 Shaping
Up Part I: Do I need a personal trainer?
There's
still hope when the mind is willing and the flesh is weak. But what
happens when both mind and body are weak? Here's where your personal
trainer comes to the rescue.
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By Angelene
Wong
[eastciti.com,
october 13]
Madonna
has one and, some may even joke, had a child with one. But seriously,
why do you need a personal trainer in Singapore, where you have
no lack of fitness facilities and sporting activities to keep your
body and mind supple?
 Let's
face it. Fitness facilities and activities are widely available
but the choice is ours whether we want to take up the first step
to making use of them. Or, if we are already in a fitness regime,
the question remains whether we'll stick with it. Samantha, a slightly
plump chum of mine, was at first raving mad about visiting the gym,
but 6 months down the road, she has quit the gym, complaining that
she wasn't seeing any results. Or if you're like me, who once made
it almost sacrosanct to swim 3 times a week but now can muster neither
the time nor energy to do a set of crunches at home. No prizes for
guessing who has the last laugh - my couch potato friend, Jessie,
whom I used to tease, or myself?
Sounds
familiar? Take the test below to confirm your fears…
Are
you desperately-seeking a personal trainer?
1)
Is ¾ of your workout spent on:
-
bitching with your girlfriend about your new colleague's bad dress
sense;
-
checking out Mr. Brad Pitt at the treadmill;
-
reading and re-reading and re-reading the instructions on the
gym machines rather than working out?
 2)
Have you been faithfully burning your lungs out at the gym 3 times
a week for 2 hours each time but still strangely look the same as
when you first started out? Sigh…if only age could stand as still
as your unsightly bulges.
3)
Do you have a medical history of obesity, heart problems or other
medical ailments but still wish to start on a fitness programme?
 4)
Are you always missing your aerobics class because somehow your
boss always seems to have something for you to do on the day of
your class?
If
you answer yes to all the above, welcome to the club, personal trainers
are included.
Benefits
of Personal Training
Focus,
focus, focus… You can't keep your focus on working out because you
are either a) with bad company - sometimes your girlfriends can
be more a foe than a friend. b) too easily distracted by moving
biceps, triceps and bulging bodies. c) instructionally-challenged.
But hey, who isn't. A personal trainer will make sure you keep your
mind and eyes focused on the workout.
According
to Mr Gary Ng, Assistant Personal Training Manager of Planet Fitness
at Great World City, ladies make up a higher percentage of clients
compare to guys: 60% girls to 40% guys. He notices a difference
between the male and females when it comes to needs.
 Ladies,
the affable Gary tells me, are generally more concerned with three
main areas - the triceps, tummy and the hips. We lament about our
flabby bits more often than guys think about the 3-letter word.
As for guys, some enlist the help of a personal trainer looking
to keep fit and tone up.
 But
guys can get very vain nowadays. Says Gary, "First when they come
in, they just want to tone up and reach a shapely size. But when
they achieve that, they want to look bigger. They ask me, 'Can you
make me look like this (pointing at a bodybuilder)?' " he chuckles.
But
whatever your individual needs are, personal trainers help to keep
you focused on achieving them in the shortest time possible. With
a regular and targeted exercise regime tailored to your own personal
needs, personal training would be able to help you achieve your
fitness goals in the shortest time possible.
Proper
Guidance
 Wonder
why you exercise religiously and still not seeing the results that
you should? The truth is not out there but in the way your exercises
are done. You are obviously not doing your exercises properly or
fail to have a clear sense of what you want to achieve or a combination
of both. A qualified and trained personal trainer will be able to
guide you through the appropriate exercises to do, the frequency
and most importantly, the correct way of doing them to best achieve
your fitness goals. Even women who seem blessed with a slim or thin
frame are not spared from their own set of woes. With the right
training and diet, a thin person can gain the desired mass and look
better. It's not just a beauty thing, Gary says. In fact, guided
strength training through the use of weights would help women improve
their muscle strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which
women are prone to as they age.
Besides
helping you get in shape, a personal trainer ensures that injuries
are prevented with the proper guidance on the use of machines or
during exercises. Especially people with physical ailments or handicaps,
you must be extra careful about injuring yourself during exercising.
First get the advice from your doctor for clearance to exercise.
While you're at the gym, a personal trainer will be able to design
a fitness program that takes into account of your medical history
so that risks to your health are minimised.
Flexibility
You
are a workaholic who's running against the brick wall trying to
fit your busy lifestyle into your fitness programme. With a personal
trainer, you have the flexibility of revolving your fitness programme
around your work schedule and not the other way round. Together
with your personal trainer, you can work out a schedule that fits
your lifestyle.
For
more information on Planet Fitness, log on to their official website.
Check
out our message board
>>
Shaping
Up: Do I need a personal trainer?
Related
story
>>
Shaping Up Part 2: How do I select a good
personal trainer?
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