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.