To train or to be trained...

...the question of modern day fitness and weight loss. Do you train yourself and risk laziness, lack of intensity, monotony, and no accountability? Or do you get a trainer and pay 100$ a session, get your butt kicked, have your workouts already planned, and have an accountability partner? Having experienced everything the fitness world has to offer, including teams, trainers and training myself, this is a more complex question than picking one option or the other. Obviously everyone feels differently about having a trainer vs. training yourself, but I have a few points that I think people should consider when making this decision.

Trainer
Pros: Trainers are trained professionals that have taken certification courses and gone through school for the sole purpose of designing workouts. You are held accountable because you have to schedule appointments. You just have to show up, they do the planning work for you and record your workouts. Professional cheerleader/motivator.

Cons: SO expensive, running 100$ an hour in the Boston area. Dependability - this is how they make their money, clients begin to depend on them very quickly. Becoming your 'best friend' - training should be just that, not chatting sessions about life happenings, it is distracting. Complacency the more often they train you.

Training yourself
Pros: Free! I think the biggest pro to training yourself is the reward you get out of the investment. While it is more work to write your workout each night, plan your week, and get yourself to the gym, if you can figure out all the logistics then training yourself it is a sustainable life-long plan to staying in shape. There are endless resources available [even for free!] to help write workouts, plan nutritious meals, and even help motivate you. The information is out there, you just have to decide to educate yourself. Training yourself is on your own time schedule - mornings every day? Ok! 9pm workouts more effective for you? Also ok! As long as you get it in, it will work.

Cons: Training yourself requires substantial discipline and focus, you are holding yourself accountable. I don't actually consider this a con, as discipline and focus are skills I find very important in life success, but it certainly is more difficult for many people than signing up for a trainer. You have to work harder to make workouts fun and interesting since you are writing them yourself.

I think there are a couple of situations where hiring a trainer is a great idea: you need a kickstart to your routine after taking some time off, you have a big event coming up and need to look extra hot, you are simply struggling to make it to the gym and need a couple sessions for motivation, or you just got your tax returns and want to invest in your health [I was tempted]. I think trainers can handicap you when your appointments are the only time you get to the gym, you never challenge yourself to work at a similar intensity on your own, you simply can't imagine life without your trainer, and you feel completely dependent on their workouts for your success.

I'm a very firm believer in sustainable, life-long fitness. The more you challenge yourself to be your own advocate, the more sustainable your fitness routine will be. If you are dependent on your own mind for workouts, nutrition etc, you will never be let down. Not only is training yourself a huge money saver, it also helps develop skills such as concentration, confidence and discipline. Group classes are an amazing way to let someone else instruct for an hour, but still be in charge of your own success.

A couple of my favorite resources for my workout and nutrition information are Oxygen Magazine, anything written by Jillian Michaels, Shape Magazine, chatting with friends/coworkers about their routines, and simply watching other fit people at the gym and replicating their moves. I do the occasional google search for new exercises, but I leave it to my own experience and imagination to piece together killer workouts. If I can do it, you can definitely do it. Be your own trainer, the payoff is HUGE!