A private trainer will meet you wherever you want to meet. They don't have to work for the gym. A friend of mine quit his crappy job (he was also my coworker back then, ha ha) to follow his dream to be a personal trainer. He is a totally laid-back guy, not intimidating at all. Plus, he gets the best gossip stories from his clients, just like a hairdresser. :)

I hated having a trainer, ugh

and then she was really hard to convince I'd fired her. She kept on calling, and calling, and calling...

I had a Spanish tutor who was like that. She showed up like 3 or 4 times after I broke off the sessions.

Awkward :unsure:

Geez, it's like having a stalker ex!

There are some real wackos out there reading craigslist.

Bad idea.

Buy a dog. Run with him. He'll love it, and unless you pick something like an Australian Cattle Dog or one of the hounds, he won't stalk you.

Or, see if there is a dog exercising service in your area that needs someone to walk/run dogs. You might even get paid for exercising.

His name is Buddy, he's a black lab. He can't be my gym buddy, which is what I need to do today. No outside exercised possible, the county is under a fire-watch and the smoke from the fires fills the air. Kinda scary actually. Also, he can't call me on my cell phone and tell me he wants to exercise. I don't feel guilty about not taking him on a walk, he takes himself, and he has two acres of "yard" to run around in. So dog I have, and about once a week or so I'm able to take him, but I'm really wimpy about the weather, so unless I have a person encouraging me, I just won't.
When my sis was able to be my exercise partner, I did great until she got too busy and her schedule was just too whack. Now she lives way too far away. I had my own apartment gym, but other than safety reasons, I just don't like going on my own.

I might look into Zen's idea. I only work part-time at my current job, I don't need a second job, but it means I have extra time. If its a responsibility I would have to fulfill that obligation. Hm, might still be boring though I guess that doesn't matter so much. Being fat is boring too.

One of the big issues with small towns? Not much in the way of options.

What gyms are those? I've worked in four gyms over the years, and the only one that did that was a gym for women only. None of the coed gyms did that. They would have someone initially take you around and show you how to use the equipment, but that's it.

Also, personal trainers are expensive. Generally they do not work FOR the gym - they are independent contractors. It is possible sometimes to get a deal with a trainer, like a beginners special or something, but not all trainers will give you deals. If you have the money and you can afford one, it is good investment though, especially if you don't know what you're doing.

That's what I'm thinking. Surely there is someone there who would be willing to help train people at school. And it would be a helluva lot cheaper than hiring a personal trainer in a gym. My sister worked in the gym when she was in college studying sports medicine. If they have students in there working, they could probably help get started.

The gym I go to (not a woman's gym) gives you 3 trainer sessions (plus a personal yoga instruction, spa treatment etc..) when you join, they have tons of trainers who work there - and if they're not training someone at the time they're happy to help you learn a machine or answer questions.

My trainer was working out at the same time I was yesterday and ended up working with me on pull ups and dips just for the hell of it.

They also have drawings for free training sessions and other ways you can win or earn them, although not very often.
Normally, it's $60/hr or $35 half/hr - or its cheaper if you get 2 friends to join you as a group.

Years ago when a friend and I joined the Y, a guy I knew (Conan the Librarian: he's Mr Fit and also worked at the library) who was a trainer there gave us a run-through on everything and the proper ways to use it. Then, just having my friend to go with was a huge motivator.