Should I Modify My Fitness Practice?

While I’d love to convert each of you who is not currently engaged in a regular exercise program to the fold of those who live better and will, most likely, live longer than otherwise, it’s not very realistic. Most sedentary folks have settled into a fixed attitude that either an exercise program is not worth the benefits or that they simply can’t find the time to devote to one. Both are false, but I’m not trying to pick a fight with anyone.

No, experience (21 years since I started my fitness business) has shown me that it’s much easier to reach those who are already on board about the value of regular fitness training, but may have a significant opportunity to improve the effectiveness and safety of their program. After all, if you’re going to make fitness a priority, don’t you want to get maximum value out of the time and energy you invest?

So, here, in no particular order, are my arguments for you to make your fitness program the most substantial source of your physical well-being it can possibly be:

1. You haven’t properly built the foundation for your program.
2. Your program is not well balanced.
3. Your program isn’t tailored to your precise needs and priorities.
4. You don’t have a clear, objective perspective about what’s missing or over emphasized.
5. You’re not certain about how to measure the program’s quality.

It’s not your fault! But it is your responsibility to fix. You may have a vague sense that you could eat more nourishing food that better supports the demands of your program and that getting regular adequate sleep and water will make your recovery between workouts (where the real magic happens) much more productive. Or you may suspect that all that cardio you’re doing should be melting more of your body fat or that the way you lift might be aggravating your nagging back and shoulder pain. Maybe your program is a patchwork of your friends’ routines and doesn’t seem to fit your goals and preferences like you were hoping it would.

Perhaps your motivation is dwindling because of some or all of the factors above?

Many people think that the purpose of working with a trainer is for the trainer to cultivate your dependence on them, so they can count on you as an indefinite revenue stream, so you’ve avoided scheduling an appointment with one. Or maybe you just don’t know exactly what to do or how to evaluate the contributions they can make to your health. So, let me make it clear and simple:

The right trainer should start a new client (or re-start a former regular exerciser) off with all the considerations above in mind, and explain how you, specifically, will benefit from the framework they establish for you. And they should be happy to sketch out the basics of that in a free, no-obligation consultation where they ask more questions than give advice. And then the evaluation and plan they outline for you should make sense and provide a clear metric by which their contribution can be easily measured.

Have you considered working with a trainer for a few sessions? Most trainers will get you off to a good start over a few weeks or work with you to reach and maintain your optimal practical fitness level indefinitely if that’s your preference, once or several times a week. But they should constantly prove their value to you by helping you to avoid the pitfalls above. And, hopefully, they will make the process a lot more fun as well.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They provide personal training and small group fitness solutions at their studio and a premium, innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.