Wouldn't it be great if a personal trainer came to your door three times a week to lead you through your own private workout session? Well, most of us can't afford to hire someone to whip us into shape. Besides, hiring a personal trainer doesn't guarantee that you'll get fit. But if you're serious about exercise, you can be your own personal trainer. back to top

What's a personal trainer?
Personal trainers do more than just make you sweat. They help you set your fitness goals, plan your fitness program, and help you stay motivated. And a personal trainer helps you create a workout schedule. With a little planning, you can do these things by yourself or with a Fitness Friend. Not only will you save money, but you'll also be the boss when it comes to taking care of your body. back to top

How can I be my own personal trainer?
As your own personal trainer, you need to ask yourself this question: "What is my goal?" Make your fitness goal reasonable and doable like a trainer would. If you make it unrealistic (for example, "I'm going to lose 10 pounds in a month"), you're setting yourself up to fail. Pick a goal that you can succeed at, like walking for an hour every other day. You'll feel great when you achieve your goal! back to top

How can I set up a training program?
After you've set your goal, it's time to plan your personal training program. These steps can help:

• Evaluate your fitness level to decide what level of exercise is right for you. If your program is too hard, you could get injured. If it's too easy, you won't see results.
• Choose the cardiorespiratory, strength training, and flexibility exercises you want to do. Add a little cross-training for fun and variety. Don't do too much too soon. That can lead to injury.
• Keep an exercise diary to record all of your workouts. This is important! As your own trainer, you need to track your progress so that you can decide when to take it up to the next level.
• To keep you pumped and motivated to get fit, make your own inspiration box. Write down your favorite sayings, songs, and poems on pieces of paper and put them in your box. Whenever you're feeling down or bored with your workout, reach into the box, take out one of the pieces of paper, and read it. You can also keep your favorite rocking, stomping workout music in your inspiration box for whenever you need to get your heart pumping.
• Just like a real personal trainer, you need to know the correct way to do exercises. Learn all you can about fitness and teach yourself what you need to know to exercise safely and effectively. Who knows, maybe someday someone will hire you to be his or her personal trainer! back to top