living than CA.

I had a trainer & it was the BEST thing I ever did for myself - definitely worth the money. The only reason I stopped is because I've recently moved out of the country. The cost at my gym was VERY reasonable, but it is in a small town & the owners are the trainers. With the 3 month, 3x a week package it worked out to about $15 per session (each session an hour long). But I think that sort of deal is incredibly rare. One advantage of a small town!

I just bought a special (New Years I think?) package and it works out to 42.80 with tax/1 hour session.

wow 100$/ hr...man. I love my pt...but i am only spending about $53/hr (package deal) and i LOVEEEEEEEEEEE her. She works my butt twice weekly. She's getting me motivated. Its great...however that being said...she has told me about some of her other clients that are showing up...but don't do anything else (ie extra days at the gym and diet)...so a pt will help...but you have to do the other part. I think for me...paying that much money ($1400) when money is somewhat tight...was my motivation. I figured if i'm spending all that money andi could use it for other things...well then **** yeah i'm gonna kick my butt in gear (:

In a few weeks, I'm going to start heading out to California 4 days/week for work... maybe I'll just schedule some PT sessions then to save money

My trainer is in my Chiropractor's PT studio in New York. I have been working with him for five months, three times a week. He is $85/hour (although insurance is paying part of that) and he is the best thing that ever happened to me. I have rebuilt knees from one accident and a rebuilt ankle and leg (three plates and 13 pins) from another. My trainer has been able to create workouts that are building the muscle needed to create balance and enable correct posture and position while working out. If something hurts, he adjusts the position or finds an exercise that will work those muscles without injuring anything else. He is always introducing new ways to work muscle groups. I sweat like crazy and have made so much progress it's amazing. Although I have a long way to go, I can't believe I was the wobbly weak mess he started with.

If there is any way you can swing it. Find a good trainer! Your insurance may cover some of the expense if you have any physical injuries that would be improved or if future injuries can be avoided by working with a trainer. My doctor prescribed my training and it has definitely reduced the time I spend getting adjustments, and I have not been to the orthopedist for my knee once since working out with him (no more surgery needed here!).