Over the past five years, I have worked with some serious exercise haters. Initially, across the board, the mental state of mind is the same. There is complaining, clock watching, eye-rolling and dread over whatever I would like them to do next in the way of exercise. Thankfully, there is a mental progression with this.
First, I see the instant gratification of someone completing their first workout. New clients often share with me how much they were dreading it, but how happy they felt upon completion. After a few weeks time, I see improved moods in my clients thanks to the positive stimulation of brain chemicals. I also hear about the improvement of sleep patterns. I am unsure if this is related to "feel good" chemicals being released into the body, or if it stems from stress reduction, where the mind can fall better into a relaxed state for sleep. Further down the road, I see clients progress to feeling great about their accomplishments, and being more energized. Often, they fit and feel better in their clothes and others in their social circle see the positive changes as well. This is where motivation kicks into high gear and exercise becomes a lot less like pulling teeth.
A point I cannot emphasize enough, is that for good things to happen, people must feel successful about their efforts along the way. If initially, I am too demanding, or introduce too much difficulty to quickly, I run the risk of alienating the participant. Every meeting I have with a client is an opportunity to learn about them, their psychological make-up and what potential barriers exist in the way of their success. I take my job rather seriously this way, and I ask a lot of loaded questions as part of my fact finding. The more I understand my client, then the better I can direct them towards success. Every person is a unique puzzle and although nearly all share the same desired outcomes, the emotional perceptions, aversions and challenges among them can vary greatly. There is no universal plan, or cookie-cutter approach to fitness.
I am always up front with my clients about the progression they are going to experience, and how I am going to walk them through it. I have seen eyes glaze over with my lectures during one-on-one sessions, but eventually once it is internalized and felt firsthand, they understand exactly what I had once been lecturing about. I share that the direction is always forward, and that they will always be a fitness work-in-progress, but to also reflect back to celebrate where they started and how far they've come. A common misconception is that it takes forever to get in good shape. The truth is it happens rather quickly with consistency. The journey is every bit as mental as it is physical.
