Out of office email and voicemail notifications are rampant this time of year across all industries. The personal training profession is no different. While the job of a fitness professional, such as a personal trainer, may seem fun to you, for them it is their “nine to five” job. They deserve a break, too. However, while your trainer is away on vacation or visiting family for the holidays, that doesn’t mean your fitness program should be on hiatus. If the motivation to stay on track is hard to come by, consider getting a substitute trainer. Employing the services of an alternate, or substitute trainer, has benefits for your fitness program now and in the future.

Getting a substitute trainer is not like having a substitute teacher. While they most importantly help you maintain a consistent schedule with the gym, they are not just place-holders making sure no one gets hurt like the substitute teachers you remember from high school. A new personal trainer will keep you motivated at a time of the year, where your motivation to exercise may be at its lowest point. Most people would rather be at holiday parties than at the gym. The source of your motivation may be increased be trying to show your new trainer your toughness to take what they are dishing out. This is on top of what should already be a strong determination not to gain the typical 7 to 10 pounds of holiday time weight that many Americans experience. Personal trainers are there every session to give you a fully engaging, intense workout. They may not be your regular personal trainer, but after an initial consultation about you and your goals, they’ll have a better understanding of how to apply their knowledge and skills to help you achieve those goals.

Another important aspect of having a different personal trainer for a few sessions is the opportunity to have a fresh pair of eyes reviewing your fitness program and goals. That doesn’t mean they have to judge your current program as good or bad. It simply means you have someone else who can offer some additional perspective on your exercises, goals, and contributing behaviors or factors that can improve your performance. A different personal trainer will also add muscle “shock value” with a varied arsenal of exercises for you to perform. There is virtually only upside to have additional input from an expert.

Lastly, working with a substitute New York City personal trainer can provide options you may need in the future. First, you might be thinking that you want to switch trainers. This may be an opportunity to try someone else out. Second, if your personal trainer should ever decide to move away or stop training, you will have another person who can jump right in to help keep you going. Third, perhaps the most obvious reason, is that you will probably need to have a fill in trainer for the next time your personal trainer NYC goes away, or maybe even gets sick.

Thus, a habit a substitute personal trainer is a every proactive step to keeping up with your exercise program over the holidays. Finding the right person for a few sessions now could pay off for you in the future. Your long term fitness goals could be positively affected by having a couple of trainers in your stable to call on when need to grey in a training session.