3 Things Your Personal Trainer Wants You to Know

Do you ever wonder what your personal trainer is thinking as you struggle with those squats or huff and puff through that 10-minute jog on the treadmill? Losing weight and working with a personal trainer can be incredibly intimidating for most people, which is why understanding more about the process can be comforting. Here are three things your personal trainer wants you to know about your weekly sessions and losing weight in general.

1. Personal Trainers Have Seen It All

Don't get embarrassed about the buckets of sweat you are producing or the way your body fat jiggles when you work out—your trainer has seen it all before. Studies have shown that 8 out of 10 American adults are worried about their weight, and five out of ten want to work toward losing a few pounds, so nobody should ever feel silly at the gym. Personal trainers are familiar with the emotional and physical issues people have when they start working out to lose weight, so you shouldn't feel embarrassed at all.

If you can't shake your concerns over how you look when you are at the gym, discuss your worries with your personal trainer. Good personal trainers will do everything in their power to help you to overcome your concerns. For example, if you don't like working out in front of other people at first, your trainer might arrange private workout sessions away from the gym or schedule time with you when the gym isn't as busy. If nothing else, personal trainers are excellent at helping you to understand the common emotional challenges associated with changing your lifestyle so that you can continue to make progress. 

2. What You Eat Matters

Sometimes when people start a weight-loss program, they assume that working out hard is all they need to do to shed those unwanted pounds. Many people tout the mantra "eat whatever you want and then just work out harder." Unfortunately, research has shown that what you eat matters—a lot.

Nutritional expert Shawn Talbot explains that weight loss is about 75% what you eat and 25% what you do for exercise. He explains that since it is much easier to skip high-calorie foods than it is to work out, choosing healthier eating habits is crucial to your weight-loss efforts.

Other studies have supported Dr. Talbot's research. One study that analyzed over 700 other weight-loss studies showed that people experienced the greatest weight-loss results when diet was the focus of their efforts. On average, people who dieted without focusing on exercise lost around 23 pounds over the course of 15 weeks while people who only worked on increasing their exercise lost 6 pounds in 21 weeks.

If you are having trouble tightening up your diet, talk with your personal trainer about your struggles. Some personal trainers can help with things like meal plans while others might be able to refer you to a nutritionist.

3. Exercise Intensity Is Crucial to Your Success

Believe it or not, your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate after you get done working out. The more intense your exercise is, the more oxygen your body consumes afterward and the more calories you burn. For example, one study showed that cyclists who worked out vigorously for 45 minutes burned an additional 190 calories during the 14 hours after their workouts were complete.   

For this reason, exercise intensity is absolutely crucial to your success. Instead of showing up to your personal training sessions and simply "getting through" your workout with as little effort as possible, try hard to increase your workout intensity day after day. In addition to getting more out of your training sessions, you can keep your body working for hours afterward while you do other things.

When you work out with your personal trainer, remember that the session can be a challenge for them too. However, by trying your best, being patient with yourself, and increasing your intensity, you can make the weight-loss process easier for you and your trainer.  

Contact a company like RogueFit Club to schedule your first session.