With the motivation of losing weight for my summer holiday I joined a gym on 1 June 2018.  Now approaching a year’s membership, I am sharing my experience as a DIY gym member.

A year ago, I weighed 85.3kg. When I joined the gym, I rejected the overtures of the personal trainer to help me lose weight. I knew best. All I had to do was train hard and the weight would fall off. Simples. It wasn’t rocket science or so I thought.

In the ten weeks prior to my summer vacation I lost 11kg (1 stone, 10 pounds and 4 ounces in old speak) using a DIY gym regime consisting of only cardio work. Having reached my initial goal weight of 74kgs, I felt like a world beater for a short time. My next goal was to get down to 71 kgs.

The personal trainer had warned me that doing cardio work only would not deliver the sustainable results I wanted. He explained that I needed a more rounded workout including weight training as well as cardio but I obviously knew best! It didn’t take a lot to lose that initial weight. I just needed motivation and action.  Why waste money on a personal trainer? My initial results reinforced my belief that I was right.

Since returning from holiday my motivation has lessened but I still attend the gym around three times a week. My food consumption is a little less healthy too but still ok. However, my weight has remained pretty constant; fluctuating a few kgs up and down depending on the time of year, my social calendar, work load and personal motivation. I’d still like to lose at least another 2-3kgs or ideally 5kgs to get down to my ‘fighting weight’ but all in all my weight loss has plateaued. I am now very sure that I don’t know best!

Realistically, to lose the additional weight I would require a more specific, all round and accurate total fitness program designed by the personal trainer. Exactly as suggested a year ago. Instead of investing more time, effort and energy persisting with the same DIY gym regime, and only seeing meagre results hereon in, I need to invest in expertise to achieve sustainable results. No half measures.

To help me lose more weight I need to be smart, efficient and effective and so I am now contemplating hiring a personal trainer to deliver the expertise I don’t have.

It recently dawned on me that the process I have gone through over the past year is very similar to what I see from people who contact me to help them achieve better and more sustainable financial outcomes.

People come to me because they are concerned about a particular aspect of their finances. In effect their financial planning has plateaued. The DIY financial planning they have already undertaken has enabled them to improve their financial fitness to a certain level but they have plateaued – just like me. They are now at the same crossroads as me. Do they continue down the DIY financial planning path plugging away and not seeing the results they expect, or do they hire a personal financial trainer to further improve aspects of their life and finances and ensure they achieve sustainable results. If I had put my ego aside, and hired a professional a year ago, I might now be at my fighting weight!

Just like a fitness change, half measures are risky. Throwing more money at investments may work in the short term, or maybe luck will play a part, but getting it wrong could be a waste of time, effort and money over the longer term.  To get you on track to a successful financial planning experience contemplate hiring a Chartered Financial Planner, to keep you motivated, improve your financial position and reduce the probability of more hours on the financial treadmill without getting the results you deserve. Get in touch on 07563529918 or sam@cervellofp.co.uk and improve your financial fitness.