Finding the perfect fitness trainer can be a tedious process of auditioning prospects and juggling your already overwhelming schedule. Once you find the one, you might run into a bigger problem: cost. Personal trainers quickly can become prohibitively expensive.
Luckily, I’ve got a foolproof method for finding a trainer who is both affordable and whose flexible schedule works with yours—a trainer who will motivate you and help you stay committed, one who will make your workouts fun and playful, one who will help improve your well-being emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Using this method will nab you a personal trainer who will even bring more love into your life. And, if you’re single, this trainer can help you attract dates.
Here’s how you find this magical trainer: Go to your local animal shelter. Adopt a dog.
“Dogs make the best personal trainers,” says 48-year-old novelist Julie-Anne Liechty, who adopted her black lab/pit bull mix, Rue, when Rue was about 3 years old. “You have to get out of bed and take them on walks every morning. You have to take them on walks every evening. There’s no backing out because you don’t feel like it. No excuses. If dogs don’t get a lot of exercise, they’re unhappy, unhealthy, and bored. There’s no way I’d have a human trainer.”
Joan Adelsky, a 53-year-old physical therapist, is a former athlete–skier, rollerblader, swimmer, tennis player. She’d been fit her entire life and never worried about her weight until she hit her mid-40s. She moved to India, where her activity level declined. Her food intake did not. After relocating to Santa Fe and trying myriad ways of getting back in shape, Joan couldn’t find a sustainable routine. Until she adopted 2-year-old golden retriever Sasha. Now, Joan and Sasha hike the arroyo behind her house first thing every morning. Every evening, they hike the hilly trails of a popular dog park. On weekends, Joan and Sasha head up into the Sangra de Cristo mountains for hikes. During winter, Joan straps on crampons and doesn’t miss a stride. After a year with Sasha, Joan is as fit as she was 20 years ago.
My story is different. I’ve always been fit, due largely to the fact that I’d spent tens of thousands of dollars on personal trainers, Pilates privates, and expensive fitness memberships before I adopted Jersey, a shih-tzu. Unlike Rue and Sasha, Jersey was not into exercising. He was—and I say this with all the love I have in my heart—lazy, barely more animated than a teddy bear. His groomer nicknamed him Slug. A walk around my Manhattan block with Jersey took 45 minutes, not exactly a heart-pumping endeavor. But I dragged Jersey on long walks anyway. And when he’d give up, plop down, and roll over onto his back, demanding to be carried, I picked him up and carried him. Jersey wasn’t much for my cardio, but, at 21 pounds, he helped turn my biceps into guns.
After moving to San Francisco, I adopted a second dog, a real dog, a 2-year-old collie, Gus. Gus was as high energy as Jersey was low. He needed to run; he needed to walk; he needed a ton of activity. Gus, Jersey, and I took long walks up and down San Francisco’s hills, me schlepping Jersey, Gus walking briskly at my side. With the two dogs I had the perfect balance between cardio and strength training. Gus and I jogged at Fort Funston without Jersey. He and I jogged trails in Marin without Jersey. I eschewed expensive fitness costs—Gus and Jersey were excellent personal trainers—and had more money for other hobbies, including travel. After Gus died, I bought Jersey a doggie jogging stroller and continued my running routine, mixing it up with carrying Jersey on walks.
I now live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where winters are long and harsh and utterly detestable. I’m self-employed and work at home; I could easily hibernate here from December through March, barely rousing myself from my couch and NetFlix. My current dog JuJu, however, will never let me get away with succumbing to the winter blues. He’s a small mixed breed (according to his DNA, several different types of terrier, Gordon setter, pointer, Brussels griffon, and shih-tzu) who loves to run and needs a lot of exercise. JuJu looks like a shih-tzu, but acts like a terrier. Regardless of the weather and my feelings about it, I have to walk JuJu three times daily and get him to the dog park to socialize. Because I’m forced to pull myself out of my winter torpor for JuJu, I’m able to keep up with my other exercises—my home workout (pull-ups, core strengtheners, pushups, and plies), yoga, and flying trapeze classes.
It comes down to the law of inertia. An object—or person—at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object—or person—in motion continues in motion…
JuJu acts as the unbalanced force that sets me in motion. Once JuJu kicks off my exercise with a brisk morning walk, I’m energized. My mood improves. I find the time for a morning yoga practice, my 15-minute workout, and my day runs more smoothly, more happily. After our evening walk, I head to yoga class on the days when I don’t commute to New York for trapeze. JuJu is one of the most important components in my health and well-being.
There are side benefits to getting a dog for fitness reasons: Dogs are good for your heart and mood. Dogs are wonderful company and a great way to meet people. In San Francisco, three of my dating relationships kicked off in the dog park, thanks to Jersey and Gus. In my current town, I’ve met several people who have become close friends because of JuJu.
So, forget about spending $100 to $150 an hour for a personal trainer. For exercise to be truly effective, you need to have a regular routine three times a week or more. A dog forces you to exercise seven days a week, and brings benefits that are far more fulfilling. When you and your dog are exhausted from a nice, long hike, you can kick back together and snuggle.
About Me: I’m a certified personal trainer and a certified yoga instructor. I started ballet classes at age 2-1/2. My current favorite workout, besides JuJu, is flying trapeze. I wrote a book about how a middle-aged woman with a fear of heights fell in love with flying. Click here.
