People are always talking about how they want to FINALLY get healthy.  They talk and talk about getting healthy, making commitments, and bearing down.  They swear off certain foods for good and make promises that will rarely be kept.  For many people, they put a healthy and fit lifestyle up on a pedestal.  By this point, it has become a mythical and intimidating goal to reach.

Part of this is their own fault.  However, the health and fitness industry also shares some of the blame.  Their job is to convince us that attaining a healthy lifestyle is hard to achieve, and almost impossible to achieve without their help.  They compound the problem by showing us how complex and confusing an effective fitness plan can be.  They convince us that if we do not follow their specifically detailed and complex plan, we will simply be wasting our time.  No one wants to kill themselves in the gym if they are just “wasting time”, so we buy into their claims.

This is partly the reason they are able to charge extortionate rates from clients.  Should a personal trainer really be getting paid the same as a doctor or lawyer?  I don’t think so.  It is our willingness to pay for these people that allows the cycle to continue.  Now, I’m not suggesting a personal trainer isn’t beneficial.  A skilled personal trainer, or other health and fitness professional can make ALL the difference in the world.  However, you should be paying them for their expertise in health and fitness, not to stand over you and count. 

Health and fitness is NOT difficult.  It is actually very simple.  Follow the below formula for a great foundation towards a healthy life:

3 days of cardiovascular activity, minimum of 30 minutes + 3 days of weightlifting + eating right 80% of the time = a healthy life.

It’s really that simple.  Of course, there can be much more detail and attention paid to an individual plan, but for starters, this is a great option.  If people did the above, the overwhelming majority of this country would be far better off than they are now.

By introducing a personal trainer into the mix, you are able to maximize your time spent in the gym.  He/she will be able to provide you goal specific exercises, continually confuse your body by varying workouts, and be able to answer any questions you may have.  Just remember, you don’t need to pay someone $50+ an hour to stand over you and count.

Health and fitness is not some crazy, complex thing that only a select few can attain.  It comes down to overcoming laziness, plain and simple.  If you can simply make yourself WANT to change, change will come easy.  The facts are out there; lack of exercise leads to a premature death.  It’s pretty black and white.  Either you want to be overweight, unhealthy, and face an early death, or you want to be fit, muscular and live a long and productive life.  The choice is yours.

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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