How to Choose the Right Personal Trainer for You: 4 Quick Questions

There are a lot of personal trainers, and companies that offer personal trainers, here in Ann Arbor. I did a quick Google search for “personal trainer Ann Arbor,” just to see what would happen, and got over 200,000 results!

Obviously, there's no way our town has over 200,000 personal trainers – not counting home football game days, the entire population of Ann Arbor is only a bit over 100,000. But, after quickly scrolling through my search results, I think it's safe to say that Ann Arbor offers well over 100 individual trainers specializing in helping clients with their health and fitness goals.

With all of those options, just finding the right personal trainer could start feeling like a workout by itself.

To make the process easier and let you start your fitness program faster, here are four questions to help you choose the right personal trainer for you:

1. How much training and education does the trainer have? The State of Michigan doesn't have licensing requirements for personal trainers, but most if not all fitness centers require their employees to have at least one certification. In addition, there are several community college and university degrees (both at the Bachelors and Masters level) that would-be fitness professionals can pursue.

As a general rule, the more education a trainer has, the more able they will be to help you meet your goals while avoiding injuries in the process.

Also, while degrees are wonderful, don't discount experience! For example, two of Better Living's trainers, Mallory and Jodi, collectively have over 30 years' experience as personal trainers in addition to their certifications. 

2. How much ongoing education is the trainer involved in? Exercise science is changing almost daily as research tells us more about our bodies and what they need to be healthy and fit. To get the best results from your fitness plan, it's best to find a trainer who keeps up to date on these developments.

3. What are the trainer's specialty or specialties? If you're a 50 year old woman who just wants to make sure you'll be able to walk and carry your own groceries when you're 80, you don't necessarily want to work with a personal trainer who specializes in getting people ready for triathlons. At the same time, a trainer who is all about functional fitness may not be the best choice to help you train for your first marathon.

4. How willing is the trainer to customize a program so that you'll not only meet your goals but also enjoy the process? As a rule, any solid health and fitness program will include exercises to increase your strength, cardiovascular health, and flexibility – but there's a lot of “wiggle room” within that rule to cater to people who love some specific exercises but who can't stand (or can't do) others.

Deciding to start a health and fitness program is a big decision. So is choosing a fitness professional to help you achieve your goals. But finding the right personal trainer for you doesn't have to be that difficult. First, decide what you want to accomplish. Then, using the four questions above, narrow your search.

With all the personal training options that Ann Arbor offers, it shouldn't be that hard for most people to find the right fit.

Looking for specific help in selecting a personal trainer to help you achieve your goals – or help defining your goals in the first place? Give us a call (734-747-0123)  or send us an email and we'll be happy to help!

Better Living Members Burn Over 11,000 Calories & Raise Over $3,000 for disabled veterans

Our October 14th Cardio Relay charity event for the Michigan Department of Disabled American Veterans was a huge success:

• Fifty-six participants got their sweat on by walking or running, rowing, or by working out on one of our elliptical machines – in all, our cardio machines were kept busy during the eleven-hour event!
• In total – we counted – Cardio Relay participants burned over 11,000 calories!
• Thanks to the generosity of our Cardio Relay participants, our co-sponsors, and the support of local businesses, we raised over $3,000 for the Michigan Department of Disabled American Veterans to help disabled vets in Michigan plow through the mountain of paperwork standing between them and the health care and other benefits they've earned and deserve.

We owe a huge thank you to our co-sponsors, Tortoise and Hare Running & Fitness Center and Between The Lines. I also want to thank the local companies that made the donations, either in the form of refreshments or items for our silent auction:

A2R3 Therapeutic Massage
Anderson Paint
Campus Barber & Beauty Salon
Nicola's Books
The Lunch Room
The M Den
Washtenaw Dairy
Zingerman's

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Communities: Ongoing Charity Initiatives at Better Living Fitness Center

One of the reasons I opened Better Living Fitness Center was to have a place that can serve the better health of our entire community in addition to helping Better Living members achieve their health and fitness goals.

To that end, every month we donate a portion of our proceeds to a local charity that we select during a staff meeting. Our Fitness Center has only been open since January, but it was important to me to start this business off right as a solid corporate citizen here in Ann Arbor.

