I’ve been working out consistently for two years now. After my youngest was 6 months old, I knew it was time to hit the gym and make working out a lifestyle habit. Sure, I’d worked out before kids, but now I had pounds to lose and a post-baby belly I needed to get rid of! My husband also started working out around that time, so we made a habit of alternating days to head to the gym at 5:30am {thank goodness I’m a morning person!}.
Although I love my time at the gym, I’ve always wanted to hire a personal trainer. However, just the thought of a personal trainer makes me nervous! Working out at a gym in front of all those people with a trainer- what if I do something wrong? At least in a spin class it’s dark and no one can see me!
I’ve also worried about the cost- I definitely don’t have a huge budget to spend on my physical fitness. Then there’s the childcare issue- I’m not too crazy about leaving my young kids in a gym childcare setting. So, because of those reasons, I’ve been going to classes at a local gym when my husband is at home with the kids. It’s been working great, but I sometimes still think that having a personal trainer to really help me with my nutrition and fitness would be awesome.
Well, I recently got a chance to experience just that. I was given an opportunity for a 60 minute personal training session— in my home! Yes, that’s right… I put my kids down for a nap, and the doorbell rang!
Natalie Dickinson greeted me with her warm smile and workout equipment in hand.
We worked out {HARD} for 60 minutes! We focused on legs, abs, and core strengthening exercises, with cardio built-in every few minus. My heart rate was up the entire time and it was just a great workout. It was nice to be her sole focus- she was able to talk to me about form, nutrition, and new exercises, all while I was working out. I had her undivided attention and was able to ask lots of questions.
Natalie was apt to adjust to what I needed during the workout. The hour went by so fast, too, because we were so busy talking!After talking to me a little about my fitness goals, we got started, right in my living room! I didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing me mess up. I also didn’t have to worry about germs at the gym childcare room. I didn’t have to gather any workout equipment together. It was just so easy!
It was such a great experience and now I know what having a personal trainer would be like—- and I want Natalie! She does individual sessions or 2, 3, or 4 person sessions too! It would be great to get some girlfriends together and workout with Natalie together. She will do in-home, on-location {White Rock Lake, Katy Trail, etc}, or in-gym training too! You can visit her blog- Boutique Fitness– for more information.
And, since November is our month of giveaways, Natalie at Boutique Fitness is giving away one 60 minute personal training session {valued at $60!} to one Dallas Moms Blog reader! YAY! If you win, you can choose to do it in your home or on location at a favorite spot in Dallas. You won’t want to miss out on this chance to win!
Enter our LAST “A Month of Giving” giveaway!
One lucky Dallas Moms Blog reader will win:
1 hour of in-home personal fitness training with Natalie or at a location of your choice!
To Enter To Win:
Leave us a comment letting us know how what your fitness goals are.
For an additional entry, share this post on Facebook (just once!) and comment below again telling us you did so.
Giveaway Ends:
Thursday, Dec. 6 at midnight and winner will be announced Friday, Dec. 7!
I just want my abs back! My c-section took away any last ab muscles I had, even though I remained active while pregnant!
Thanks for the great blog, Sherry! I had so much fun working out with you and can’t wait to see who my giveaway goes to! 🙂
Laura – Ugh you are so right – c-sections will do a number on our abs, but you CAN get a lot of that core strength back!! 🙂
Check out my facebook – I post daily! http://www.facebook.com/dallasboutiquefitness
and ask about holiday gift certificates for the meatheads in your life 😛
xoxox, Natalie
Just had my 3rd child and ready to loose the baby weight for good! Thanks!
Hi Julie! One of my new clients is a mother of 5! Her arms were strong (from carrying around those kiddos!), but her core needed work. After four weeks at twice/week, she gained so much strength in her core, she was doing 20 reps on certain exercises (whereas at our first session, she couldn’t complete ONE!). So so so proud of her! You can do it, too! 🙂
I want a strong core so I can have my back strong and my abs!!
Hi Ashley! You’re totally right. Your core strength definitely includes your back. I like to do a bunch of stabilizing exercises, so even when we’re working other body parts, your core is always engaged 🙂
I would love to get my core and legs back after having a baby. Plus, exercising always makes me feel better. 🙂
My favorite body parts to work post-baby are core and glutes/thighs… cuz our bellies have obviously been stretched, but don’t forget – our hips stretched, too… so there’s a lot of stretching (then sagging!) going on in those southern regions as well! …and I totally agree – whenever I ALWAYS feel better after working out. And it makes me feel so good when my clients are kinda low energy at the beginning of a session, and vibrant at the end 🙂
I miss the confidence I had in my pre-kids era with my pre-kids body. I was lucky in my youth to have good metabolism, and never learned to make exercise part of my routine. Now that I’m getting older and can’t count on the metabolism to keep up, I really need to learn to develop a workout routine I can stick with.
I hear you, Jennifer. When people would say, “Once you pass 25, it’s harder to maintain your weight (and/or a toned body…)” I didn’t really believe them. But I could totally tell that there was a difference!!
I work really hard to stay on track, and if I fall off my path, I have to work twice as hard to get back where I was. It’s imperative to have a program with longevity… A workout routine that works for you and that you can stick with is so important – and the benefits go so far beyond being a size 2… Your bones, all your body systems, your skin, your brain, your immune system — your entire body benefits!! 🙂