I've been preaching investing in yourself for years on this site. This week I decided to invest in a priceless asset, my health.
I decided to get serious about my physical fitness and hired a personal trainer. After checking around a bit, I found Jeremy Ferry with Pure Performance Fitness in Springfield, IL.
Personal Training Consultation
I scheduled a free consult with Jeremy and met with him for about a half-hour. Jeremy went through a thorough checklist to figure out exactly what I wanted to accomplish and why I wanted to make a change.
I had injured my shoulder trying to work out on my own months ago and was in constant pain to the point that I wasn't sleeping well at all. We talked through that and the fact that I wanted to look and feel good, and he assured me that the shoulder injury wouldn't be a problem. Not only did he feel that it wouldn't be a problem, he felt that we could probably fix it!
I signed up on the spot and walked away feeling that Jeremy really cared, confident that he would hold me accountable to my goals.
Day 1 With A Personal Trainer
On my first day at the gym, I changed and went out to see how this new adventure would begin. We immediately started foam rolling to work out the kinks, and then Jeremy asked me to grab a pair of 5lb and 8lb dumbbells.
In the back of my mind, I was thinking, “What the hell; does he think I am a 10-year-old girl??? Do I really look that weak??? 5lb weights???”
Luckily, I chose to keep my mouth shut and did as instructed. After all, this is why I hired a personal trainer, to tell me what to do!!! I didn't want to start second-guessing this guy a few minutes into the workout.
45 minutes of training later, I was dying. I could barely lift my arms for the next two days! Talk about a workout! I certainly won't be complaining next time I'm asked to grab a pair of 5lb dumbbells to start…
Day 2 With A Personal Trainer
Jeremy and I had agreed upon three sessions a week, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Nearly 3 days after our first session, my arms were still sore, but I showed back up at the designated time. Jeremy asked if I was sore, and I downplayed that I was sore as hell and told him a bit. He told me to grab some 5lb and 8lb weights again. This time I was glad and maybe even a little scared to hear those words…
We finished our session, and somehow much of the soreness was gone from my arms! I have no clue how he did it, but the pain in my shoulder had already largely faded into the background. I had gone from barely being able to lift my arm and unable to sleep on my side for months to only having a little soreness in my shoulder in 3 days.
Healthy Diet Plan
Jeremy put together a healthy diet plan for me, which looks like it will be relatively easy to follow. I already knew that physique is 80% diet and 20% exercise; Jeremy merely reinforced that and made it simple for me to know what to eat.
Jeremy's enthusiasm for physical fitness is contagious. Unlike regular gym classes, I'm actually looking forward to our next session. Not even one week in, I'm glad that I decided to go all in and invest in my physical health. If you've been considering hiring a personal trainer, do it!
