Most people think personal training is a luxury. Can you blame them? Not many people can afford to pay around R250 for an hour session. There is, however, a more affordable solution. Check out these surprising benefits of online personal training.

“I believe the biggest advantage lies in both the affordability and flexibility,” says Nicole Seymour, who runs her online personal training site www.UNBROKEN.co.za. “Since the sessions aren’t done in-person, the client can choose the best time to complete the workouts, Plus, clients have the choice to do the workouts at home using the equipment they have available. The cost is significantly less too. For example, my online training programs cost less per month than most hour-long in-person sessions.”

The million-dollar question that everyone asks is: Does it work? “The effectiveness relies a lot on how motivated the client is to achieve his or her goals,” says Nicole. “We provide the training plans, motivation, and advice to allow each client to reach their goals, however, ultimately it is down to them to get the workouts done and take on board the advice given by their trainer. If they can do this, they will succeed.”

Yet there’s one important thing that online trainers lack: physical contact. Can you really train someone—check form, provide motivation, and prevent injury—if you’re not physically with them?

Nicole confirms she need’s to make an extra effort to ensure that her clients are getting the attention they need. “Each person receives a workout plan that they can do on their own time, including videos and slow motion exercise samples.” Nicole adds that clients can reach their trainer day or night via her mobile app messaging service, “Your trainer is always at your fingertips 24/7. Just because we may not be communicating in the flesh doesn’t mean we can’t go deep.” In fact, Nicole has found the privacy of communicating online has often allowed her to explore deeper issues such as A bad break-up or a lost job that may be the core of that binge eating issue. These situations aren’t easy to air out from a crowded gym floor at six in the morning. But from the comfort of your home, my clients tend to open up.

You could already be training, perhaps not getting all the help you need at your gym and want some professional guidance, or maybe you’re a beginner wanting to get started on a suitable exercises routine that you can do in your own home and with very little or no equipment. No matter where you are in life right now, online personal training may just be the answer you have been looking for….