As the New Year arrives, many people will be looking for ways to make their resolutions come true. One of the most popular resolutions is to lose weight or improve fitness levels, which is why so many people reach out to personal trainers during this time of the year. Unfortunately, personal trainers can be a rather expensive addition to your budget, especially if you don’t look for ways to save on the trainer. These ten tips can help you cut back on your spending while still allowing you to enjoy working with the personal trainer of your choice.

1. Go Through a Gym
One of the cheapest ways to save money on a personal trainer is to actually join a gym. A lot of gyms will have personal trainers on call, so they can help anyone that is currently working out in the gym. In order to take advantage of this, you will need to see what your gym offers. If you haven’t signed up for a gym yet then this might be one of the things you consider before registering. Of course, you might not be able to get the same trainer every time you are there, but you will be able to enjoy the benefits of a personal trainer nonetheless without having to pay extra.

2. Research
Before you sign a contract with anyone, ever, you should always do a fair amount of research. Before you begin even looking at personal trainers, you should consider whether or not you actually need one. Research what goes into working with a personal trainer, so you will know what you need to accomplish while also ensuring you will be able to keep up with the demands needed for your investment to pay off. When you decide that the investment is for you, research the personal trainer that you are interested in. You should check out their website and what they stand for. If you find a trainer you like, then look at reviews they have on various pages. You might even reach out to some of the people they’ve worked with, to see how they really feel about the trainer.

3. Ask for Recommendations
When it comes to choosing a personal trainer, recommendations are one of the best ways to choose the right person for you. You should start with chatting with friends and family that you know have worked with a personal trainer. If you can get a few names from people, then you can begin looking for the right person for you. Your loved ones aren’t the only people to turn to either. You might chat with people you know from the gym or those that are in a local fitness group with you. This should help you narrow down the search without putting a lot of risk into your investment. It will also help you weed out scammers right away too, which will give you some peace of mind.

4. Talk with the Trainer
When you think you have an idea of who you’d like to work with or you simply want to explore the idea of working with a personal trainer, then you might want to make an appointment to talk with a trainer. This will allow you to meet the person, so you can decide whether or not their personality will work well with your personal needs. You will also learn more about the trainer when it comes to their approach to your particular goals and what they offer in their training sessions. After talking with a trainer, you’ll have more knowledge about your investment and will know if you’ve found the right person to work with.

5. Make Sure You Have Time
It is easy to come up with the idea of working with a personal trainer. However, a lot of people don’t consider their schedule when they come up with his plan. Sometimes, it might seem possible to dedicate an hour a day or a few hours a week to working with a trainer. However, life gets in the way, and schedules get busy. Unfortunately, a lot of trainers will have in their contract stipulations that prevent you from getting refunds on the training sessions you miss due to your schedule. So, you might want to truly consider your time before making an investment or find a trainer that offers a flexible plan that you can easily work with.

6. Don’t Skip the Diet
A lot of people do believe that a personal trainer is going to be the answer to all of their problems. However, if you feel like you’re working out and can still eat what you want then you’re definitely not going to get the results that you want. Keeping up with a diet is a great way to make sure that you get everything you need out of your personal trainer. Some trainers will provide you with a diet plan and if this is the case then make sure to stick with it. However, if they don’t provide you with a diet then it is up to you to do the research to figure out what is going to work best for your personal needs. Once you’ve figured out your diet, then you’re good to implement it and watch as your results improve. Keeping to a good diet can also allow you to work harder in a workout, which will add even more to your results.

7. Find Promotions
If you’re worried about the price of a personal trainer then there are many promotions to choose from. Sometimes, personal trainers will offer a sales price, which is very common during the New Year when people are testing the waters. Generally, these deals will cover a few sessions, but that is enough to allow you to figure out whether or not the trainer is a good fit. Some trainers will offer a lower price if you pay for the year ahead of time, which can also save you money if you’re certain you’re going to stick with the program. Of course, you might also be able to find a Groupon promotion, which will allow you to save money with a group of other people.

8. Share Sessions
Sometimes, people don’t have enough time to spend at the gym every week. If you have a trainer that charges for multiple sessions a week, then you might talk with them to see if you can split the price with others. This will allow you to enjoy a training session whenever you can while other people take up the other lessons. This split will help you all save money without eating into the trainer’s time. Of course, some trainers won’t allow this, so you might have to look around for a bit to find a person that does. You will also have to make sure that you’re signing up to share with people that are going to be reliable and pay for their portion of the trainer’s time.

9. Referral Programs
If you already have a trainer, or you’re looking to get some money back on your investment, then you might ask to see if your personal trainer offers a referral program. This program will help you win either money or a discount on your bill if you refer people to the personal trainer. Generally, people have to sign up for a certain period of time before they earn the referral so keep this in mind when you recommend people to the personal trainer. Although you might not get a lot from this, every little bit does help, and you might be helping a loved one into the shape they hope to be in too.

10. Consider Online Programs
If you tend to be a pretty busy person and you don’t think you’re going to be able to make it to the gym often, then there are some great programs that you can take in on the internet. There are numerous apps that can help you save quite a bit of money while allowing you to work out in a more flexible manner. Of course, you should always put in research before you sign up for services so you can consider whether or not they are for you. Many online programs do offer free trials though, which will definitely allow you to figure out if something is going to be right for you before you make an investment.

When it comes to getting in shape, a personal trainer can be one of the best ways to achieve your goals, but you should also protect your budget in the process. So, if you’re shopping around for a personal trainer during the new year, then you might consider these ten options to help you save some money.