Motivation, Time and Resources
As a part of figuring out your plan to work with a trainer, you'll want to consider your motivation (level of energy you have available to put into training), time (actual time you have available to put into training) and resources (financial, social support, access to training space, etc).
Motivation: In my most recent post, I described a few reasons people often seek out a personal trainer. Those reasons are one type of motivation. They type of motivation I'm writing about here is the "energy" type. Training takes time, effort and will. It takes patience and the acceptance of a learning curve that sometimes includes feeling awkward or frustrated. All of that takes a certain amount of emotional energy. Are you ready to go through that process
Time: Almost all of my training clients have workouts they do on their own in addition to the one or two training sessions they have with me each week. During our first few sessions together, we develop a "home workout plan" that continues to evolve over time. This can include home workouts, yoga practice, other sports, walking, etc. depending on a person's interests and current fitness activities. That consistency and regularity of training helps not only with progress but also in a person's education and sense of autonomy about exercise. Even as someone continues to work with me, my hope is that they will also feel more and more confident and competent about exercising on their own.
Resources: Consider your financial resources. What are you able to do? Training is an investment and in many cases it can pay off in improved health and wellbeing, fewer doctor's visits, more energy to devote to work and other life tasks, etc. Make sure your investment in training is something you can sustain for a period of time without it causing additional stress in your life. While I cannot discount my services, I can recommend classes and other outside resources like running clubs as a supplement or even an alternative to our work together if needed.
Do you have social support for your training? It can really help to have friends and family "on board" and cheering you on as you go through the training process. It's not 100% necessary though. Another reason classes can be such a good component of an overall training plan is that they often can provide that social support and motivation to be consistent with exercise. Many people worry that they will feel awkward or competitive with others in a group exercise setting We can work together to identify classes that would be a good fit. Thankfully we are at a time in the fitness world where there are a ton of great options when it comes to group exercise!
Access to training space is something else to consider. Where do you want to work out? Do you want to go to a gym and be in a space with other people? Do you prefer to exercise at home or outdoors? We have options and can consider them all and determine what will be the best overall plan that could include one or more types of training space. Check out my "contact" page for more information on where you can train or take classes with me. Depending on where you live, we can also explore the possibility of training at your home or office.
I hope these thoughts are helpful to you as you consider your next steps with training!