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That is actually the biggest challenge a trainer faces. Training plans are comparatively easy. I know what the physical goals are and I know what to tell my client to do in order to accomplish it. This is all for naught if you are unmotivated. Correct?
You would think that people are motivated once they start working with a personal trainer but that is not necessarily true. Many just go through the motions. They do what is right because they think they should not because they want to.
At this point we need to understand what led the person to come to us.
To begin with:
- Do you work out because a family member or a friend told you to?
- Has an authority told you to start training/losing weight, like a physician?
- Are you trying to fulfill a nebulous beauty ideal that society tells you is important?
- Do you have a bet going?
- The list goes on…
What is the problem with these health or fitness goals?
The problem with these goals is that you often really don’t own them; because they are not yours, they are someone else’s. You are not truly passionate about them. Yes, you might want to lose the weight but maybe not because it is important to you but because you think its what everyone else wants for you. People work out for many different reasons and often don’t get anywhere.
Sure don’t get me wrong the correct nutrition and the proper training are important. Most people do know that veggies are good for you and that bread, pasta, cheeseburgers, and pizza pile on the pounds. So why is it so hard to lose the weight? Eating disorders and food addictions are one part of it but assuming that you don’t suffer from that, why do you have a hard time achieving your goal? Is it lack of will power?
According to research willpower is not the problem. Willpower seems to be a limited good. If you exert it a lot, eventually you will run out and eat more or stop training.
The real problem seems to be that you don’t own your goals.
Own Your Goals
Some people are super successful, they are driven and they reach their goals in no time. You can even reach your goals if they are, as mentioned above, not entirely your own goals, but often the success is only short term. Within days or weeks people are back to their old habits.
Owning your goals, what really drives you, what is important to you and not someone else will help you really make the jump.
It will be easier to make decisions that lead down the right path because YOU want it, not a doctor, or a friend, or society or a bet or….
- Sit down for 30 min and think of what you really want.
- Write down WHY you want it
- Review it and walk away from it for an hour
- Is it still what you really want? Are the WHY reasons really why you want it?
- Make some short term goals that are relatively easily accomplishable. Success breeds more motivation. It can be just making one change in your nutrition, or work out 2×30 min per week. You name it. It should be doable.
- Have success and then take the next step on your journey. Once you have made your first change, add another a week later.
- Taking little steps each day will go a long way.
If you Fail, Fail Forward!
Who do you know has failed in the past? Maybe someone who has smoked and has tried to quit many times. We all fail, all the time. The question though is what we make of it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do about the past and let’s face it your control over the future is rather limited too. So stick to the moment. Reset the button, and start again. If someone laughs at you, laugh back and say: “Well, I got knocked on my butt but I am getting back up and taking charge again. No matter how often I get knocked down, I know what I want and no matter what I will make it!” I have a chocolate addiction. I cannot stop once I started. I was sick yesterday. I was thrown of my routine. I head was stuffy. All day long I watched TV and stuffed my face with chocolate. Today is a new day. I am back on track…for now. That does not mean something will not derail me again but I know that I will get back to it.
An Example
Know what you really want. Like my client Pam, who has been working with me for a long time but it also took her a long time to really, really know how badly she wanted to reach her goals, why she wanted them. and that she could actually do it!
She is all in now and she is kicking butt.
Before when she had a setback it would take her weeks or even months to get back on track. Now it does not even take a day. Her challenge is her nutrition and she is doing great because she owns her goals now.
I know you can do it. You just have to figure out, why you want to do it, what drives you and nurture it!
If you need help with your goals and passions, give me a call and we support you 100%
Michael
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