Hiring personal trainers and starting to get your life back on a healthy track is a great thing. Those who attend regular personal training sessions not only have an easier time losing excess weight, but they gain an enormous amount of energy and tend to feel better about themselves as well.

     Yet, there is such thing as going too far. It’s a great thing to be a gym rat who loves personal training, but your health could be jeopardized if you cross the line into gym nut. Similarly, watching your calories and switching to nutrient-dense foods is excellent for your health, but not eating enough or being too restrictive could present health risks.

     So, how do you know when you are venturing too close to that line separating healthy from obnoxious and unhealthy? For starters, your personal trainers will tell you when you are pushing it too far. There are some personal trainers that just want their money from the sessions so they may not say much, but for the most part trainers want you to be a healthy reflection of what their services can accomplish so they will let you know if they are concerned.

     Another way to determine if you have taken personal training and healthy eating to the extreme is to ask yourself if it is interfering with other aspects of your daily life. If you are determined to reach your goals so you make sure never to miss a session with your personal trainers that is one thing, but if you have stopped going out with friends entirely because you are living at the gym you may have a problem.

     Personal training should enhance your life so you do more with your friends and have even more fun. It should never take your interest away from other activities you enjoy.

     If you are feeling drained and without energy even though you are seeing great personal trainers, you might be pushing it too hard. Personal training should rev up your metabolism and give you tons of energy. As the weight comes off you should feel healthier and healthier. If the opposite is happening, you are likely doing too much.

     You would assume that others in your life would tell you when they are concerned with your health, but you can’t always trust people who love you. If it has been many years since they have seen you at a healthy weight or if they have always known you as an overweight person, they may think you look too thin when you are at a completely reasonable weight. This is because they are used to looking at you as a much larger person.

     Some people may also feel you look too thin if they are overweight themselves. It might be a hint of jealousy trying to bring you down, but in most cases they just don’t realize what a healthy weight looks like on you.

     Remember you should feel alive and vivacious after starting personal training. As the weight comes off you should feel better and have more energy. If this doesn’t happen then discuss this with your personal trainers. Make sure you aren’t pushing too hard or working out too many days.

     If you are working out on your own and are feeling worse rather than better, then it’s time to seek out personal training so a professional can design your workout program and instruct you on how hard to push and when to take a break.

Ever wondered why New York is often called “the city that never sleeps?”

When you witness a jam-packed boot camp at 6 a.m. in Central Park, the answer to that question becomes obvious.

When the sun rose on the morning of August 31, so did around 30 women, all of whom signed up for Method Fitness’ morning boot camp session for ladies.

One by one, they arrived at their meeting place on ritzy and bustling Central Park South. From there, the adventure began; after a warm-up hike through Mother Nature, the troop arrived at their “camp site,” where the adrenaline really started to pump.

For a full hour, the boot campers endured an ultra-challenging work out, with their Method Fitness certified trainer pushing and motivating the team through each routine. At last, at 7 a.m., when alarm clocks throughout the city were just beginning to ring, the Method Fitness boot camp troop had accomplished their mission, and completed their work out for the day. The reward? Results!

Ready to see results of your own? Click here to sign-up for boot camp!

Can’t make it to boot camp? Learn some great exercise moves that you can even do in the comfort of your living room! Check them out on the Method Fitness YouTube channel: Click here to go there now!

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BOOT CAMP SCHEDULE:

1. 6 a.m. SHARP on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays

• 6:30 p.m. SHARP on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

Training for a marathon like this one takes patience, work and the right strategy. Read on to learn the most successful approach to your marathon training program.

Runners who are planning to compete in their first marathon often become members of private personal training gyms because they want the guidance and expertise of the best personal trainers.

This is a very good idea since many runners make a lot of mistakes when training for their first marathon. Some mistakes actually cost them the marathon because they injure themselves and are unable to train properly.

Assess Your Condition

Before you even sign up for a marathon, assess your physical condition, running abilities and overall desire and ability to complete 26.2 miles safely. This is where personal trainers come in handy because they can help you decide whether you should make the commitment or whether a half marathon might be a good goal to tackle first.

You also have to make sure you are mentally prepared for a marathon. Many personal trainers have already completed marathons and can give you great insight into preparing for the mental challenge. Running a marathon is as much in the head as it is in the legs!

Give it Time

Once you are sure that training for a marathon is the right goal for you, select a race that will give you plenty of time to properly train. You shouldn’t feel incredibly rushed or pressured to get prepared in a short period of time as that will lead to bad decisions that lead to injuries.

Don’t Push It

You have to reasonably assess where you are as a runner and with physical conditioning right now, and then, gradually take it up a notch. You shouldn’t go out tomorrow for a 15 mile run if you can only comfortably run 6 miles. Assess your starting point and don’t push too fast or too hard too soon.

Personal trainers are excellent resources for gradual programs that prevent injury while allowing you to progress toward your goals.

Get in Form

It is very important not to skip the warm up or cool down phases of a run. You should also check with your personal trainers if you aren’t certain you are using the most effective running form. The small details become extremely important when you are pushing your body to run that first marathon.

The right personal trainers will be able to make small tweaks or even big improvements to your form which can make you a more efficient runner. This makes training easier and will improve performance on the big day.

Have a Plan

Finally, you can’t train for your first marathon according to whatever you feel like doing from day to day. When you decide to push yourself to train for a marathon, you need a proven plan to get you from wherever you are now to where you need to be on race day.

You can find some programs online for free, but the best marathon training programs are those that are designed for you personally. Personal trainers can assess your starting point and help you come up with a complete training program that caters to your individual needs.

When you have a smart training plan and resist temptation to run ahead of schedule and push yourself too hard, you will actually enjoy marathon training. Many people actually find it addicting, so don’t be shocked if you find yourself visiting your personal trainers for your second, third and even fourth marathon in the future!