Personal Training Sector Set To Triple in Size In Next Decade

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Set against a backdrop of rising obesity and associated health concerns business analysts are tipping Personal Training as the next big growth sector in the business economy with GP's and Hosiptals now referring patients to see qualified fitness professionals.

London, United Kingdom., February 21, 2013 - (PressReleasePoint) -

Business analysts have this week predicted that the Personal Trainer market in the UK will more than triple in size in the next decade if current levels of obesity and related-illness continue to grow at their current rate. According to figures released this month by The Health Observatory, the UK is now officially the third most obese country in the world and despite a growing increase in health clubs and gyms across the nation, these obesity figures are still rising.

Mark Hughes, a GP from Humberside comments, "I see an increasing number of obese patients who need real-life solutions to getting fit and losing weight and its clear that just sending them to a gym is not working. Structure, guidance and motivation are proven methods for helping patients to change their habits and their lifestyles and this is the area where I see personal trainers helping clients the most. I now regularly refer patients to personal trainers for one-to-one exercise sessions, usually in the patients own home."

With the onset of the global recession, personal training is no longer the luxury item it once was and many personal trainers are happy to offer their services at competitive prices. This has had a huge impact on the fitness market with many people actually turning away from traditional exercise options like gyms and fitness classes in preference for personal training. One area that has grown significantly is the home visit service which has become popular with customers who are either too embarrased or simply too busy to visit a gym regularly.

Elliot Anderson, GP Referral Specialist at MotivatePT, one of the UK's largest personal training providers comments, "The face of personal training has changed almost completely over the last 10 years. Once it was only for those with money and was very much an exclusive service - a VIP club for the wealthy. Today we find that our customers come from all walks of life and include a high proportion of students and key workers such as nurses, teachers and public sector employees. We are also seeing a rise in referrals from GPs with elderly patients who have no interest in joining gyms and require a more specialised and personalised level of treatment."

Joanna Daly from London, who had struggled with her weight since her teenage years had tried dieting and fitness classes, but never lost more than a few pounds. She was referred by her GP to a personal trainer and began having weekly home-based fitness sessions. "The convenience and privacy of having someone come to my home and offer fitness training is perfect for me. I have tried gyms in the past and always felt awkward and self-conscious as people really would stare especially when an instructor would be showing me how to perform an exercise. I really didn't make any progress there because I just didn't want to attend. This is completely different now and I have so far lost over a stone. I have been able to arrange for my sister to join me in the sessions and we share the cost between us. It suits us both so much better."

Based upon figures from the Register of Exercise Professionals there are over 24,000 qualified exercise professionals currently working in the UK and job analysts predict that this figure will need to rise at least three-fold over thee next ten years in order to keep pace with the growing obesity epedemic.

Healthcare, Fitness, UK, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Choices, Women, Sports, Business, London