Are YOU ready to be Coached?

Written by: Kate Gorman

As a PT, I meet and interact with all sorts of clientele from many different walks of life; some come to be coached for fat loss, some for fitness and others, lean muscle gains. They all have different values, attitudes and beliefs as well as a whole range of life experiences that go to shape who they are and what they want from their life. All of this and perhaps most influentially their current internal dialogue will determine how successful they are at reaching their goals when they start personal training.

 

In general, I can probably divide clients into 3 categories:

• The goal orientated. These clients are focused on the task and outcome and will always fit their life around their PT sessions. Every week they come with questions, eager to learn and move forward. These clients usually reach their goals and do not stop until they achieve it. They find comfort in discipline and for them hard work is good for their body and mind.
• Others simply want to feel more active in their life, are happy to do whatever I throw at them and work hard in the sessions. They enjoy the challenge but are equally happy to walk out of the gym and not think about their training again until the following week. These clients like consistency in lives and take comfort in routine and not thinking about having to motivate themselves to exercise on their own.
• And lastly, there are others who like the idea of personal training but haven’t necessarily thought much about the effort required or acknowledged that it takes hard work, consistency and time to get results. These clients find it hard mentally as well as physically and often have a range of excuses, cancel sessions and refuse to step out of their comfort zone. It doesn’t matter how much time and energy as a PT I put into helping these clients mentally and emotionally, they are just probably not in the right place in their life or truly want to make the changes that are necessary to move forward.

 

Are you thinking of having some Personal Training?

If you are thinking about having personal training whether it be one on one or online, ask yourself these questions to see if you are really ready:

 

• Do you have the time to invest in yourself?

Ask yourself this… Are you in a stable job and/ or relationship? Are things ticking along nicely? Do you have a lot of social outings on your agenda in the coming months? Are you are going on a holiday? If there is currently a lot of stress or upheaval in your life you need to determine if you are really in the right place mentally and physically to be able to make the necessary commitment. Whilst some people find the distraction of a new goal beneficial, others might find that this is not the best time to start a new fitness goal.

Can you say? “Yes, my life and work are demanding but I am willing to be organised and find ways to make time to exercise”

 

Are you willing to do the work that required to get you where you want to be?

Do not be fooled into thinking that as soon as you have hired a personal trainer or nutritional coach that the results will instantly come. You need to be willing to make a long term commitment and accept that you are making a life style change and that a short term solution is not going to give you long lasting results. You need to determine if you are really willing to step out of your comfort zone in order to get results, work hard and accept that patience and consistency is key. A good PT isn’t going to throw you in the deep end so you dread every session but you do have to accept there are going to be hard sessions, especially in the early days as you get mentally and physically stronger. You need to understand that initially being motivated is what will get you started but it takes time for training and good nutrition to become habitual and that naturally there will be ups and downs along the way. Are you committed to really making changes and when the going gets tough remind yourself of why you started?

Can you say? “I want to live my life fully and not survive just to get by”

 

 

Are you willing to give up self-sabotaging or self-defeating behaviours that will limit your success?

Are you ready to make the commitment to say to yourself I am ready to move beyond analysing, complaining and dreaming and put my goals into action? Are you willing to just try? We know that it takes time and that small steps and consistency will gradually create change and habit. We understand that a life-time of negative internal dialogue and self-hatred doesn’t change overnight and can at times create havoc with your goals even when you’ve been making progress. We don’t expect that you will get it right 100% right all of the time. We’re human too, we aren’t perfect with our motivation and nutrition all of the time either but if you’re constantly making excuses and not being honest with yourself and us, then it makes it super hard for us to help you move forward. Try to identify what you have done in previous attempts to reach your goals and identify your self-sabotaging behaviours that have stopped you. What happened last time you tried and why did you let yourself be defeated by a slip up or bad patch? As a coach we have many tools in our belt to help support you through these tough times but only if you are 100% transparent with us. At the end of the day, the only person stopping yourself moving the direction you want to go is YOU!

Remember: “Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try”

 

 

Are you willing to try new concepts, even if you are not 100% sure they will work?

It’s hard to sometimes give up your old ways, to risk trying something new when you have been following the same routine and approach for such a long time. But ask yourself this; if it hasn’t worked to date then perhaps it’s time to take that chance and let someone else take control of the situation and guide you in the right direction. Of course it’s a little daunting, it’s human nature to fear change, but ask yourself what’s likely to be more detrimental to your long term goals; taking that chance it might just work or remaining where you are unhappy with your results to date.

Think about it: “Fear to change is the enemy of success”

 

Do you have the support from friends and/or family to help you make the changes of your life?

Trying to break old habits or embark on something new, takes time and effort. It requires you to possibly change your old routine and start something new. If you are truly focused on reaching your goals, probably means that you will be out of the house more training, it means you are going to be watching more closely what you eat and it might mean for a period of time you chose to say ‘no’ to old behaviours. If you have friends and family who are supportive it can make it so much easier to succeed. Some family and friends will try and sabotage your attempts by putting temptation in your way, your partner may resent the time you are away from the family and make you feel guilty that you are not spending as much time with them as before. Of course, having a buddy to share the journey with can make it much easier but sometimes that’s not always going to be possible and you’re going to have to be stronger and go it alone. It’s important to stay focused on what’s important to you for your life. “Not everyone is going to understand what you are doing, but hopefully in time they will accept it.”

 

So there you have it. If you read this and were able to answer yes to most of the questions above then you are probably in a good place and head space to start being coached for your goals. If you weren’t sure you could answer yes to them all then possibly you are not ready and that is OK too. For coaching to be effective you must want change and be ready to act. Only you can know the time is right for you.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss being coached for nutrition and/or training by one of us at Lean Performance, feel free to email us at [email protected] or head to our website for more information www.leanperformance.com.au.