So in the last two blogs, I’d taken you through my own story and explained just how much my life has changed in the last six years. The bit of the story that I didn’t get to tell you about, was the most valuable lessons I learned over the course of this journey and all the support I had along the way that have made those changes sustainable.
Here are the five most important lessons I learned as I got fitter and healthier:
And if we had one clear definitive answer, we’d all be millionaires (wouldn’t that be nice…!), but it is something we think about a lot, and talk to all our clients about on a regular basis.
The first thing that we understand is that fitness is a process not a goal.
It’s not a destination that you arrive at like you’re going from point A to point B. You’ll be driven by a series of smaller goals along the way, but it’s something that you’ll be working on for the long term. If you can get yourself out of the habit of thinking about going on a diet and doing massive workouts ‘to look good on holiday’ and just focus on being consistently active, then getting ready to go on holiday will be much less stressful (and you’ll have more energy to do more while you’re actually on holiday – bonus!).
There is just so much we could say about it but in the spirit of keeping things simple, we think that the answer can be boiled down into three specific things for you to think about:
1) Teamwork makes the dream work – Having a session booked with a personal trainer will make you more likely to go and working with a personal trainer makes you more likely to hit your target. Knowing that someone is clear about your objectives will make them feel more real and achievable- and together you’ll find the right ways to make the most of every session.
2) Motivation through progression – the best way for you to be motivated is to see results. Any personal trainer worth their salt will work out a program for you that allows you to really feel a difference to your fitness and strength week by week. If you can lift a little more, run a little further, jump a little higher, punch a little harder, swim a little faster – then you’re more likely to come back and work hard again at your next session.
3) Variety is the spice of life – ask yourself this question: when y
ou go to the gym, do you tend to use the same equipment, in mostly the same sequence? When you go out for a run, do you tend to run a couple of familiar routes? When you go for a cycle, is it much the same? If so, then one of the biggest differences a trainer can make is by adding a huge variety of exercises and routine. A workout will never be boring again! You’ll work harder for longer and be more engaged in the whole process. Ultimately, you’re more likely to keep it up and enjoy regular exercise if its varied and interesting.
As trainers, the journey is not about us, it’s about you.
We’re focused on what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it, and how to keep you on track.
We want every client to go away from every session feeling motivated, feeling like they have someone who really understands what they are trying to achieve and is working as part of their team to help them get there. Find out more about All Change Personal Training here.
