Anyone Tried A Personal Trainer?

[EmmaBrown]

Hey all 

I think I'm finally getting the hang of healthy eating- I've found loads of recipes that are tasty and fat free, so not feeling too deprived. But I've still got 6 stone to lose, and low-cal soups on their own aren't going to cut it.

So, for someone who has never been sporty and is totally gym phobic- do you think a personal trainer might be the answer? I know that the inspiration and motivation have got to be internal, but believe me, I am motivated! I'm just clueless! I'd really love some professional input on this entirely new world of exercise.

I feel that a trainer might be able to set me up with a healthy routine that I'll be able to follow on my own afterwards. it'd also be great to get some input on the diet I'm on.

BUT! I have so many questions about this... It'd be great if any of you have experience/ recommendations?

- is it horribly painful?
- is it embarrassing? I really don't want to be fat-shamed onto a treadmill!
- is it expensive? (I've got a whole wedding to pay for!)
- does it take over your whole life? I mean- the most convenient would obviously to just be able to do it from home
- is that an option? I mean- does anyone know about any skype session trainers? Is that even a thing?

This is a major change of lifestyle and mindset for me, so any advice or recommendations would be SO APPRECIATED!

 

Thanks!

[csho]

Hey Emma! Congratulations to you and getting healthy and fit!!! I am a certified exercise physiologist in Canada. I don't practice any personal training anymore, however, I can hopefully answer some of your questions.

First off, don't eat all no fat or low fat foods! Fat is important for our bodies and the stuff they put in no fat/low fat products is worse for you then eating good fats. They add products that our bodies can't process and isn't sure what to do with it and so the body just ends up storing it as fat! With that said eating good/healthy fats are important (just not eating too much of it is key). Things like salmon and avocado and olive oil and nuts are filled with good fats that will fill you up and energize you. I am not a nutritionist, nor do I want to sound like one but just make sure to eat healthy, whole, clean foods, and you should be good!

 

Secondly, I would HIGHLY recommend a website called www.sparkpeople.com . Its an amazing website where you can input your information (height, weight, etc) and put in your goal and it will tell you how many calories, protein, fat, fiber, etc that you should be eating everyday and then you can track all of your food in the tracker. Then it will also tell you how many calroies you should be burning on a weekly basis in accordance with your food intake. Making sure you are getting the right amount of calories, fat, and protein are very important if you want to lose weight. Nutrition is 80% of the job. Exercise is 20%, Don't get me wrong I think exercise is very important in an overall healthy lifestyle but its A LOT easier to refrain from eating 250 calories (one chocolate bar) then burning 250 calories (1 hour walking, 30 min running).

 

They have A TON of exercise videos that you can use at home if that's the most convenient for you! They always have 30 day jumpstart bootcamps which you can follow that start out with only 10 minute workouts. I would recommend investing in some hand weights, start out with low weights and as you get fitter you can purchase heavier ones.

 

As for personal training; there are some trainer who will do in-home training or you may have to join a gym. You'd just have to check around your area where you live. Either option is going to be pricier then Sparkpeople (which is free!); however, I would recommend a trainer if you want someone to be accountable to. There are many different types of packages, some people will go once a week and do the remaining workouts on their own and just use them to check in, other will see trainers 3 x a week. Its really up to you how often you want to see them.

 

A trainer should never shame you or make you feel embarrassed. They will probably push you to do things you've never done before but you should never feel ashamed or embarrassed.

 

Is it going to hurt.... well if you've never exercised before and you start weight training... your muscles will probably be sore, but you will eventually become less sore.

 

Hopefully this helps you a bit!

[diadiamond]

Emma, congrats on getting healthy!  Weight loss and being healthy has been a huge struggle for me.  At my largest I was 264 and lost 100 pounds.  I've since gained and lost the weight.  I too, am looking to get healthy for my wedding and the rest of my life. 

 

I trained with a personal trainer in 2012 and had an awesome experience!  The benefit is that the trainer gets to know your body and your fitness level so they will recommend workouts suited to your needs that will get you results.  It might be painful your first few times if your body isn't used to exercise.  That's normal though and a good sign!  When you're achy take a hot bath and don't quit exercise.  After a few times you won't feel achy anymore.  The pain comes from lactic acid being released from your muscles.  As for cost, shop around.  I suggest going for someone who doesn't work in a gym, I've found that they charge the most.  When I was training my trainer had a gym set up in his garage and charged me $40 a session or he had group sessions for $10.  A trainer in the gym will usually charge $80 a session.  Most trainers want to see you 3 times a week for you to get results.  Sometimes I would go once a week and just replicate the workouts I did with my trainer at home 2 times a week to still get the benefit.  Some trainers also provide nutritional counselling as well.  

