Before you join a gym, hire a personal trainer or listen to any exercise instructor to help you with your new years resolutions, make sure that they fulfill a few essential criteria. These well-intentioned but often grossly uninformed, negligent or uneducated so-called ‘fitness professionals’ may be the very reason your weight loss and health goals are eluding you. Be sure that they meet the following basic requirements to be ‘fitness professionals’ before you take their advice and/or part with your money.
1) Do they ‘walk their talk’? First and foremost, your potential fitness professional should be a prime example of what you want to achieve. Their job is to set a good example and be someone you can look up and aspire to. Do they train regularly? Do they have goals? Do they follow the same healthy balanced diet they tell you to follow? Are they dedicated and disciplined? Do they avoid alcohol, fatty foods and sugar? Taking a good hard look at them will usually be the best way to determine this.
2) Are they qualified and experienced? As a bare minimum they should possess Cert III and Cert IV in Health and Fitness and also a current ‘Fitness Australia Accreditation’. Further qualifications such university degrees and/or special advanced courses (nutrition, pilates, rehab, special populations, strength conditioning, etc) should be part of your trainer’s arsenal.
3) Are they in it for the long-haul? Is this their career choice for life? Would they do this even if they weren’t getting paid? Or are they just doing this for a few years until they get bored and want to try something else like selling used cars or going to work on the mines?
4) Do they genuinely care about you and your goals? A great fitness professional needs to be genuinely passionate about helping you achieve your goals and improve your quality of life. Do they put some thought into your exercise and nutrition program? Do they become concerned when you haven’t been following it? Or do they just ‘wing it’ when you’re with them then forget all about you as soon as you leave?
5) Are they passionate learners? The health and wellness industry changes on a daily basis. New research and scientific discoveries are changing long-held beliefs all the time. Does he/she read every day about the latest research and findings? Do they attend seminars, lectures, classes, online forums and buy subscriptions to health magazines? Do they share new information with you to help you be your best? Or do they spend their spare time watching TV and hanging out at the pub?
If your potential ‘fitness professional’ doesn’t get an ‘A’ in most, if not all, of these basic requirements, BUYER BEWARE. (We’re glad to report that all of us here at Betterlife Studio tick all of these boxes. I know, shameless self-promotion but it’s my rant!)


