Perhaps the most significant “takeaway” from the pandemic was that we needed to start taking better care of ourselves, including our own physical fitness. With society getting more serious about losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle, personal training and fitness coaching are becoming increasingly popular.
As we attempt to move beyond Covid-19, people are showing a greater willingness to consider new methods and lifestyle changes that will help them lose weight and get into better shape…so long as those methods prove effective. One method that’s seeing a remarkable uptick in popularity is personalized fitness coaching or personal training; especially as we grow weary of quick fixes on social media and TikTok fad diets that often cause more harm than good. This new surge of interest in personal training is a sign that people are prioritizing their health but are also no longer willing to rely exclusively on their own efforts to get results.
While personal training is hardly a new concept, it’s undoubtedly not the same industry that it was pre-pandemic when it had a reputation for catering only to professional athletes and people who seemed maniacally obsessed with their own fitness. The truth is that the industry went through a metamorphosis of sorts during the pandemic. Primarily because it had to in order to survive.
Whereas before most of us wouldn’t consider personal training thinking that our fitness goals were too general or simplistic to merit such measures, today it is a terrific option for just about anyone who is serious about getting fit again.
According to one personal trainer who provides her services out of a health spa in Canary Wharf, “Word is beginning to spread - personal training has become more affordable, accessible, and effective…even for people who have fitness goals as simple as wanting to lose a little bit of extra weight.”
We spent a few days hobnobbing with some of London’s most popular and sought-after trainers to get the inside scoop on the trends fueling the popularity of personal training.
Here’s what we discovered:
A Desire for Personalization
This elevated level of interest we continue to see in personal training is a strong indicator that people are fed up with exhausting their efforts on exercise routines that don’t like doing. Today, people are looking for sustainable fitness solutions that are tailored to their unique preferences. In other words, doing a 30-minute oxygen-gulping slog on a treadmill isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. With the assistance of a personal trainer, you can draw on their expertise and come up with a workout regimen consisting of exercises that you enjoy doing. That’s a crucial factor if weight loss is your goal. When you enjoy your workout, you’re obviously much less likely to skip them.
With the skills to assess different body types, goals, and physical capabilities, personal trainers can be very effective in developing a workout regimen that’s tailored to our body type and physical limitations. Not only that, but they can also put you on a fast track to success by helping you avoid common pitfalls that can derail your efforts.
A Solution for Busy Lifestyles
Do you realize that it wasn’t so long ago that people in our society would look upon leisure as a sign of prestige? Today, busyness has become a status symbol that we admire. In other words, we tend to look at a “busy” professional as someone who is essential, important, even impressive. We can’t help but want to show anyone who might be watching just how “hard” we’re working. Psst! This actually goes a bit deeper - busyness is considered to be a form of escapism in modern society. After all, who really wants to slow down long enough to face those deep questions that cause emotional strife like “What is my purpose?”
Think we’re getting off topic? Think again. So long as society continues living by this standard, we’ll be left with very little time to fit the right amount of exercise into our busy schedules. As personal training becomes more accessible, people are turning to these fitness professionals to help them develop a workout routine that we can fit into our chaotic schedules, and they can do it for a great price!
An Increase in Discretionary Spending
The personal training industry is one that is largely driven by discretionary expenditure; another term for “spending cash.” As discretionary spending continues to rise, more people are expected to put their dollars towards a personal trainer that can help them achieve their fitness goals rather than try to achieve the results on their own.
Another major factor that’s fueling the global growth of the personal training industry is the fact that more developing countries today are playing host to a populace with a greater amount of this discretionary income. As our global society continues to look for ways to live a healthier lifestyle in the wake of the Covid pandemic, more people in these countries will choose to spend their discretionary income on personal training.
Accountability
It’ll be resolution season soon, and dieting and fitness always rank among the most popular fitness resolutions that people make every year. Unfortunately, 80% of our new year resolutions are doomed to failure. Why? Primarily because we set our resolutions without having a mechanism in place to remain accountable to our new fitness goals. In a country where people are often too burnt out to live a healthier lifestyle, people will continue to experience difficulty holding themselves accountable to their fitness goals without any support. Fortunately, this is a major factor driving the popularity of personal training.
Accountability is essentially taking the necessary steps to stick to achieving your newly established goal. It’s an easy concept for many to understand, but holding yourself accountable for sticking to a new workout routine or diet can be challenging. That’s why a personal trainer can be so effective in helping you stick to your workout routine. Studies clearly show that an accountability partner, especially a personal trainer, can dramatically increase your chances of success at achieving your fitness goals.
Working with a Personal Trainer for the First Time
There’s a reason that online searches for “gyms near me” are reaching an all-time high. Whether you live in Fisherman’s Wharf in America or Canary Wharf in London, a local gym can be one of the best places to connect with a personal trainer for the first time. But the first step is up to you.
Remember, personal trainers are in the business because they love to help people like you achieve their fitness goals. Hiring one can be the game changer you’ve been looking for if you’ve seemingly spent a better part of your adult life trying to achieve fitness goals on your own. But the real beauty of working with a personal trainer is their commitment to your success. That’s because when you succeed, they succeed as well.