How much should you exercise?
It is no secret that exercise is important. And you are probably aware that living a sedentary lifestyle can lead to health problems such as back pain, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
So, how much exercise do you need? To give you an idea, the Ministry of Health recommends that adults do at least 2 ½ hours of moderate and 1 ¼ hours of vigorous exercise throughout the week. For those 65 or older, the Ministry recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five or more days a week.
Getting started
Thankfully, if you are on the ‘slippery slope’ of inactivity, there are people who can help. Of course, we’re talking about personal trainers.
How can a personal trainer help?
1. Motivation
Probably the greatest obstacle for those wishing to exercise is sticking with it — lounging in a warm La-Z-Boy, watching TV is sometimes more appealing. So, a personal trainer will push you out of your comfort zone and hold you accountable. Most of us don’t like letting others down, so it’s harder to justify slacking off when someone else is expecting you to turn up.
2. A unique programme
Everybody is different. Therefore, one size does not fit all when it comes to exercise. Before you start, your trainer will assess your fitness, taking into account any health issues, and discuss your goals. Then they will design a programme to suit your unique circumstances.
3. Education
What are your goals? To lose weight? To build muscle? A personal trainer will show you the best exercises to achieve your goal. For example, if you aim to build core strength, spending hours pounding the treadmill won’t achieve much.
It is easy to perform exercises incorrectly if you’re not careful. In the best-case scenario, the result will be that you won’t get maximum benefit from the exercise; in the worst case, you could end up injuring yourself. So, part of your trainer’s job is to ensure you work out correctly.
How to choose a personal trainer
Okay. You agree that hiring a personal trainer is a good idea. The question though, is how to go about finding one that’s suitable?
Things like cost and location are, of course, important. And if you’re in your senior years, you ideally need a trainer with experience in elder fitness.
However, putting those aside, here are three other factors to consider:
- Qualifications: It is important your personal trainer knows what they are doing, so make sure their qualification is NZQA approved.
- Personality: What training style do you prefer? Do you want a cheerleader to shower you with praise or a sergeant major to bark commands?
- Specialty: Find out what the personal trainer specialises in. It’s pointless hiring someone who works with elite athletes if you just want to get more mobile. As mentioned, if you’re in your later years, a personal trainer specialising in senior fitness is ideal.
Life is short, so don’t let fear of injuring yourself stop you from pursuing your goals. Instead, just be smart and prepare.
“Surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you and push you to be your best self” ~ Bill Gates
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This content is provided by TXG for information purposes only. We advise anyone interested in this subject to seek qualified professional advice.