 

As csho mentioned, Sparkpeople is completely free and provides a great support network.  My fitness pal is also a great resource to track your nutrition and exercise as well.  

 

You can do it! 

[acw271011]

Wow - thanks to both of you @@csho and @@diadiamond. You just provided me with information I didn't know that I can definitely use!! I'm quite a lot older than the majority of ladies on this site and believe me when I say, losing weight is 10,000 percent harder when you get older!!! I had a major health episdoe almost 18 months ago and was 12 days without any solid food. Needless to say, I lost 19 lbs and LOVED IT!!!!! But..... all good things must come to an end and once I got out of the hospital and got home and started being able to eat food again, bit by awful bit, the weight went back on. I also have a form of arthritis in my back, knees and hips so exercise for me is an "exercise in pain" (pardon the pun). It's a catch 22. They say exercise is good for you to strengthen the muscles around the joints and provide support, but the exercise is really painful. So you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. I have more surgery to get through later this year, but once it's done I really want to get back to getting weight off and get into a kick butt dress that will make my husband's jaw drop when (I can't bring myself to say if) we get to do our vow renewal in October of 2015.

 

@@EmmaBrown - csho is absolutely right! A trainer should NEVER shame you or embarass you into anything!!!! I've had a couple of trainers over the years, but again they were to try and strengthen muscles to help with arthritis so there was limitations on what we did.

 

If you ladies have any other tips, I would be happy to hear them!! Thanks!!

[csho]

@@acw271011 I know it can be tough with arthritis to exercise. Like you said its damned if you do and damned if you don't! My educational background is in Exercise and Fitness and now I work in orthopaedic bracing so I see a ton of people everyday with arthritis and its awful!

 

Really nutrition is the major way you'll lose weight so if you can watch what you eat and track it, that will really help get weight off and then once you have some weight off it will be easier on your joints to start doing some exercise. Starting out by walking a bit would be good. And if you have arthritis in the knees try to avoid walking on an incline as that just aggravates it more.

 

Muscular strength definitely is helpful in stabilizing our joints (where the arthritis will "rub") so any strengthening you can do is a good idea. But you do have to be careful and sometimes modify exercises to what you are able to do.

 

If you have any specific questions regarding exercise, fitness, or anything else just let me know! I'll do my best to answer your questions!

[jackshayne0123]

Hello! OMG this thread is perfect! I had a personal trainer for my wedding and she was AMAZING!!!! She is starting to focus on brides specifically, and is being featured right now on the Calgary Bridal Association website, and she shared a success story, which is ME! Link attached:

http://calgarybridalassociation.com/category/real-cba-weddings/

(not to toot my own horn or anything) She also can do Skype sessions, this is how we do most of our check ins, which is so convenient! If anyone would like more info about Sonja let me know!

 

I am so glad I hired a personal trainer for so many reasons. I had one at the gym but I was paired with a guy, and I just wasn't comfortable with him. He was nice and knew what he was doing but he was kind of too close to my personal bubble, was very touchy, and I just didn't like it. Measuring, weigh ins, stretching was awkward and a girl should never feel awkard when it comes to personal training and fitness. You need to be comfortable with your trainer, and also be honest, and if you're not comfortable and honest, it won't work.

 

I agree with what @@csho has said, training shouldn't hurt, yes it will be uncomfortable and you will push yourself and your muscles will be sore, but you should never be in pain, that's your body's way of saying too much! And a trainer should be nothing but understanding, positive and supportive. If they are not, kick em to the curb! My work outs could be done at home, minimal equipment was required, but I found going to the gym was more motivating for me, because then my couch wasn't calling my name. And my husband and I were going together, which was great for motivation and accountability. But if you don't have a gym membership, at home workouts are no problem! Have a backyard, or a quiet neighborhood? Do your workout outside, or do your cardio around the block!

 

Trainers can be expensive, shop around, but I think they are worth it, because you can't put a price tag on your health, and how you will feel on your wedding day when you reach your goals!

