How to Become Your Own Personal Trainer

Today’s post is provided by Life Fitness, one of our favorite providers of fitness equipment. For more fitness advice visit www.lifefitness.com or follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

A personal trainer is a great investment in your health, but if working with one doesn’t fit in your budget or schedule, that doesn’t mean you can’t have one—you just have to take on the role yourself!

Tips to Become Your Own Fitness Trainer

1. Eliminate excuses. Fitness professionals have heard it all when it comes to reasons a client can’t attend their exercise session. When you are your own trainer, disciplining yourself can be difficult. Take time to journal all of the excuses that could sabotage your workout, then add positive solutions for each negative excuse. Hold yourself responsible for your fitness commitment.

2. Make exercise fun. If you don’t enjoy your workout, it’s not going to last long. If your regular treadmill workout bores you, change it up. Add intervals, incline or hand weights. Or better yet, try one of the programs on your treadmill console. Let the machine act as your trainer and alternate intervals with incline and speed with the push of a button.

3. Grab a partner. The benefit of a trainer is the accountability factor. Ask a reliable, inspiring friend to partner up with you and keep each other focused. It’s easy to blow off a workout if you don’t have a friend to ask you why you weren’t there. Another benefit of a partner is the support and praise they can offer when specific goals are met. Schedule workouts as rigidly as appointments to ensure consistency. Whether it’s an early morning jog, a noontime walk or an evening class at the gym, you are more likely to show up when you are meeting a friend.

4. Intensify your workout. You must challenge your body in order to get results. To see improvement try boosting repetition, increasing weight and intensity levels or decreasing rest time between sets. Small changes can make a big difference in your results.

5. Use technology. There are many fitness applications you can take advantage of that will supplement your training efforts. Also, LifeFitness.com offers tutorials on how to better utilize fitness equipment, and they also offer a virtual trainer, which allows you to compare different workout parameters like calories, distance, time and average heart rate.

6. Reward yourself. Analyze your plan and track your progress. Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight or just get healthier, take time to gauge your work and celebrate your achievements!

Do you have a personal trainer? Tell us about it in the comments! —Jenn