It is time for a breakthrough

How many days per week do I need to work out?

It depends on your health and fitness goals. Minimum recommendations are doing moderate cardio 30 minutes 5 times a week and lifting weights 2 times a week. The ACSM recommends that healthy adults all need to be performing a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity exercise per week. Resistance training and flexibility training should be practiced at least twice per week. Time Hack: Do not forget that you can break these recommended workout times into smaller chunks if necessary. Life can be very demanding and time-consuming so do not lose heart and do what you can when you can

What should I eat before a workout?

This can vary depending on the person and the time they workout. Ideally, you should have some form of fuel in your system before you work out if you can to avoid letting your blood sugar drop too low. Experiment with fruit, yogurt, or toast and peanut butter, but do not eat too much or you will feel sluggish and heavy or be unable to work out. If you exercise first thing in the morning eating before your workout may not be an option, but bring something in case you get lightheaded or have trouble with blood sugar. Many people find that they can tolerate cardio on an empty stomach, but need fuel to get through a strength training session.

 What should I eat after a workout?

Eating after a workout is important. You need to replenish your muscle sugar stores called glycogen and 'feed' the muscles that you trained for max reocvery. Sports nutritionists suggest that you eat a small snack consisting of protein and easily digested carbohydrates like fruit within about an hour of training and then a healthy balanced meal an hour or two later.

What are the best exercises for getting rid of belly fat/muffin tops/bat wings/inner thigh bulge?

The challenge with this is that genetics determines where we store excess fat. The difficult thing is you can't spot fat reduce which means no exercise will target fat cells in a certain part of your body. You need to target them all via cardio, strength training, and proper nutrition. Your body will reduce fat in these areas over time.
 

Why do I have to do weights or cross-training if I prefer to do cardio?

Weights are important for reducing injuries, developing strength for daily activities, raising your metabolism rate, and stopping the normal loss of muscle mass as we get older.

How frequently should I see a trainer?

The ideal frequency of personal training sessions can be different from person to person. Just getting started with exercise and healthy eating? The most beneficial would be 3-5x a week depending on how well you are at building habits and doing cardio on your own. It can be very overwhelming as well so there is nothing wrong with starting 1 time a week and building slowly. If you need regular motivation and support to get to the gym... You may need to go 3-5x a week depending on your goals and how much cardio you can do on your own. Have an injury that you're working through... Typically 3x a week is ideal for rebuilding your strength.

How quickly will I see the results of my training?

The first result you will notice is an increase in your energy levels and possibly a loss of up to 1-2lbs per week. People who start a new exercise program and are consistent in getting their workouts done report improvements in sleep, mood, and energy levels within 2-3 weeks. You will be able to have a rapid increase in the amount of weight you are lifting because your nervous system quickly adapts to learning the movements. Changes in body composition and muscular strength can take 6-8 weeks. The more consistent you are with your workouts and the closer you adhere to your nutrition plan the sooner the results will become noticeable. Enjoy all your successes looser pants, ability to hold better form, lifting more weight during an exercise, and drops on the scale.

Why do my workouts never get easier?

It is our job to keep you progressing gradually over time to increase your strength so you are getting much stronger. A qualified personal trainer knows how to progress your training plan to keep your body guessing and moving forward at a reasonable pace. 

Which should I do first; cardio or weights?

If you are an endurance athlete you should do your weights after your workouts because that is your main focus. A side note is you do not want to do your weight lifting on easy days or off days if you are an endurance athlete. If you are focused on strength gains and general fitness it is best to start with weights. You always want to do your lifts that require multiple joint movements first and finish with your single-joint smaller movements. 
 

What's the best diet for weight loss?

The diet you can stick with over your entire lifetime and be consistent with is the best. Studies have shown that regardless of the diet followed, consistency is the only thing that predicts success. Beware of any diet that promises rapid weight loss from limiting your diet to fewer than 1000 calories a day. Although you will lose weight in the beginning, your body adapts to the lack of sufficient calories and drops your metabolism and keeps it dropped so if you ever increase even a small amount of calories your body will begin to regain the weight. A big hack to weight loss is strength training and building muscle mass which increases your metabolism.