Personal Trainer? Great! But not everyone can afford to have one.
Staying health and fit is not cheap. You want a six-pack? Sure you can. You need commitment, discipline, time, and money!
Following a random conversation with a fitness trainer at my gym, I went to the complimentary fitness assessment session this morning. After holding a machine for about 30 seconds, I was told that I’ve 22% body fat, at my age level that fell in between fair and poor category.
Standing at 5’5” and weight 153lbs, I would never consider myself obese, and I work out about 4 to 5 times a week, so it was kind of a shock to me that my fitness level is somewhere in between fair to poor. The trainer said, our goal is to bring my body fat to 14%, or even better, 10%.
According to an online article, the ideal body fat percentage for male is around 12% and for female is around 20%. However, the average body fat percentage for American males is around 25%, for females this number is 35%-40%. After all, I’m not THAT bad huh.
The price to get healthier? At least $39 a month, that’s what it cost for each session with the personal trainer, which is on top of my $29 gym membership monthly fee. It doesn’t seem like a big amount, especially after the trainer spent more than 10 minutes explaining how fit I will be a year from now, with nice chest, tone arms and firm abs. If this sweetheart deal came in a year ago, I would have probably sign up for the service. However, I’m now at a stage where I need to budget my expenses carefully. I do want to look better and stay healthier, but I cannot afford the price tag.
During our assessment session, I was told for every pound of muscle gain, the body burns about 50 calories a day at rest (when you’re sitting, sleeping). So if I were to gain 10 pounds of muscles, my body can burn 500 calories a day. 3500 calories equal to 1 pound of body fat. Which mean, if I gained 10 pounds of muscles, I can lose 1 pound a week.
But, another online article said, the number isn’t accurate! In fact, a pound of muscle only burns about 6 calories a day...a lot less than what many of us thought, but still more than a pound of fat, which burns only 2 calories in a day. If you can expect to burn 6 extra calories for each pound of muscle you have, you might also wonder how much muscle can you expect to gain once you start lifting weights. The average person usually gains about 3-5 pounds of muscle mass every 3-4 months. Of course, how much muscle you put on is based on your genetics, gender, exercise program and diet, so each person will have a different response to weight training.
While I do respect the professionalism of a personal trainer, but the fact is not every one can afford to have one. So, what about your story? Do you have a personal trainer and how much do you spend on each session? For the time being, I will have to do more homework online and see how can I exercise in a more efficient way.
Anyway, here are a few tips to help you lose body fat:
•Eat at least 5 smaller portioned meals a day - Your average 3 large meals is not healthy, and makes it easier to gain weight.
•Try to eliminate processed foods - Most processed foods contain the bad carbohydrates that you don't want. This includes junk foods.
•Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables - This goes without saying!
•Exercise regularly - If you don't use it you'll lose it. You have to exercise regularly if you wish to lose body fat as it will help you burn calories.
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