Today, many people have somebody to help them with their health and wellness goals. Mainly they have a personal trainer to help them with their fitness goals and a dietitian or nutritionist to help them with their meal planning and diet. This can be a huge benefit. This professional can help a person stay motivated, stay on track, plan and set their goals, and help them achieve those goals. But the first thing that needs to be done in all of this is choosing the right professional to help you, and that can turn out to be a very big hassle. So many times I hear of people going from personal trainer to personal trainer trying to find the right one to help them reach their goals. There are so many things to look at, but I’m going to give a few tips and things to keep your eyes open for to help you choose the right professional for you.
      One of the main things to check for is credentials. Look for degrees, certifications, and any form of validation that shows they are suited to help you in this field. You want to make sure they are legitimate in being able to help you. If they do have certifications, then check for reviews. Normally, if they are legitimate and have experience, you can find reviews. Ask somebody that also uses them. Look for reviews online. Meet with them and check their office for progress pictures of clients and credentials on the wall. You want to make sure you find somebody who not only has experience, but also has a good reputation of providing a quality service. Also, if it’s somebody newer in the field and they are advertising hard, always check to see if they have the experience and reputation to back up what they claim.
      Next is make sure the person knows how to help you reach your goals. Be positive that they listen to you and what you are saying. So many times a trainer won’t listen to what you tell them, and will use all of the same techniques they use with themselves or with other clients. Nobody is the same so that doesn’t work. You want to make sure that you are being helped and trained in accordance to your goals. If you aren’t, then that is a sign you need to find another professional to help you. You will know you’re not because you will have little or no progress towards your goals.
      Another important thing is if they are helping you to learn or not. One of my biggest focal points when I work with somebody is to hopefully help them to learn as they go. They may want to work with me continuously, but I always try to help them learn and realize why they are doing, why they are doing it, and how to do it. This way if something happens, if I get sick for example and have to be off for a few days, they are still able to get a workout in and know exactly what to do. This way the client is not clueless, and can still make progress towards their goals. Another main thing is to make sure your trainer knows how to work around injuries, whether they be minor and acute or major and chronic. An experienced trainer with good knowledge will know how to work around mostly all injuries. They will know how to maintain your progress, and many times help you gain progress. They should never make you work through an injury, and even make you do a movement if it hurts or you feel pain. The old “no pain, no gain” theory is not a good one to follow.
      Those are just a few main things out of many to look for and help you out if you are looking for a health professional to guide you to reach your goals and help you progress. Keep these things in mind and hopefully they are useful to you in your decision making process. Just remember when hiring somebody to help you, there are there for just that, to help YOU. Make sure that is what they are doing. Always research and investigate before making any decisions and that will help you obtain the right professional to keep you guided toward your goals.
      Fore more information contact Jack Wilins (JACKed Health), 330-565-0352, www.jackedhealth.com