It’s nearly the end of January 2014 and let’s face it, a lot of us have yet to start our planned new fitness regimes. But it’s challenging to be a self-starter if you lack exercise experience or have been out of the fitness game for a while. Lack of a real schedule or not being involved in a concrete workout regime can soon see your motivation levels dip and commitment come to a grinding halt. Does this sound familiar? Then it might be time to invest in the ultimate fitness feedback motivator – a personal trainer.

It seems that many people are debating the merits of taking on a personal trainer. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine recently listed personal training as one of the top 10 fitness trends for 2014. One obvious factor of working out one-on-one is that you receive instant professional feedback on workout sessions, but what real advantages would this bring?

1: You work harder

Having a trainer commit to your fitness goals and work with you, definitely impacts your dedication and motivation level. There’s a greater sense of responsibility and expectation involved with a trainer than if you are going it alone. As well as this, the immediate encouragement keeps you hard at it, even when the going gets tough. Feedback also allows you to put in more effort as you get an immediate idea of what you need to be doing and how, as it happens, based on your performance there and then.

2:You can adapt

We’ve all seen people get stuck in a fitness rut where a routine becomes worn out and tired just as whoever keeps slavishly doing the same workout time and again becomes worn out and tired too. It’s easy to stick to what you know and lack not just inspiration, but the ability to see where and when changes need to be made. One of the great advantages of a personal trainer is the flexibility, variation, and changeability that comes about due to an expert being able to monitor your progress each session and make alterations as and when.

3:You can focus on weak areas

Left to your own devices it can be tempting to focus on what you really excel at. This makes sense as the exercises you are strong in are usually easier. A personal trainer can spot weak areas straightaway and identify where improvements can be made. By designing a workout that tackles these challenges you can really bring balance and stability to your fitness through strengthening your weaknesses.

4:You can feel connected

It is fine of course to join a group fitness class, group training or devise your own gym routine. However, there’s nothing like a personal training session to make you feel involved and integrated with your fitness. Setting goals, working session by session on targets, and getting immediate feedback on your status, personalizes exercise. In turn this can make you feel more invested in not just how you work out but your lifestyle in general too, as you feel a greater sense of responsibility when it comes to looking after yourself.

5:You can reach your goals quickly

There is so much information about training, exercise and fitness that you need to be on the right track, not just the fast track, if you hope to reach your goals. Even if these are not overly ambitious, and your aim is to get to the fitness level you should be at, it is easy to be led astray by misinformation and exercise myths. You can work as hard as you like but if you are not exercising at the optimal level in the best possible way then you are going to reach your goals more slowly. A personal trainer can speed up the process.

If you still want to make 2014 a year when you really get fit and get some immediate feedback on your personal fitness status and get in touch today.