Eastlife Spring 2020

HEALTH
Get Fitter Faster
Five ways a personal trainer can
help you get fitter faster
Contrary to popular belief, personal training isn’t about barking
orders like a Drill Sergeant - it’s about breaking down barriers to
help you achieve your personal goals. As people look to kickstart
a New Year fitness regime, Nuffield Health personal trainer
Stephen Macconville, explains how a personal trainer (PT) can
help you to get fitter, faster.
1. A constant point of contact
PTs provide a constant point of contact to motivate, inspire and
support you. Whatever your questions, goals or concerns, they
will provide an educated and qualified answer to help you move
forward successfully. Having a PT is a great way to make sure you
get out the door in the first place, as most people feel more of a
sense of responsibility to attend the gym if they have booked an
appointment.
2. The Health MOT
PTs are not only qualified fitness professionals; they also
undertake additional clinical training in order to assess your overall
health and wellbeing. A key part of this is the Health MOT. This
measures key information like your body mass index (BMI), resting
heart rate, sugar levels and blood pressure. These are then used to
give you a ‘Health Score’ with the objective being to increase this
Health Score during your time as a member. A repeat Health MOT
every three months will help track your wellbeing progress. If there
isn’t an improvement, your PT will be able to assess why and help
you get back on track.
3. A tailored and evolving programme
A PT will consider your lifestyle, any injuries you may have or any
concerns, before developing a programme to suit your life. You
can reassess your programme at any time if you feel like you’re
getting bored or you’d like to challenge yourself more.
4. Exercising the right way
How you perform the exercises can have a huge effect on how
effective that exercise is and also on your safety. The worst thing
you can do is copy what other people are doing in the gym
because, after all, who is to say that they know what they are
doing? They may also be performing exercises specific to their
own requirements that don’t match with your own. A PT will set
a programme that is tailored to you and ensure you perform the
exercises correctly.
5. Clever motivation
People often struggle with motivation after the first few weeks in a
gym, but your PT will help you set achievable goals for each stage
of your training. One of the most common mistakes people make
is setting their overall goal without also setting mini goals along
the way. Achieving these mini goals spurs you on as you continue
your training and will make you more likely to succeed.
Nuffield Health is the UK’s largest healthcare charity. For the last
60 years, Nuffield Health’s experts have been working together to
make the nation fitter, healthier, happier and stronger, all for the
public benefit. www.nuffieldhealth.com
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