You may be considering getting help to get in shape, get stronger and feel more confident and therefore look into getting yourself a personal trainer/online coach. Many people may see the price of personal training and think they are expensive. This is understandable but there are many advantages to getting yourself a good coach. By taking a look at the reasons why people may need a personal trainer and what a P.T. can do may make the price tag seem better value for money than you first thought.
 
Why would you want or need a personal trainer and what can they do for you?
1. You are not seeing results from your current training. A trainer can look at your current exercise and dietary habits and help you make changes in order to achieve your goals effectively.
2. You don’t know what to do or where to start. They can help you determine goals, hold you accountable and motivate you. A personal trainer can give the knowledge needed to carry out complete and effective routines to achieve your goals. This knowledge is something you can potentially use for the rest of your training life and habits that will stay with you. 
3. You find your current workouts boring. They can give you fresh ideas or reignite your interest in healthy living and training effectively to achieve the body that you want.
4. You want/like to be challenged. Motivation is extremely important. For example within a session if you have a trainer pushing you to do that extra rep and spotting you in a safe manner if you are lifting weights, the chances are you will get pushed harder than if you had trained by yourself. This in turn should also help give you greater strength and more confidence in your own abilities.
5. You want to learn and have the ability to work out on your own but lack the knowledge to do so. Once you get given this foundation of knowledge it gives you the freedom to be confident that you know how to start.
6. You need accountability and motivation to stay on track. You are much less likely to skip a workout if you have an online coach to check in with, this can help you get into the routine of training, making it easier to continue.
7. You have a specific illness, injury or condition that needs to be addressed in some way.  Training can be focused depending on the needs of the client. An injury or area of weakness can be focused on and improved.
8. You are training for a sport or event. Training can be designed to focus upon performance goals to achieve in a particular sport or event.
9. You want supervision and support with your training. Having someone able to observe and step in when needed whilst you train is useful as this is safe way to learn and check technique.
10. You want to be able to work out at home but need guidance in order to do it safely and effectively. A trainer can design and show you how to execute home workouts. Once again, gaining the knowledge to carry out workouts effectively.
 
 
Having a personal trainer/online coach can mean different things to each individual. Where one person may be looking for a long term training mentor, others may just need some motivation and help keeping on track with their health and fitness goals. Knowledge is the key component to training and achieving results. There are many training packages available, personally I try and tailor them to an individuals needs. We bring everything together, keeping it simple and supporting you each step of the way.

​Vicki :)

Many people who come to me want to look and feel better. Some have never done structured exercise before and others may have joined a gym at some point. Many also come under the umbrella of a yo-yo dieter. For some a quick fix is all they want, being able to get into the outfit for a special occasion. Most people ultimately want to achieve something that is going to last long term. A lifestyle to last a lifetime.
In order to look and feel good it is necessary to have a healthy lifestyle and for many this means making lifestyle changes. Two main areas to consider are diet and exercise. You need to have a good, balanced diet and exercise regularly and consistently.
Healthy habits include drinking at least 2 litres of water every day, drinking little alcohol and removing processed food, in particular sugar, from your diet as much as possible.
People are time poor.
We now live in a fast food nation. Takeaways, fast food we can pick up on the go in petrol stations and corner shops, microwave meals to name just a few. The fact that people are time poor means turning to these options are becoming more common. People are trying to juggle all of their commitments, work and family, this is challenging and that is often why a healthy lifestyle can slip. But lack of time should not be used as an excuse! Planning and organisation is key, fail to plan, plan to fail. It is possible to achieve a healthier lifestyle if you apply some of these methods to your weekly routine.

Planning and preparation
Make a plan of what you are going to eat for the week ahead. This means you can write a shopping list and ensure that you have everything that you are going to need. It also allows for you to be prepared for potential mid-week shops knowing exactly what it is you need and when. Restocking on the items you need without the temptation of those you do not. It is also a good idea to plan preparation times, when you are able to cook and more importantly when you need to prepare in advance. If you are fortunate to be able to cook each meal fresh that’s great but chances are this is either rarely the case or at the very least will occur. The easiest way of having balanced and nutritious meals throughout the day is meal preparation. Cooking in bulk is a great time saver. Something that you can eat within a couple of days can be boxed up and put in the fridge ready to take when you need it. For some even preparing a couple of day’s food is not enough. You can also freeze meals that you have bulk prepared and then get them out of the freezer the night or morning before you want to eat them.
If you are out all day preparation is especially important. Boxing up your meals (essentially a packed lunch) can ensure you don’t miss a meal. The problem if you don’t is you may end up grabbing fast food that you’d rather not eat or reaching the point of hunger and overeating because of that. If you go long periods of time without eating your blood sugar level, energy level and metabolism will drop and these are things that you want to try and avoid.
 
Exercise
The same amount of planning should go into your exercise routines. Decide when you are going to work out during the week ahead. What you are going to do for each workout and what your goals for the week ahead should all be considered. Being methodical and organised should keep you on track and potentially increase your enjoyment as you will be achieving goals each week. A feeling of satisfaction at the end of the week is a great motivator for wanting to keep going next week. Focusing on improvements and positive steps will lead you to a healthier lifestyle.
 
Prepare, be organised and make it a lifestyle.


​Vicki :)