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Newsletters>
Why Are We Doing This?
June 20, 2008
Motivating clients is easy when you have a clear answer from the very first meeting to the following very important question. “Why are we doing this?” Keep the motive in mind and clients remain focused, excited, and convinced they’re achieving much more with you in their corner than they ever could on their own. To help keep what brought you and your client together in the first place in the forefront, use the word “MOTIVE” mnemonically as follows.
M = Measure and Monitor everything. Progress towards a goal comes in primary (i.e. weight loss) and secondary forms. When your client has not lost weight, yet body fat percentage and resting heart rate are lower, improvement in these secondary parameters sustains motivation until the scale begins to move again. Measure and praise improvements in balance, flexibility, and functional strength as they can certainly occur as incidental, untargeted benefits of a general fitness program. Show interest in your entire client; the whole person. Sleep, moods, cravings, emotions, self-esteem, shopping habits, and social support systems are important aspects that can undermine success if left unattended. The motto at Soul Personal Training is “…this time, change everything”. We consider with each client all relevant factors and prepare them to make whatever changes are necessary to achieve and maintain long-term success.
O = Organize training into phases. It is easier to remain motivated over shorter, defined time periods where specific achievements in these phases clearly contribute to the accomplishment of the overall goal. Create a master plan, and then divide that into manageable pieces so you and your client see light at the end of the tunnel right away.
T = Time. Get your clients to “by in to the by when”! This is the most critical component. Stating I want to lose 10 pounds may get me in the gym, and yet committing to lose 10 pounds by my brother’s wedding June 7th ramps the intensity (and the fun) up to another level! The trick here is to make reasonable timelines while not making it too easy. Remember, the time required to complete a task expands (or contracts) to fit the time allotted.
I = Insist on performance. Don’t set a plan and let arbitrary deviations from the plan go unaddressed. Trust me. Your clients want you to hold them accountable. That’s how they know you believe in them. They want to feel you care about everything they do, eat, and feel. Monitor everything and get to the bottom of every instance that a milestone is missed. It’s ok to express disappointment with lack of progress. Then put your heads together, adjust the master plan and go to work! Be too lenient and you’ll lose them.
V= Vary the approach. Come on, we know there are 100 ways to skin any given cat. Be creative. If you prescribe 450 hours of cardio over the next two months, keep it interesting by adding boxing workouts, outdoor runs, urban scrambles, and the like. We’ve created concepts like “CutWeek”, “A Run 4 The Sun”, Champions and Challengers (all trademarks of Soul Personal Training) and others to divert clients from the otherwise monotonous march toward a long-term goal. In addition to varying what you do with your client; make it your goal to vary what they CAN do. You got skills right? Whatever they may be, pass them on to your clients so they learn something unexpected and new. For example, I’m a former boxer, and on occasion I teach clients to hit focus mitts, jump rope, and train like a fighter. They love learning new skills, and burn tons of calories in the process. When you take a similar approach, you add value and motivation. Wow, what a bonus!
E= Excitement. Be excited about your clients’ plan, potential, and progress. Above all, be excited about the person who has come to you for guidance, leadership, and motivation. Give your client undivided attention. Be proud when they reach a milestone and genuinely concerned if they’re off track. Be upbeat and positive always. No, you cannot have a bad day! (Why would you want one?) This is one of the most exciting professions in the world. It presents us with daily opportunities to change lives for the better. Now, that gets me up in the morning. Clients sense my excitement, feed off of it, and keep coming back for more.
Now how’s that for motivation?
For more information about Soul Personal Training, visit www.soulpersonaltraining.com.
Rob Strickland
robsoultraining@comcast.net
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