Many of us have heard the term “personal trainer” at least once in our lives, but do we actually know what it is? When people think of personal training, they usually think of a well-built person dressed in gym clothes exercising in a gym. This is just the basics of personal training, but there is so much more to it.
Over the years, many people have benefited tremendously from personal training, not only those trying to lose weight but also those struggling with the stress that a fast-paced life can cause.
When people think of the perks of personal training, they usually think of the physical benefits, such as losing weight and having an active lifestyle. What most people tend to forget and overlook is the immense benefit that personal training has for a person’s mental health. In this article, let us look deeper into what the term mental health means and how personal training affects it.
Why is Mental Health Important?
Singapore is a small country known for its beauty and iconic landmarks. It is also famously known for its melting pot of culture, which can be seen in its multiple official languages. In fact, Singapore has four official languages: English, Tamil, Chinese, and Malay.
Anyone who lives and works in Singapore can attest to the country’s beauty and fast-paced lifestyle. It is not surprising that a thriving country has such a lifestyle. Although this has many benefits, the major downside is that Singaporeans face stress due to their fast-paced life.
People with busy lifestyles tend not to have the time to concentrate on themselves. They are constantly racing for deadlines, meetings, and promotions. People often disregard their well-being, particularly their mental well-being.
It comes as no surprise that stress is one of the leading causes of physical illness and mental disorders. You might not know this, but stress leads to anxiety, depression, insomnia and a myriad of physical illnesses. It is, therefore, vital to find an outlet to release your day-to-day stress in a healthy manner.
Maintaining good mental health is crucial as it has an impact on all areas of our lives. It affects how we handle stress and helps us make healthy choices. Poor mental health will not only affect our work life but also our family and personal lives. It will adversely affect every relationship we have. Therefore, it is extremely important for us to realise the importance of having excellent and stable mental health in our lives.
How Can Personal Training Improve Mental Health?
If you have noticed signs of stress affecting your overall mental health, you should consider taking up personal training. It’s important to recognise that personal training serves multiple purposes beyond simply enhancing one’s physical fitness or achieving weight loss. Improving mental health is an added advantage. Let us look at some of the advantages personal training has for a person’s overall mental health.
Reduce Stress
As mentioned previously, living in a fast-paced society can lead to a lot of mental health issues. More often than not, stress is the first thing you will start to have when you do not have time to recharge properly. There are many factors that can lead to stress, such as work, money, death, societal pressures and many more. Stress can have a terrible impact on your overall mental health, which can lead to other complications if you do not address the issue.
One of the best ways to reduce and manage stress is by exercising. However, most of the time, we do not have the time or mental capacity to get up and exercise. This is where personal training comes in. A certified personal trainer can be the push you need to exercise. They not only help you get fitter, but they also help you let out your frustrations and pent-up stress in your workout.
Increase Self-esteem
Self-esteem issues can be rooted in many things and quickly grow out of hand. Most people believe that low self-esteem only signifies that you do not feel good about yourself, and that is it. Did you know that self-esteem issues can cause more significant problems such as depression and anxiety, eating disorders, addiction and many more?
For example, a person who has body image issues might stop eating and develop bulimia. Another example would be a person who constantly has negative thoughts and develops a substance abuse habit to cope with it.
It is a well-known fact that exercising is an excellent way to improve a person’s confidence and self-esteem. Having a personal trainer to help you exercise will motivate you to continue your journey and ensure that your sessions are engaging and fun. Exercising boosts your confidence and overall mood, as it gives a person a strong sense of accomplishment.
Improve Focus
Focus might seem like a small thing, but did you know it is imperative not only for our daily lives but also for our mental health? When you learn to focus, you are essentially training yourself to pay attention to a certain thing, and this is linked not only to problem-solving skills but also to decision-making, reasoning, and memory. Being able to focus also improves one’s cognitive ability and skills.
Personal training helps you build and maintain your focus. It is one of the benefits of exercising. When you have a personal trainer, they can guide you, teach you how to train yourself and enhance your ability to focus on the task at hand. When you exercise, you will have higher dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels. All of these affect your concentration and focus.
Motivation
If you are a person who is suffering from stress, anxiety, depression or even burnout, you will find it very hard to do anything in your life. Even simple tasks like getting up from bed will seem the most challenging. Simply put, you find it difficult to do things because of a lack of motivation.
When you exercise by yourself, you have no one but yourself to motivate you. This is the total opposite of having a personal trainer. When you have a personal trainer, they will not only teach you how to pick yourself up and achieve, but they will also be there to motivate you to start a workout, stay the course, and complete it. They keep you in check to ensure that you meet the goals you have set for yourself.
When you have a personal trainer, they will motivate you and teach you the skills you need to motivate yourself. This skill can be taught and transferred to other parts of your life, and it will benefit you tremendously.
The Role of Nutrition in Personal Training
Most people are under the impression that personal training starts and ends with exercising, which is true most of the time. Personal trainers who are certified, experienced and specialised are usually able to guide you when it comes to nutrition. Please bear in mind that they can only advise you on basic nutrition required for your health. They are able to advise on what foods you should eat more of and what you should limit from your diet. They give you a brief idea of what you need daily and how your diet affects the effort you put into your workout.
Many of us are lost when it comes to nutrition and food, and personal trainers can shed some light on these. You must keep in mind that a personal trainer is not a nutritionist. Therefore, they do not have knowledge of specific diets and such. For detailed nutritional advice, you should always go to a certified nutritionist. A personal trainer merely is able to provide information on healthy eating habits and support eating habits.
How Can Personal Training Help with Injuries and Rehabilitation?
There are many personal trainers with different specialisations available. It is crucial to choose a personal trainer who meets your needs. If you are injured or need rehabilitation, there are personal trainers specialising in this area.
A personal trainer can help you target and improve not only weak muscles but also one’s overall body mechanics. Specialised certified personal trainers are there to help you if you get injured and require rehabilitation. These trainers can help you avoid injury while gaining mobility and strength. Engaging in personalised fitness coaching can bolster your body’s ability to resist injury, thereby reducing the likelihood of experiencing further harm.
If you are looking for ways to get active and improve your mental health, we suggest personal training. While you can exercise on your own by referring to online fitness resources, nothing can beat hiring a personal trainer.
Superprof is one of the leading online platforms that can help you connect with a personal trainer from your area. With our easy and user-friendly interface, you can quickly find a personal trainer to help you achieve your fitness goals. One of the things Superprof is known for is its flexibility. You will not only be able to choose whether you would like to have physical or virtual training sessions but also get to have your first lesson for free. This gives you a chance to get to know the trainers properly before committing to sessions with them. You do not need to worry about our trainers as they are certified, experienced, and verified by us.
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