Working Out With A Personal Trainer

Can y'all believe we are over halfway through 2014!! I thought this would be a good time to share how I'm doing with my healthy living goals. Even though I chose FUN  as my word for this year, my first and foremost goal has been to focus on my health, lose weight, get my energy level back up, and keep a positive attitude. At this mid-point in the year, I feel very good about my efforts at choosing a healthier lifestyle.

Over the past six months, I've been tracking my food and exercise using the My Fitness Pal app and have made a good number of changes in my eating habits (eating less, drinking smaller cans of Coca-Cola, adding more vegetables, cutting down on the number of sweets, etc). My energy level has steadily increased and my word FUN has helped me focus on the good things and maintain a positive attitude. Another thing that has helped me tremendously is the fact that Robbie is making these changes with me!

I've also dramatically increased the amount of time I spend exercising. Here at home, I consistently ride the stationary bike 30 minutes five to seven days a week. I also add in the occasional strength training session and workouts with a DVD. However, the best thing I've done is add in weekly sessions with a personal trainer. We have a city recreation center a mile down the road from our house. I joined the center and got the contact information for Sherri, a personal trainer that meets me at the center and designs personalized workouts.

We've had several sessions where we exercised outside. I truly enjoyed getting outside in the sunshine this spring, however now that summer temperatures have arrived it'll be a while before we can do one of these again. Here's a look at some of the exercises in the outdoor routine. First, my favorite . . . skipping!

Step Up, Step Down using a park bench.

Push-Ups using a picnic table or the playground equipment.

Squats with a kick out on the stairs.

And lunges with a kick on the stairs.

Most sessions, however, we workout inside the recreation center using a variety of equipment - exercise/stability ball, medicine balls, bosu balance trainer, weight machines, treadmill, jump rope, free weights, etc.

It's a great feeling to complete a workout knowing I've increased the amount of the weight (I can lift or push or pull or whatever) and the number of reps I can complete. I'm feeling much more comfortable working out in a public place, and Sherri is absolutely fantastic to work with. (She's even willing to carry my cell phone around and snap photos!) [If you're local and looking for a trainer, email me for Sherri's contact information!]

Another benefit of paying to work out with a personal trainer is that it keeps me motivated to be more active at home. I've even cancelled our lawn service and am now back to mowing the yard myself again! (Robbie does all the weedeating & edging!)

I'm absolutely thrilled with the results of all my efforts this year - I'm feeling better, more energetic, more confident . . . and I've lost 17 pounds and 2 pants sizes in the process!!

Do any of you work out with a personal trainer? What would you say are the benefits?