The time of the year when we all imagine the better versions of ourselves is here. Every year the same thing happens – we make some fitness New Year’s resolutions, stick to them for a few weeks, and then just stop practicing them. The goals are still there to make us feel ashamed or not satisfied with ourselves.
Even though you are probably working online now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t keep communicating and working together with your clients. You can use social media accounts and a customized fitness app to set fitness goals together with your clients and motivate them to make a fresh start or keep up with a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some fitness tips for personal trainers to help their clients stick to their goals and eventually really become those versions of themselves that they imagined.
Revise clients’ goals and make them achievable
How many times have your clients failed to stick to their fitness New Year’s resolutions? Sometimes, it’s just the fault of the resolution – it was too vague and too big! To keep your clients motivated and achieve their goals, you must work with them to set attainable goals together. Putting pressure on yourself to make big changes in your life could be overwhelming. So, if your clients dream big, try to break down those goals into smaller steps.
Once you set the long-term goals, discuss with your clients what is the way to achieve them. Set up smaller, micro-goals that include the steps to get to the long-term goal. For example, if your client wants to lose weight as their final goal, make a plan of how much weight they are going to lose every month until the desired weight.
Another method to help your clients to stick to their fitness New Year’s resolutions is to connect their goals to a certain feeling. Instead of simply ‘losing weight’, try to find out how your clients felt when they were confident in their bodies. The new goal could be feeling comfortable in a bathing suit, completing a 10k race, or simply running after a bus and not panting. One very simple, but great goal could be to eat whatever they want (on the cheat day) and not feel bad about it.
Start small
One of the main reasons clients give up on their healthy routine is not having enough time. And now, with the coronavirus pandemic, time seems to be an even greater setback, since people work from home, take care of their families (that are always home), cook more than before, etc.
That’s where online fitness and home workouts step in. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been reminded of how important it is to work on a healthy lifestyle that includes working out and eating well.
Offer your clients a workout plan and a nutrition plan that will slowly grow into the end target. For instance, if they want to workout 5 times a week, start with two times a week and then gradually increase the number of workouts. Or have them change their eating habits for two days a week at first. That way, your clients will have a sense of accomplishment every week while slowly making steps towards their big goals.
Also, because everything is now done at home, the time your clients used to spend going to the gym and back home is completely reduced, leaving enough time for online workouts. You can even create more intense and shorter home workout videos that people can easily squeeze into their busy schedules and still have the same progress as before.
Make specific plans for each client
As a fitness professional, you are there to solve people’s problems and you can’t do that if you don’t know what your clients’ habits are. If they work long hours, have a big family, love spending time outside, or anything specific – you should know that and try to make a fitness plan accordingly.
It would be ideal if your clients have an eating, sleeping, and working out schedule that is the same every day, but in most cases – that’s not possible. They may not have enough time to make meals for themselves, so you must check their schedule and try to improve it. For example, tell them to stop shopping for groceries in the stores and instead order them online, which will save them precious time.
That is possible even with a branded fitness app like the one Lean On Digital offers. Even though most of the processes are automated, you can still communicate with your clients via your app, ask some questions, and make a plan according to the answers. You can ask what clients want to achieve, what is their physical state at the moment, how much time they have during a week, what kind of diet suits them, etc. And, you can set an alarm for every activity.
Track progress of your clients
Keep client motivation at the same level over time by tracking their progress and adjusting the workout plan accordingly. Once you start working online, progress tracking might slip your attention because the process is automated. But, you should still look from time to time into how your clients are doing in regards to their goals.
You can communicate regularly via chat, e-mail, or some other way that suits you and ask how they are doing and feeling. If your clients know that you are available, they will turn to you whenever they have some concern, question, or a doubt. Being there for your clients will motivate them to stick to the agreed fitness resolutions.
Always point out the personal bests – fitness apps will do that automatically, but you should do it in communication with your client, too. Working out should be an activity to feel good about yourself, so make it happen by mentioning achieved goals and reminding your clients what is the next step.
Create an accountability system
Some people don’t stick to their New Year’s fitness resolutions because there is no one else around them to make them feel responsible. Creating that kind of community online might be a challenge, but not with a fitness challenge!
Create positive energy around your fitness challenge, but still, keep some healthy competitive spirit by mentioning and commending those who keep up with the challenge. You can create small groups of fitness enthusiasts that will motivate each other and keep everyone in the group accountable.
Allow time for relaxing
Staying healthy and fit is all about feeling better, stronger, and more energized so you can enjoy life more. So, let your clients enjoy it! Allow them to relax, enjoy some treats (because they’ve earned it!), or even some unhealthy food once in a while.
Include relaxation time in your clients’ schedule. For some, that can even be some sort of reward!