This month, of course, we're making our donation to Michigan Disabled American Veterans. As time goes on, we plan to support all sorts of organizations that make life better here in Ann Arbor: nonprofits that serve homeless individuals, charities that take care of animals, and more.

Likewise, we aren't able to give a huge amount now as a relatively new fitness center – but as we grow, so too will the amount we're able to give to local nonprofits.


This means that your membership with Better Living Fitness Center isn't only a fantastic investment in your health and fitness goals – in addition, you're also contributing to the health of our wider community! (Check out our fitness classes and memberships today and you can start making your dual investment – in yourself and in our wider community – right away!)

Stay tuned to our blog, website, and/or Facebook page for information the charity we choose each month. I'm looking forward to creating a thriving partnership between Better Living, our clients, other locally-owned Ann Arbor businesses, and the entire Ann Arbor community.

Health Note: $99 month Unlimited Memberships are still available for a limited time. Better Living Fitness Center Unlimited Memberships include all of our classes, allowing you to customize a weekly and monthly workout routine to target all of your health and fitness goals: strength, cardiovascular fitness, and flexibility. In addition, a portion of your membership (or membership upgrade) will benefit a local Ann Arbor charity through Better Living Fitness Center's monthly donation program.

Take a moment to check out and sign up for your Unlimited Membership today.

We're Running (and walking, and rowing and spinning) -- For Their Lives

Better Living's Cardio Relay event – helping DAV cut through the red tape for our vets

When a disabled American veteran comes home from serving our country, surviving the injuries they sustained during their service is just the first hurdle.

The next is the one that the system has placed between the veterans and receiving the benefits they're entitled to.

On October 14, Better Living Fitness Center is holding a cardio relay event at our Ann Arbor location to help the people who specialize in making this next hurdle a smaller one. 

You can sign up to participate -- and receive $20 off select athletic shoes from Tortoise and Hare Running & Fitness Center (and the chance to win additional fabulous prizes!) -- here.

According to Jim Dempsey, a former state commander for the Michigan Department of Disabled American Veterans, disabled US veterans face an almost literal mountain of paperwork before they can receive the benefits that they have earned – and that our government has promised them.

“A claim can very easily run as much as 200-300 pages of total documentation that the veteran has to complete, have others fill out, then collect, scan into a computer and file electronically,” Jim says.

Not only that, but it's not unusual for a veteran to have to file more than one claim in order to have all of their injuries recognized and qualified for treatment -- and all of the paperwork is so complex even trained specialists can have trouble understanding it.

Worse yet, the government agency that is supposed to serve our veterans – the Department of Veterans' Affairs – prohibits their employees from helping vets wade through all the paperwork.

Fortunately, our vets have DAV on their side.

As we said in our first blog post about our Cardio Relay event, Disabled American Veterans has been around since 1920. They are experts who guide our veterans, step-by-step, through the process and help insure our vets receive the treatment and financial support they're entitled to.

On Friday, October 14, we're going to be running – and walking, rowing, and spinning – to make the lives of Michigan's disabled veterans easier.

We'd like you to join us. In return for your 15 minute or more workout and donation to Disabled American Veterans, we'll make sure you get a great cardio workout, enjoy tasty treats, and receive a 20$ off coupon for select athletic shoes from Tortoise and Hare Running & Fitness Center. 

Here are the Cardio Relay event details again. You can pre-register in person at Better Living Fitness Center, by phone, by email, with this online form, or during your next session with one of our trainers.

It's easy, it's going to be a BLAST, and you're going to leave Better Living knowing you've done something to make yourself healthier -- and to make a disabled veteran's life easier.

Sign up today, and we'll see you on October 14!

Better Living Fitness Center Cardio Charity Relay event details

When: Friday, Oct. 14, 6:30 am – 5:30 pm
Where: Better Living Fitness Center, 834B Phoenix Drive in Ann Arbor
How to Participate: Pre-register to work out for 15 minutes or more on any of Better Living Fitness Center's cardio machines. While at the center, make a donation to the Michigan Department of Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
Cash, checks and credit/debit card donations will be accepted.

How to Register:

Online: Click here

By Phone:  734-747-0123

By email: Click here

In Person at Better Living Fitness Center, 834 B Phoenix Drive in Ann Arbor during business hours, OR

Register with your Better Living trainer either at the center or at the Merri Lou Murray Recreation Center.


*** Photo courtesy Phil Parker via Flickr.