Sunday, August 2, 2009

50+? Why it's a good idea to get a Personal Trainer

I've never in my life had a Personal Trainer. In fact I've never in my life joined a gym. I thought I did OK walking every morning, having the odd jog, joining an aerobics class in a school gym once a week many years ago, doing my own style of floor exercises on the mat in front of the telly. I even invested in the aerobics and exercise videos that Jane Fonda, Cher, Cindy Crawford goodness knows who else put out way back in the 80's when working out in your loungeroom in high cut leotards and leg warmers were the go.

Of course way back then, I had the body that just seemed to maintain itself through stress, lousy eating, a burning metabolism and a crazy schedule. But now that I've officially joined the 'over 50's', it's a whole new ballgame.

If you've hit the big 50 and allowed yourself to get soft and jiggly, then it's time to sit up and think about an exercise plan to make sure you see your 60th, 70th and beyond. As I mentioned, a Personal Trainer was never ever in my immediate sights. A young gorgeous buffed 25 year old male as my motivator was not exactly what I wanted and that, in my naive view, was the typical description of a PT. Nor was I turned on by the other thought of a young athlete or army bootcamp style of exercise guru turning up at my door at 6am and screaming at me to hit the floor and give them 20!!

Until I woke up and found one my age, and who had gone through some of my experiences. When you're 50+ you've no doubt had kids, had an operation or two, maybe done a knee joint, experienced back troubles and so an exercise plan is so not a matter of just hitting the gym and working the machines without a clue. Nor does it mean signing up for pump class and going at it for an hour thinking you've done great and expecting to see the body change after a few weeks.

Someone who is educated in what age means and will take the time to see what ravages your 50+ body has already experienced will design a plan that you can cope with and know that damage won't be done to sensitive joints or an ageing heart. I soon learned all the exercise I was doing, that I was also quite proud of myself for, was pretty much all wrong. I overdid some and used the wrong technique with others and wondered why it really wasnt' changing my body shape. The PT I found simplified things for me and just tweaked a few of my movements to show me the correct way to work certain muscles.

Strength and resistance work is key to keeping the 50+ body youthful. For the health of your bones, your muscles and your nervous system. And if you need to fatburn don't think you have to jog solidly for an hour. Now, after I've worked with her for a few weeks, I'm thankful and excited that I actually can see the results I've been dying to see for a lot of years.

Invest in yourself and your health. I wish I could say I was the person you could come and see to help get your body into shape, because it's a subject I'm passionate about - after all I truly believe 50 is the new 40. But I'm not a Personal Trainer, I'm a Stylist. So once you do get your body into shape, I can help you style it. I can even help you with the dietary program and the nutrition, but that's not going to help without a great exercise plan to go along with it. But as much as we can hate exercise, trust me your body really will thank you for it.

Check out more at www.ResetReshapeRestyle.com

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