What You Can Learn From My Clients Part 1

1. Sticking feathers up your rear doesn't make you a chicken!

What does this have to do with hiring a trainer? If you've never heard that cliche, I'm sure you've heard this one: 'there's no magic pill'. Both are true about hiring a trainer. It's really quite simple -- just because you have a trainer doesn't mean you're going to get fit; it doesn't mean you're going to lose weight or reach your goals. Now, this may sound severe, but sometimes a little severity is what is needed to spark a change!

Your success is determined by you, not your trainer, not your spouse, not your life circumstances. I've been a personal trainer for a long time & worked with a lot of clients over the years. Some clients get that, some don't. The client that gets it, succeeds.

Don't get me wrong, personal training is a great way to reach your fitness goals; but, the role of a trainer is to educate, encourage, and hold you accountable. Our role is not to work with you 3-5 times per week for the rest of your life! At some point we want you to make fitness a habit, so much so that you don't need us anymore. That means you'll need to learn from us, find social support and consistently do work on your own.

My most successful clients have been those that pick my brain (I love it when a client asks me questions!). They're the ones that email me in between sessions with questions or updates on what they've been doing on their own. They read all material that I give them and they fill out their workout & food logs diligently.

Supplementally, your trainer must help you set goals & teach you how to set goals on your own. They need to teach you fitness terms, guidelines, form and progression. Lastly, they need to slowly wean you off of depending on them every week.

What it really boils down to is this: if you're ready to make a change, you will make that change. A trainer is a tool for you to use, not your 'magic pill'. You must do the work, you must make the effort.

Stay tuned for parts 2 & 3 of this series!

Read Part 2 "Your Attitude Points the Way"