Create your own workout!

As a certified personal trainer, it is my job to create suitable workouts for other people. I reference a health history, listen to goals and concerns, assess fitness levels and from there I choose exercises and tailor them into a concise regime that will (if all goes well) meet the individual's needs. But in this day and age, I realize that my services (translation: my fees) don't always mesh with tight budgets. And that's alright, we're all making sacrifices in this testy economy. (Just remember to weigh out the pros and cons before writing off the price tag, that's all I ask of you! Because really, time with a personal trainer can extremely worth it. And now I'm putting my soap box away.) But remember, you can still get fit without a personal trainer—so don't use my fees as an excuse. You can do it, we're just here to help.

There are a variety of resources out there. It's like cooking. If you're putting a meal together, you research recipes and ingredients until you have a plan. And then you go grocery shopping. Do the same with your fitness routine. Check the fitness section at your library, I'm sure you'll find a number of books and videos that contain exercise options. Read magazines, surf the web...in fact, head on over to the Fitness website. If you log into their system, you can create your own fitness video. It takes, like...two minutes. All you have to do is answer three questions. Here's what I did:

And it gave me the following, all compiled into one short video:

Notice the red "X" buttons? That signifies flexibility. You can delete exercises as you watch the video, you know...if you absolutely hate them or if they cause you any pain. You can also rearrange the moves and tweak the answers to your questions. All of which, of course, tweaks your video.

So...see! You can create your own workout! Now go, give it a try. And guys, never you mind that this is a women's magazine's website. You, too can create your own video. It's not a girly girl thing, it's a fitness thing. Have fun!

Question: What sort of resources do you use to create your workouts?