the hardest part is getting to the door....

That was what my client told me to today - she had been moving boxes etc all morning at her house and was just coming off an extremely busy work week and told me she was so close to simply walking in and paying me for the hour and going home. She said though that she knew she would feel better just by getting to the door of the gym, and when she walked in she decided to stay for a workout (yay!). She told me this about 3/4 through our workout and also let me know that she was glad she did, that now she felt more revived for her day! So our conversation turned to how the hardest part is getting to the gym. I wrote about this awhile ago briefly, but in this time of New Year's Resolutions (how many have already gone by the wayside?) I'll touch upon this topic again - because it is one of the biggest hurdles in reaching your fitness goals.

When you have a goal in mind it is important to define it, to know it, and to say it ALOUD. Tell people about it, let them know your goal and you will feel more accountable for it. Once you know your main goal set small achievable goals, it will make the task less daunting. This holds true for so many things. Want to adopt a more healthy eating plan? Start small, change one thing per week for instance. So for one week you could stop having carbs after 6 pm. Then a week later devote yourself to eating a healthy breakfast. Eventually, when you reflect, you will notice that you have actually made many changes but over time they were mole hills instead of mountains. Have trouble being more active? Find little ways to increase your activity level. Take the dog for longer walks. Use stairs instead of the elevator. If your neighborhood is like mine and many things are in walking distance, walk to the grocery store (consequently this will help you avoid from buying more than you can carry as well, and if you have a family you have to buy for walk for your small lists - the 'oh i forgot this' list, or get your family to go with you).

A gym membership is a a great thing if you use it and also if you train with your brain. So often I see people sign up this month only to have them disappear by February. Granted part of me longs for the drop off as the gym is less crowded but I applaud the effort nonetheless. Just like goal setting, on those tough days when you don't feel like going to the gym, use small goals. Start by getting your workout clothes on, then lace up your shoes... then get to the car....how do you feel now? well see how you feel at the gym door? still not feeling it? think about the price of gas - wouldn't want to waste it right? so ok do a few exercises. I think you will find that once you start you get going and finish what you had planned.

As for planning, this is another culprit of gym burnout - people don't know what they are doing and get frustrated. Ask a trainer! I am a big advocate of having a trainer/coach. I am highly educated in this field, with experience in various areas and I have worked on athletes ranging from amateur to Olympic - and guess what! I have a coach! Even when you know the ins and outs of the gym you can be too close to yourself to be objective and can be, in my case, too hard on yourself and over train. So I have a coach to keep me in perspective on myself. If you can't afford a trainer there is a lot of information about exercise out there - too much in fact - and it can be difficult to sift through the bs and get to the facts. My suggestion is to read multiple sources, watch more than one video - do your homework. Too often I see people going to the gym that are overweight and out of shape and they only work the biceps for example. And on top of that the form is usually awful. That's not going to produce the results you are looking for. Also, don't be afraid to watch/read articles from the other gender- I read Muscular Development and Flex - two magazines that are typically male centered. I actually find them to be much better than the female counterparts - which offer up too many "froo-froo" workouts, but those magazines do offer good articles on building women's self esteem, which I am all for!

Also, if you joined a gym - they often offer a complimentary session with a trainer. As a trainer I can suggest that you be upfront with them - let them know from the beginning if you are able to have a trainer or not - hopefully, a good trainer, will then simply have fun with your session and not view it as the beginning of a program and you can learn a lot of good technique. One thing though - don't take notes- try to remember what you are doing. I once had a client come through and on his comp session took diligent notes like I was giving a lecture. Not only did it slow down the session - but it threw off the pace and frustrated me.

Another thing you can try is a trainer outside of a gym, an independent trainer. That's what I am, I work at a gym where it is only private training and we are responsible for our own business. On the one hand, I don't get paid for that comp session at all (unlike a trainer at a chain gym) but on the other hand, I have the freedom to negotiate. I can work with you and financial situation. For instance, an independent trainer can offer up half sessions, to cut the costs down. For me, for instance, that would mean I would train you for 30 minutes instead of 60, no stretching because you would be responsible to do cardio after our session. So you can still get an hour workout in but I get you started.

Future topic....stop the excuses!