Because exercise is simple, it seems easy. I think that if it was easy, everyone would do it. Everybody doesn’t, and most of the ones who do don’t train.

Exercise is simply movement. Training is movement with purpose. Training requires an understanding of how the body moves and how strength is developed. Then, you create a system, applying that knowledge in a progressive manner to create the desired outcome. Now, you’re training.

So, what’s the best way to start? Hire a trainer.

What did you expect me to say?

Obviously, a trainer knows lots of exercises, and their effects, and how to build a plan with those exercises. with short, mid, and long term goals. More importantly, though, is accountability.

Now, lest you consider that all I’m about to do is advocate for me and my brothers and sisters, please consider this: If you bought a DVD from Jane, or Tony, or Beto, or Shawn T., you hired a trainer. If you tore out the training program for “A Tighter Butt in Two Weeks” from Self magazine, you hired a trainer. Hell, if you watched a you tube video on how to do a pull-up, you hired a trainer.

The minute you hire a trainer, you commit time and money, but more importantly, you’ve expressed, usually to a total stranger, a desire to make a change. The trainer then commits to helping you make that change. You agree to appear at a designated place at a designated time and participate in a program that will change your body, and the trainer commits to fully participate in that process. You’re teammates.

There are multiple studies showing that group exercise is very effective for weight loss. Two big reasons are the accountability to, and the encouragement of, the group. The relationship with a trainer and an individual is the same thing. Though small, you’ve entered into a community where both of you are dedicated to your success.

The adage that the best exercise program is the one you’ll do is not true. The best exercise program is the one that you’ll do that will consistently produce the desired results. The program is everything. Job one, for the trainee, is to find a trainer with a style that excites you.

There are people who thrive in a group, and others who prefer to train alone. You have to discover which type of training suits you best. Lot’s of good trainers train small groups. You have an instant community, and it’s usually less expensive than training privately. Some people, of course, will do better working one on one. Find out what type of trainee you are. You will always perform better when you’re most comfortable.

Simply overstating, training is different from everything else you do in a day, and this should be part of it’s appeal. By designating a particular place and a particular time, you make training significant. It is your time, much like recess was when you were a child. Your regularly scheduled program becomes an easy part of your life.

Your trainer wants you to succeed. I think it’s important for the trainee to understand that your regularly scheduled program is part of your trainers life, too. He has a vested interest in your success, and it’s not just financial. Trainers are validated by their clients successes. We take the information you provide, build a plan based on that data, and put it into action. Your success says the plan was solid that you bought into it, and goals were achieved. The proverbial and banal “win/win”.

To successfully make the change you seek, you need a regularly scheduled program, a designated place and a designated time. Hiring a trainer buys you all three.