The Benefits of a Personal Trainer

A personal trainer can help you make the most of your exercise routine.

    If you're having a hard time getting motivated at the health club, or just don't feel like you're getting enough out of your exercise routine, consider hiring a personal trainer. More than just an instructor, a personal trainer can help you come up with the right workout plan to meet your goals. Whether it's losing a few pounds, toning up your arms, or flattening your stomach for swimsuit season, a personal trainer can help you get there.

Measuring Your Personal Fitness Level

Body shape, lifestyle, genes, and cardiovascular ability all help to shape your individual fitness factor.

    Evaluating your fitness level is not a one-size-fits-all process. Differences in lifestyle, muscle tissue, genetic makeup, and overall health all help determine your personal fitness level.

"It is an individual measurement that is not always dependent on how much physical activity you do," notes Jim Pivarnik, PhD, president of the American College of Sports Medicine and director of the Center for Physical Activity and Health at Michigan State University in East Lansing .

Eating Right for Exercise

Using a simple, well-balanced diet formula, you can figure out what to eat and when so you have the energy you need to exercise.

    You need energy to exercise and energy comes from food. Make sure you've eaten adequately before any fitness activity and eat to refuel afterwards, says Sue Travis, RD, PhD, of the division of nutritional sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

Choose Safe Activities

Stay Safe

    Before starting any new exercise program, be sure to see your doctor. Talk about the types of activities you are interested in doing and make sure your doctor gives you the ok to do them. You may want to ask your doctor the following questions:

Using Exercise to Beat Stress

Get Active

    Nothing can beat regular exercise as a stress-busting technique. The result of the 'fight or fight' reaction is that our bodies go into a state of high arousal but there is often nowhere for that energy to go, so our bodies can stay in this state for hours at a time. Exercise is the best way to dissipate the excess energy, especially if you have a sedentary job.