What to consider when choosing an online trainer

There are so many online training options available at the moment, and choosing the right trainer and platform can be confusing and daunting.  Considering that exercise will have a great impact on the way you feel and the way your body performs, you want to make sure you are choosing the right person for you.  

Is balanced posture online the right choice for you?

With over 18 years experience with clients of all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities, I have a lot of experience with delivering workouts that are both challenging and rewarding to my clients.  My goal is for my clients to finish their workouts feeling better than when they started.  I never want a client to feel so exhausted they can’t go about their day, or to be so sore afterwards that they can barely sit down at the dinner table (although sometimes this happens, but it’s not my intention!).  I do not put my own ego ahead of my client’s priorities.  I do not get pleasure out of watching clients suffer, and if they are getting pretty tired I will never yell at them to do “100 more!”.

I want them to feel proud and confident, and I want their exercise routine to become a consistent part of their lives. I want my clients to want to exercise.

I went into the fitness industry with a determination to change the “no pain no gain” mindset and to help people get fit, keep their injuries at bay, and to help them FEEL better every day.  

Joanna Zervas, Balanced Posture Online

And this is what I am delivering with my new Online Members Studio, launching October 1, 2020.  

Safe and effective exercises.  Quality programmed workouts.  Easy-to-follow sessions.  All within the comfort of your own home, at the click of a button.  

I personally feel like a lot the online workouts currently available, especially those catering for home workouts with minimal equipment, are lacking in their ability to cater the right exercise selection for their audience.  For example: 

• If you spend a lot of your time sitting at a desk, or holding your new born baby, then we want your workouts to complement those daily positions (aka doing loads of planks, push-ups, burpees and mountain climbers are probably NOT the best exercises for you).  

• If you feel stiff through your neck and shoulders, then bench dips are probably NOT the best exercises for you.  

• If you have a stiff lower back or have some back pain, then crunches, planks, and endless star jumps are probably NOT the best exercises for you.  

Being an Exercise Physiologist, my workouts almost always have an emphasis on improving posture, increasing mobility in the areas that are commonly tight and restricted, being mindful of what day-to-day tasks most people do, and how the session can work with them.  We want you to complete each workout and say to yourself “Wow, I feel so good!”, and that comes with proper exercise selection, sequencing, and intensity.

Each workout will leave you feeling challenged and fatigued, yet energised and more limber.  Not only will you feel fitter and stronger, you will also feel great!  We want all of our participants to notice the difference in our workouts, and to wake up each day and want to do more.  

Some things to consider when deciding on an online training platform:

Price.  Don’t choose an online trainer based on price. The price doesn’t always mean something is better or worse. Stay within your budget, but don’t assume that expensive programs are better for you, or that cheaper options will give you the same outcomes. I’ve priced my online members studio based on what I think is fair to the competition, what is fair to myself to run my business online, and to reflect my education, industry experience, and the time and effort I put towards this platform each week.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t train with someone because you want to look like them.  Don’t choose a fitness program because you want to look like the person in the photos. And don’t choose a trainer based before and after photos. At Balanced Posture Online, we want you to be best version of yourself, and no one else.

Experience and Education. Know who you are buying from. Do some research and see if the trainer has the knowledge and experience that you require. Do you feel confident in their ability to implement smart exercise protocols? Would you send your parents to this person? And if they claim to be an expert at everything and specialties in 100 different things… are they really an expert?

Do you relate to this trainer? Does this person speak your language? Do their beliefs and lifestyle align with yours? Do you read their blog or social media content and agree with most things they post? Or do you cringe at their content, or disagree with what is shown? Does this person seem reachable, can you easily ask questions or get some extra help? Do they respond to your queries?

What do YOU want? Do you want to feel nervous, shy, and perhaps scared to tell your trainer the truth? Do you want to be punished with exercise for having an “off” day? Do you want to send photos of yourself in your knickers, with daily calorie totals, and be shamed for eating pizza at your kid’s birthday party? Or do you want to feel better, gain confidence in your abilities, have more energy and be happier? Do you want to create an active lifestyle with an easy-to-follow, on-demand exercise routine?

We hope the choice is an easy choice, and that you choose to join our Online Members Studio, opening October 1, 2020. Send us a “YES” and we’ll add you to our invite list.