Why Personal Training Has Worked for Me for Nearly 10 Years

Why I started personal training

I started working with a personal trainer in 2017 when I was in my twenties. At the time, it wasn’t because I was naturally someone who loved the gym.

I used to dance when I was younger and loved PE, so I was used to being active, but trying to fit in exercise as an adult around full-time work felt much harder. Like a lot of people, I’d joined gyms on and off for years, tried running, even done a few races, but it never really stuck. It always felt like effort. I’d go through phases, lose momentum, and stop.

Part of my motivation back then was probably quite common - I was fortunate to have a naturally slim build, and I didn’t want my weight to gradually creep up as I got older. That still factors in now to some extent, and I think it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. But more than that, I knew I needed something that would actually help me stay consistent.

Luckily, I knew myself well enough to know what might work. I’m incredibly polite, reliable, and terrible at letting people down, so if I had a 1:1 appointment, I would turn up, and so I invested in a PT.

At first, I kept it small because I was worried about the cost. I did just 30 minutes once a week on my lunch break, which felt manageable and sustainable. Over time, that became an hour a week, and nearly ten years later, it’s still something I continue to commit to.

How personal training made the gym feel less intimidating

As a teenager and at university, I used to feel very intimidated walking into a gym. I’d arrive and have absolutely no idea what to do. I’d rotate between the bike, treadmill and cross trainer because they felt “safe”, but beyond that I was completely lost. I wouldn’t have had the first clue what to do with a pair of dumbbells.

Over time, I learned what to do, how to do it, and which muscles different exercises helped, and then the gym stopped feeling intimidating and started feeling comfortable and familiar.

Now, one of the things I’m genuinely proud of is being a woman confidently walking into the free weights area and lifting.

Why finding the right personal trainer matters

One thing I’ve also learned over the years is that not every PT is the right PT for you. In the last ten years, I’ve actually had three.

The first one I chose mostly because I saw her in the gym and thought, “she looks nice”. That probably sounds ridiculous, but personality fit mattered to me from the start. We trained together for 3 years and only stopped when she had a baby. But we still continue to be friends to this day.

I knew I didn’t want a “gym bro” who lived and breathed the gym in a way that felt completely disconnected from normal life; someone who might not really understand the barriers most of us face around time, family, work, energy and just fitting exercise into a busy schedule. During Covid, I ignored my gut and trained with someone who felt more like that, and it was a bad fit, which reiterated that qualifications matter, but personality fit matters too.

Then, in 2021, I was pregnant with my first baby and started looking for a new PT.  I found Alan, who I’ve been doing personal training with ever since.

I’d remembered seeing him in the gym, and he felt relatable, knowledgeable, and like someone who genuinely cared about continuing to learn himself. I enjoy meeting his other clients (in fact, I roped a number of them into running a Spartan race last year!), and what we do together feels realistic, tailored to me, and built around my actual life, not some generic fitness plan.

Why my reasons for training have changed over time

I think that’s a big part of why it’s worked: my reasons for exercising have changed, too. Weight still factors in sometimes but now it feels more about health, strength, energy, confidence and accountability.

Do I always want to go? Absolutely not. There are plenty of days when I’d rather stay at home or do something else. But I can genuinely say I have never regretted a session. Once I’m there, I enjoy it and afterwards, I always feel great which became even more important through parenthood.

Training through pregnancy and motherhood

I trained through both pregnancies (I actually trained on my due date with my first baby) and I genuinely believe staying active helped me feel strong through pregnancy, labour and recovery. I was back to gentle training around two months after each child, not because I was trying to “bounce back”, but because movement had become such an important part of how I feel physically and mentally.

I want my children to grow up seeing exercise as a normal part of life. I want them to see their mum making time to move, to get stronger, and to look after herself.

Mums are often very good at prioritising everyone else, but much less good at carving out time for our own health, our own wellbeing, or even just a little bit of time alone, and I think we should all have something that is just for us. Something that gives us a break from the constant demands of parenting and reminds us, as well as our children and partners, that we matter too.

Why personal training is still worth it nearly 10 years later

A few years ago, when I was made redundant, I suggested to my husband that we should cancel PT to save money, but he was adamant that I shouldn’t because he knew it was one of the few things I really did for myself and something I genuinely enjoyed. From that point on, we made a conscious decision to treat personal training as simply part of our household budget. Not because it feels indulgent, but because we see it as an investment in my health and wellbeing, and as something that genuinely makes a difference to my life.

Last year, I had a TIA, which was frightening and upsetting, as I have been lucky enough to never have had any major health issues before. However, one of the strange positives that came from it was seeing just how much those years of consistently looking after myself had mattered. After testing, I was told my metabolic and cardiovascular age was in the early twenties - despite being 36 which I think is a helpful reminder that fitness isn’t just about how you look but your health and wellbeing.

At nearly 37, with two kids and a full-time job, it’s funny that I’m probably the healthiest I’ve ever been, and I’ve never felt better.

Nearly ten years on, personal training is still about accountability and enjoying movement. It’s about doing something for myself and staying strong for my family and me.