A little physical education can make a big difference …

I love it when a person finally makes a real decision that they need (and are willing) to get fit, regain their health, or become healthier.

But almost any capable Personal Trainer will tell you that the vast majority of people walking into a gym for the first time, or starting an exercise and nutrition program anywhere, don’t know how to properly exercise, and often make the mistake of adopting a diet as a nutrition program.

The big mistake here is, instead of taking just a little time to educate themselves about effective, efficient, and proper exercise and nutrition, they attempt to work off their lack of knowledge, or the ignorance of uninformed others. The common result is very little effective progress is made, leaving the person discouraged, and then they usually give up.

It doesn’t have to be that way, especially at a time when knowledge and a variety of helps are easily available for enabling anyone to succeed with their personal fitness goals.

The first recommendation I make for anyone wanting to get fit is, if they can afford it, to hire a competent Personal Trainer. Some people immediately balk at the cost, but hiring a skilled and experienced Personal Trainer could be one of the best investments you can ever make in yourself. A competent Personal Trainer brings expertise to help you develop an effective and efficient exercise and nutrition program that is tailor-made to take you from where you’re starting, to achieve the specific goals you have for yourself, and educate you all along the way. In addition, they provide valuable accountability and encouragement to push through to great outcomes.

Not everyone can afford to hire a Personal Trainer, but most people can afford the cost of a gym membership. Gym memberships used to be expensive, but today it is common to be able to find a gym membership for as little as $10 to $15 per month. These memberships usually come with an initial free appointment with a Personal Trainer to teach you how to properly use the gym equipment. They also usually include some free classes, or a broad selection of classes for a nominal fee. You’ll find just about everything you need in a quality gym for getting and staying fit.

If you insist you don’t like the environment of a public gym, you can create your personal “gym” at home with just a small investment of some simple equipment like resistance bands, exercise balls and a bosu ball, exercise steps, and some free weights. If you have the space and finances, you can invest in larger equipment like a treadmill, exercise bike, or rowing machine. The key is to gain the education about how to use all these tools effectively and efficiently to achieve your fitness goals.

Whether you invest in a gym membership, or some equipment for a “home gym,” or insist you don’t want any kind of gym environment (public or at home), you can gain access to a wealth of information by going online and searching through the myriad resources available to teach you how to exercise properly, effectively, and safely, as well as teach you about healthy nutrition, meal planning, and even how to cook healthy dishes. Many of these helpful sites include such education by video, so you can see exercise demonstrated, or preparation of meals. And some sites also include social interaction for those wanting to be part of an encouraging community of people working together on their fitness goals. Almost anything you need to learn about exercise and nutrition can be found for free on the internet!

In addition to all this, you can also download apps on your smartphone or tablet that contain exercise regimens, demonstrations of exercises, a way to personalize exercise plans, exercise journals, exercise and meal tracking, and so much more.

If that’s not enough, there are scores of books you can purchase that can take you as deep as you could possibly want to go on the subjects of exercise and nutrition. For example, my own book, “Getting & Staying Fit,” contains a lot of good, basic information about getting and staying fit (you can find my book by clicking here).

The bottom line is, there is no reason to let a lack of knowledge discourage you about reaching your fitness and nutrition goals. It is easy to gain an adequate physical education so that you become capable of developing a personal fitness and nutrition program that results in your achieving the health and fitness objectives you need and want to accomplish for yourself.

If you’re ready to get fit, want to improve your fitness, or need to learn more about staying fit, get out there and get the physical education you need to make it happen; it’s not hard to do, and it’s worth whatever investment you make.

Scotty