There are a variety of reasons people secure the services of a personal trainer. One reason that is often shared with me is that people do not enjoy working out and the trainer adds a sense of accountability.
The level of motivation each of us experience may differ from one day to the next; however, the question may be even when a person isn't very motivated on any specific day what makes him or her get out of bed, for example, at 5:00 a.m. to exercise before going to the office and arriving home after the workday has ended at 8:00 p.m.? There is not a simple answer to this. In fact, there are many answers. I want to share with you what has always motivated me and share with you the transformation I have witnessed with many clients.
The scenario I shared above was my day. I loved the career in which I was involved. It was important that each day I was able to give the best of myself to enhance the lives of the children I was serving. With a 75-minute, one-way commute it became abundantly clear to me that if I didn't work out before going to my office that by 2:00 in the afternoon I was exhausted. That surprised me as well as it seemed counterintuitive. My body and mind craved the exercise, the movement, the feeling of aliveness. That is the crux of it for me. Feeling fantastic set the tone of the day for me. Nothing could replace that feeling of well-being!
When one of my clients and I began working together I would describe her as reluctant. She did not want to necessarily exercise, but knew, intellectually, that it was needed. A few weeks later, after working out with me two to three times a week, she was so motivated that it was like a different person! She experienced that "feeling fantastic" that I mentioned above. It had a positive effect on her intrapersonal and interpersonal communications. She was more productive. In a nutshell, she simply was happy. That is one of perks of involvement in the fitness industry, and one of the main reasons I am attracted to it, is that people's lives improve, and I get to witness it.
If you are struggling with motivation, feeling as though you are not motivated enough, which has resulted in not exercising, be patient with yourself. Schedule your workouts just as you would a shower and never miss them! Give yourself six to eight weeks and take note of the benefits you experience. Ask those close to you to watch for differences in you, also. I will share this one last story with you. The husband of one of my clients approached me and shared that I had given him back his wife. What he meant was that she was the energetic person she had been a few years earlier. I did not give him back his wife. She made that first step to exercise and then that "feeling fantastic" occurred.
To your health!
Janelle
