A client once shared with me that she saw a poster in New York advertising personal training with the following slogan “you wouldn’t do your own tax return if you didn’t know what you were doing and you would hire a tax advisor to help you. The same is true for personal training.” I continue to share this story when I talk about the benefits of personal training and how it can help meet your fitness goals.

I’ll start by outlining the common obstacles most people face when it comes to exercise and how working with a personal trainer can help you overcome them:

• Lack of time to exercise
• Lack of motivation to exercise
• Weight issues
• Low self-confidence
• Perceived cost

A personal trainer will immediately take out the first two concerns by showing up in the comfort of your chosen training environment (home, local gym or park) and motivating you to get through your tailored exercise program in a safe, effective and fun manner.

A key benefit to working with a personal trainer is that they will identify a starting point for you. If you are new to exercise, they will not be asking you to do 100 push-ups in the first session. Equally, if you are quite active, they will adjust the program and suggest new ways of moving.

Regarding weight issues, such as concerns about weight gain, personal trainers will share their knowledge about what is nutritious eating and encourage a healthy thinking pattern around food. They will work with you to come up with a suitable food plan for your fitness and weight loss goals.

Personal training will help to increase your self-confidence and self-belief by encouraging you every step of the way. The trainers will be in tune with your moods and will be able to align and change the exercise plan accordingly. Exercise will help you to look and to feel better.

Financial restraints are often an obstacle to hiring a personal trainer. However, personal training doesn’t have to break the bank as there are options to train with a friend or in a group environment to save on costs.

As with other areas in your life where you would hire an expert if you require help, personal training is no different. If you are not sure what exercises you should be doing as a novice, how to begin training for a 10K run, how to perform the squat or a push-up with good technique, meet your weight loss goals or regain confidence in your body image, your choice to invest in working with a personal trainer will be worth your health.

Further benefits to working with a personal trainer include:

• Individual attention and instruction to ensure safe and effective technique via assisting, observation and correction.
• Rehab and injury prevention.
• Special needs training (for example, exercise for mental health, asthma, diabetes, obesity).
• Consistency – helping you to stick to your fitness routines to meet your goals.
• Sharing hugs (if OK with you?) along the way.