Do I Need to Hire a Personal Trainer?
Written by Co-Owner and Founder Jessica Bottesch
I bet many of you have found yourself contemplating this very same question. Many of you have health goals that you haven’t successfully reached on your own, some of you don’t even know where to start, some can’t seem to find the time to fit exercise into your busy life schedule while others workout every day (but maybe you’re a little bored with your same-old routine), and there are some of you who just know its time to call in an expert! Believe it or not, over the last few years, I have found myself in every single one of these categories – the real kicker is . . . I AM A PERSONAL TRAINER!
I have dedicated my life to fitness and wellness, to educating and motivating my clients to incorporate physical exercise, a well-balanced diet, and stress reducing strategies into their lives. Along with my business partner and a great staff I have founded a fitness company based on these principles. So why would I need a trainer? – I already know this stuff. The only answer I could come up with when I was asking myself this question was – LIFE HAPPENS.
The truth is I am not just a personal trainer. I am a business owner, a marketer, a HR director, a wife, a friend, and most importantly a mom to a very active 3 year old. Life has gotten beautifully busier with each passing year, so busy in fact that I wasn’t making time for exercise, or I was putting myself through some half-hearted workouts. The lack of a regular, effective exercise program had other undesirable effects as well – problems sleeping, irritability, impatience, and stress/fatigue related snacking. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I sounded a lot like many of the clients I have seen on their first visit when I asked “why do you think you need to work with a trainer.” LIGHT BULB!
This realization occurred about 2 years ago and I have happily been training with not just one but many of our Empower trainers (it depends who is free that day) or taking a great high intensity EMPOWER Tabata class in Durham or EMPOWER Cycling class in Raleigh daily and it has made a world of difference and here’s some of the reasons why:
- The “I don’t have time” excuse is replaced with a high priority appointment on my calendar.
- While I know what to do, making myself do it is so much harder than having our expert trainers design a program specific to my goals and motivating me through the workouts.
- The “path of least resistance” phenomenon. Over the years through training others and training myself I realized that the body is a very smart machine – it is always going to pick the path of least resistance. Your body and mind are not going to do more work than absolutely necessary to complete a task. Think about it – how many burpees are you really going to do when no one is watching? It takes incredible mental toughness to push yourself past the point of comfort to reach optimal effort. The presence of a knowledgeable trainer both motivates me to work harder and gives me the confidence to know that I will be safe – they are carefully watching my form and my level of exertion.
- Another thing I have learned is that we tend to play to our strengths and avoid our areas of weakness. In other words, when left to our own direction we are more likely to choose exercises or activities that we excel at or that come easily to us and thus steer clear of things that seem too challenging. Again, here is where a trainer earns their stripes. A good trainer will identify muscle imbalances in your body and help you strengthen what is weak, stretch what is tight, and guide you toward a stronger, better balanced you.
- FUN! Working with my Empower trainers is one of the best parts of my day. The workouts are always different and challenging – so my body and mind don’t get bored and more importantly I don’t get stuck on a physiological plateau.
- Power! I love to feel strong. When I wake up and stretch I can feel my muscle fibers contract and that makes me feel alive. I give thanks every day to live in a healthy, happy body.
- Her. I love setting a healthy example for my daughter. She is intently listening and watching everything I do, soaking it all in. I want her to know that being fit is empowering, that being active is fun way to explore the world around us, and that being strong is beautiful.
I wonder if a day will come when I go back to putting myself through the paces of an exercise regime, but for now I know that hiring Empower personal trainers and taking Empower fitness classes is the best investment I have made and I am looking forward to a Stronger. Healthier. Happier. 2014!
