I know times are tough, my friends, and sometimes, when the going gets tough, you really ought to go shopping . . . for a personal trainer.

"Inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished," said Buddha, the philosopher-king of mind-body fitness.

As your most personal trainer — A.C.E. certified around the time the treadmill was electrified — I couldn't agree more. Your ability to experience calm in the face of fear and better cope with change — good or bad — is connected to your physical strength. For optimal health, your physical strength must be "constantly and intelligently replenished."

And that's what a good personal trainer can help you do. A bad one can really screw you up, so you must choose wisely. How do you find a good one? Be patient. First, let me list a few more reasons to justify hiring (or sharing) a personal trainer, since cash flow is uncertain these days, and we all need to set priorities:

— PLAY THROUGH BOREDOM. A big reason people quit exercising is they get bored. A good trainer will evaluate your current program and suggest ways to spice it up. A good trainer will give you new exercises to do and suggestions to improve your technique, your performance, your breathing. (If he doesn't mention breathing in the first session, keep shopping.) Boredom will end, your spirits will lift, your confidence will improve and, in time, your jeans will slip to your knees.

— REDUCE INJURIES. What good is lifting 100 pounds if you tear your rotator cuff? A good trainer will watch you work out and make sure you're aligned and moving in a way that reduces your risk of injuries. A good trainer will also keep you from overdoing it in the gym — the No. 1 cause of most sports injuries — trying to do too much, too soon, before your body is strong or flexible enough to meet the challenge. A trainer who pushes you too hard and causes an injury is a bad trainer. If you get stuck with a "no-pain, no gain" kind of guy, keep shopping.

— REINFORCE SMART EATING HABITS. A good trainer is a teacher, and the best of them can help you discover the value of eating healthy, delicious, real food, in moderation. If instead, your trainer is trying to sell you nutrition in a can and 30 supplements a day, I say back off, no matter how buffed and beautiful he may be.

— ONE-TO-ONE HELP. Do you want a stronger upper body, Serena Williams's thighs, and a spine that is supple, strong and pain-free? A good personal trainer can make your dreams come true. (So can a good yoga teacher, but that is so off topic.) A good trainer can become your cheerleader, your taskmaster — whatever it takes to motivate you, and, like wildflowers to the sun, move you toward a healthier, happier lifestyle.

SO HOW CAN YOU FIND A GOOD TRAINER? To find someone with skills and sensitivity, you have to use your own skills and sensitivity:

— Look for someone who's certified by one or more of the following: the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA.) Certification tells you your trainer has a basic understanding of anatomy as well as exercise. It's certainly possible to find a terrific trainer who never bothered to get certified, but if he or she is self-taught, be extra cautious.

— Test drive your trainer before you commit to a series or package. If he bullies you the same way your high school coach did or sits reading a magazine while you grunt out your lunges, shop on. Above all, be open, ask questions, and trust your instincts. A trainer your best friend adores may not be the best fit for you. Your svelte pal may not give a fig about nutrition; you may be looking for new things to do with quinoa.

— And finally, this superb piece of advice from one of the Bay Area's best personal trainers, Rachel Tufunga, who works at Maverick's Gym. Maverick? "Riverboat ring your bell? Gambling is his game?" (When can we rehabilitate that word?)

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! MAKE THE CHOICE YOURSELF

"Never — we repeat, never — let the gym staff assign you a trainer. That practically guarantees you'll get the guy no one else wants, in the name of spreading the clients out." — Rachel Tufunga

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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