A common mistake from people trying to find a Personal Trainer is to forget to assess themselves before moving to the next step. This is one of the most important steps for people to do, to create a full understanding of what you are actually wanting yourself.

 

What we mean by assessing yourself is working out exactly what you are trying to achieve, what health concerns do you have, health risks etc.

Without this simple criteria completely understood, it is very hard to find a Personal Trainer that will met and be able to achieve the required results you are looking for and ensure that these can be maintained for an extended period of time.

 

So what are some of the criteria we should look at in ourselves:

 

What exactly are we trying to achieve?

• Loose weight – if so how much
• Tone Up – if so how much, what areas
• Strengthen Up
• Build Muscle
• Lean down
• Increase Fitness – aerobically or anaerobically
• Feel healthier
• Attain a certain mark – race time, running distance etc
• Increase flexibility

What are our time frames?

• Is it a short, quick fix
• Are we after a result by a set date
• Is this a life style change

What are our eating habits?

• Are we getting enough nutrients per day?
• Are we eating enough meals per day?
• What is our carbohydrate, protein and fat intake per day
• Do we eat healthy or unhealthy
• Do we snack on high sugar or high fat foods and drinks

What is our commitment?

• How much time are we prepared to commit per week
• How much effort and dedication are we going to commit
• How much money are we prepared to commit

As you can see there is a lot more to the self assessment than most people realise. We’ll be adding more articles and a checklist as time goes by, so please check back regularly.