THE LONG GAME
I want to talk about long term goals and long-term success. Most men who hire personal trainers stay with them for short periods of time. They learn what they need to and go it alone. Women, on the other hand, tend to remain clients for longer periods of time. I’ve seen this in my own business. Some of my clients are women who have trained with me for years, some of them up to 9 years!
Clients have come to me at all sorts of different starting points. Some are healthy, some were heavier than they wanted to be, some wanted to move better. When clients come to me, they often have a short-term goal in mind. They want to lose weight for an occasion or train for an event. As many personal trainers will know, some come at peak times in the year following a new year’s resolution or for a summer shred. Others come because their friend recommended me to them and don’t know what to expect and others just want something to do. Most of the time they don’t think about the long-term benefits fitness can have on their lives.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the personal trainer marketing campaigns ‘I’m looking for 5 women to take part in a 3-month body transformation’ or ‘Join me for our 30-day summer shred – lost a stone in 30 days’. These programmes might offer visible results in a short period of time but firstly, anything that promises to make big changes in short periods of time isn’t sustainable. Secondly, in a short period of time, it’s difficult to provide the education needed to make lifelong changes. Will clients know enough after 30 days or 3 months to continue their journey alone without ongoing support?
One of the things I’ve noticed with my clients over the years is that they make slower but consistent progress. People don’t put 3 stone on over a month. It takes a long period of time of bad habits. So, to lose that 3 stone, you need to gradually replace those habits with more beneficial choices. Even over a period of 2 years, we might not see a complete body transformation but what we do see is consistency in strength gains and better movement patterns. When the clients are consistent and I’ve programmed to make improvements, we start to see better fitness, increased strength, and good form in movement.
What I also see is incremental changes in nutrition. They say you can’t out train a bad diet. Abs are made in the kitchen. To get a six pack you need to be on point with your nutrition. It takes dedication and for most people it’s not worth it. They’d rather have the odd pizza or slice of cake than make the sacrifices needed for a six pack. But what I have seen with my clients over the years is that gradual changes to their nutrition over time make all the difference. Small changes in nutrition over time become habits. And when small changes in eating habits happen, they’re much easier to maintain than an overnight transformation in diet. This is where you start to see transformation which lasts.
These incremental changes start to spread to other areas of their lives. My clients lift heavier, run faster, improve their posture. Their mind is stronger, and they feel more confident. They see what their body can do, and they’ve seen their body change. This translates into career development and personal development because small changes in exercise and nutrition over time has transformed their mindset and their bodies. These are some of the long-term benefits. That’s how it’s done. By being consistent. So, find a form of exercise that you love, make changes in your diet that work for you, find your fitness community. Enjoy the process and if you are consistent, the results will come, and they will also stay.
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