[diadiamond]

 

 

 

@acw271011 I'm sorry to hear about your health episode.  I'm not an expert in diet or fitness, just a person who has dealt with weight issues all her life.  I worked in a physiotherapists office one summer and have also used physiotherapy as well.  I had a herniated disc in my back in 2012 that didn't get better until I did physiotherapy.  I would recommend seeing a physiotherapist to learn some techniques and exercises that will strengthen those areas and help you manage your pain.  I threw my back out in July 2012 and I still do the exercises and strategies that I learned to this day to manage pain.  The physiotherapist can also recommend exercises for you that won't cause you pain.  I hope everything goes well with your surgery.  I think that aside from diet and exercise the key to losing weight is attitude and believing in yourself and what you can achieve.    

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

[EmmaBrown]

 

Secondly, I would HIGHLY recommend a website called www.sparkpeople.com . Its an amazing website where you can input your information (height, weight, etc) and put in your goal and it will tell you how many calories, protein, fat, fiber, etc that you should be eating everyday and then you can track all of your food in the tracker. Then it will also tell you how many calroies you should be burning on a weekly basis in accordance with your food intake. Making sure you are getting the right amount of calories, fat, and protein are very important if you want to lose weight. Nutrition is 80% of the job. Exercise is 20%, Don't get me wrong I think exercise is very important in an overall healthy lifestyle but its A LOT easier to refrain from eating 250 calories (one chocolate bar) then burning 250 calories (1 hour walking, 30 min running).

 

 

This is incredibly helpful, @@csho! I can't believe that such an amazing resource is free! I'm definitely signing up. I guess I got caught up in the 'weight loss' preoccupation, at the expense of the 'health' side of things- I'm going to have to go over my diet, and make sure that I'm getting enough of what I need. 

 

But on the exercise front, you're right- accountability is going to be important to me, so I'll keep looking into the possibility of finding the right trainer for me.

 

I'm so grateful to be part of a community where everyone is so generous with their knowledge and advice. 

 

Thanks again!

Hello! OMG this thread is perfect! I had a personal trainer for my wedding and she was AMAZING!!!! She is starting to focus on brides specifically, and is being featured right now on the Calgary Bridal Association website, and she shared a success story, which is ME! Link attached:

http://calgarybridalassociation.com/category/real-cba-weddings/

(not to toot my own horn or anything) She also can do Skype sessions, this is how we do most of our check ins, which is so convenient! If anyone would like more info about Sonja let me know!

...

 

Toot away! You deserve to be proud of your incredible achievement!

 

I'm so encouraged to hear that skype sessions are an option, and that they really work- finances are an issue, and so is my fear of the gym (although I know I'll have to conquer it some time!) I'm going to start looking for a trainer I can trust- everyone seems to be unanimous on the importance of having a good relationship with your trainer. 

 

Thanks so much for the advice.

[acw271011]

I checked out the spark people site and I'm signing up for sure!! I like the little bit that I had a fast look at. I'm doing crazy work hours right now and just need to survive the next couple of months, then I'm going to take a serious look at it and see what I can put together. My husband and I are both involved with special projects and aren't getting dinner in the evening until about 8pm (if we're lucky) so that's one of the things that's a problem - eating that late at night.

 

The other thing I know is that after the next hospital session weight will come off again, and this time I'm going to try and make it stick by being careful with my eating habits through the recovery!

 

Good luck ladies!! It doesn't get easier as you get older so if you can set yourself up with good habits now, it will definitely benefit you down the road!! That's from the voice of experience! lol

[csho]

I checked out the spark people site and I'm signing up for sure!! I like the little bit that I had a fast look at. I'm doing crazy work hours right now and just need to survive the next couple of months, then I'm going to take a serious look at it and see what I can put together. My husband and I are both involved with special projects and aren't getting dinner in the evening until about 8pm (if we're lucky) so that's one of the things that's a problem - eating that late at night.

 

The other thing I know is that after the next hospital session weight will come off again, and this time I'm going to try and make it stick by being careful with my eating habits through the recovery!

 

Good luck ladies!! It doesn't get easier as you get older so if you can set yourself up with good habits now, it will definitely benefit you down the road!! That's from the voice of experience! lol

 

@@acw271011 Eating late isn't so horrible. I personally try not to eat after 7pm but that's mostly because I have eaten all of my calories for the day and I like to be hungry in the morning for breakfast. However, the biggest issue with eating later at night is that people have typically already eaten their calorie allotment for the day and so are over eating. If you just make sure you are keeping within your caloric ranges it shouldn't matter if you eat them at 6pm or 8pm!