PT

I've just got back from a session with my personal trainer (PT) and rigor mortis is setting in.  I call him 'my indulgence' but really the workouts he gives me have become a necessary part of my routine.  I work at the hospital four days a week and on Tuesdays (my day off) I make sure that my mental and physical health takes priority.  That doesn't mean I necessarily look forward to the gym, it just means that it is what I do to make myself feel better.  There is never a session when I come out and think, "I wish I hadn't done that!" - it's always a positive thing, even if I didn't run very far or manage to lift the weights that I could last week, that's irrelevant. The main thing is I was moving and concentrating on moving and therefore not thinking about other stuff.  

It also helps that I get on really well with my PT - we talk about everything and anything and have a laugh and also it can be a bit of a therapy session - hopefully for him as well as me.  It's good to have someone you trust who you can talk to and who is a friend but in a professional way.  Of course, looking and being fitter will ultimately help me to feel better about myself, so that is one less thing to weigh on my mind and worry about.  I've been seeing Dan for 2 years this year and would definitely recommend a few sessions with a PT to anyone who is lacking a bit of physical confidence.  I have gone from barely being able to step at 60 steps per minute on the elliptical cross trainer (after my surgery) and too nervous and unable to try the treadmill, to lifting heavy weights and doing planks and anything else he throws at me - sometimes literally!  I'm easily able to run (not fast!) for 45 mins on the treadmill.  The progress has been slow but steady and definitely worth it.  Of course, personal training does not come cheap, but I cut back in other areas and make it a priority and it is money well spent if you see it as an investment in health.