January's Great Fitness Experiment: A New You in the New Year (Giveaway!)

Too bad Mark Twain is dead - he's my kind of trainer

After six months of maternity leave, The Great Fitness Experiment is finally going to return to doing Great Fitness Experiments! While I have been gestating I managed to store up some really great fitness Experiments for 2010 and January's is a great one.

Back when I did my Online Personal Training GFE (April 2009), I discovered the big downside of using an online personal trainer - most sites use a computer to generate your nutrition and workout plans. While they are more customized than, say, picking one at random out of a magazine, they are still just a machine. Not only do machines do stupid things (like giving me a weight workout using 8-lb dumbbells even though I specifically asked for the "advanced" program) but even worse, machines let me do stupid things. Like when I told it I wanted to lose 50 pounds to get to a weight than even Kate Moss would have called scary skinny. The computer helpfully told me to eat only 400 calories a day to reach my weight loss goals and even cheered me on with helpful tips! All I needed was some "thinspiration" pics and they could have marketed it as Anorexia 2.0. (Anorexia 1.0 was pulled after it was found to have several fatal bugs that would bring down your whole system.)

After that Experiment, I was contacted by Lindsey Matthews, a NSCA certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist and owner of Lean Bodies Health and Fitness, who told me that I needed to put the "person" back into personal training. In her brand of online personal training, she talks with each client to gauge their fitness needs and then comes up with a customized workout and diet based solely on your goals. In addition she checks in with you to check your progress every week and you have 24/7 access to her via e-mail in case you have questions or just need a kick in the butt. (I am very excited about this part. See, Lindsey doesn't know this but I have a list of about 200 questions I have neurotically stored up waiting to drop on the first unsuspecting personal trainer who vaguely looks in my direction. First up? Why is it that eating 8 oz of chocolate makes me gain 2 lbs of fat? Doesn't that violate e=mc2 or something? Deep, I know. This is what I mull over during the two a.m. feedings.) Plus she has a successful track record with my readers. You may remember how she sculpted Readers Beth and Nate - parents to 5 kids under age 8 - into their current enviable forms.

Who wants a free month of personal training?
Last time Lindsey offered to personally train one lucky GFE reader for free. This year, in January 2010, she has offered to train not only the Gym Buddies and I but is offering workout coaching to 30 of my readers! FOR FREE! To get in on this Experiment, all you need to do is e-mail Lindsey at lindsmm@gmail.com with "A New You for A New Year Promo" in the subject line. Tell her briefly how you think personal training can help you with your health and fitness goals and she'll e-mail you back if you are one of the first 30 to e-mail her. (Not lightening quick with the e-mail? You can still join us! Lindsey has very reasonable prices.)

Check back for another great fitness giveaway on Friday. What a way to start off the new year!

After you've e-mailed her, stop back here and leave me a comment telling me what question you've always wanted to ask a personal trainer at two a.m.!