45 percent: That's the number of personal trainers who claim to be certified but really aren't, according to the IDEA Health & Fitness Association. If you've ever worked with a trainer, or think you might in the future, a statistic like that should worry you at least a little bit.

A few months ago, I shared tidbit, along with some other scary and startling facts about personal trainers. From what certifications to look for to what makes a trainer really qualified, I laid down the cold, hard truth about navigating your way through this confusing profession so that you don't get scammed into working with a trainer who just isn't any good.

Now there is an even easier way to find a credible and certified personal trainer—and verify that what he or she says about their education and experience is actually true. This quick and simply tool is a must-use for anyone who works with a trainer or thinks they will someday in the future.

The IDEA Health and Fitness Association is one of the biggest and most trusted names in the world of professional fitness training. To help consumers separate the posers from the pros, they created Fitness Connect, a simple search tool to find a fitness professional (or gym or class) in your area. The coolest thing about it is that by working with the biggest names in fitness certification, IDEA's Fitness Connect tool actually verifies whether or not a certification that a trainer claims to have is up to date. It can also show you things like whether the trainer carries liability insurance, whether they're certified in important life-saving methods like CPR, and reviews from clients that have worked with the trainer. Pretty cool, huh?

SparkPeople has recently partnered with IDEA to share their Fitness Connect tool on our website! You'll find it in the Fitness Resource Center (center column, scroll to the bottom) or by going to www.sparkpeople.ideafit.com. So when you're ready to look into hiring a trainer, this is a great place to start.

Do you really need a personal trainer? Take this quiz to find out. Here are even more tips for choosing a personal trainer.

If cost weren't an issue, would you like to hire a personal trainer? Have you ever worked one? If so, how did you find him or her?