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The Most Important Part of Weight loss is You

By Dave Gleason

Why would you join a gym or health club? Why would you consider hiring a personal trainer? Why did you purchase this book? What is making you take action to become leaner, stronger, and healthier you~ with more energy and less stress? I’m willing to bet that you would not begin to exercise and change your eating habits simply because it sounds like a good idea. Am I right?

If a trainer is selling you on his or her services by telling you that he or she will motivate you to reach your goals…walk away! People do not motivate others; they merely have the ability to give them the tools to motivate themselves! If a trainer talks about himself more than you…do not waste your valuable time and money!

The best professional fitness trainers in the World start with their clients “why”. This is the underlying reason for beginning an exercise program and often times it takes some soul searching and digging to find out what really makes you WANT to change your lifestyle. Without defining and understanding the personal drive that brings you to finally investing time and money in exercise, the following scenarios ultimately end in another failed attempt:

“The first two weeks I was really sore from my workouts and I haven’t lost any weight.”

“I am getting bored with my routine and my pants are still tight.”

“This workout seems totally manageable but I can’t seem to put on any muscle.”

“I hate these ‘ab’ exercises, my back is starting to bother me and I’m hungry all the time. I knew I couldn’t do it.”

“I’ve been “doing” this workout for 4 weeks and I just don’t have the time for it anymore. Besides I think I actually gained a pound over the last month and I’m totally frustrated.”

“I work so much, that I don’t have the time it takes to look the way I want to~ so I will wait until my work schedule dies down a bit before beginning a real program.”

Your personal “why” is the backbone to your success. It will pick you up when you are down. It will keep you going when you want to quit. It will push you and motivate you more that any fitness professional could ever dream of no matter how many initials they have after their name! It is your goal. It is your dream. It is your reason for doing what you do! Once you find it YOU WILL NEVER LET IT GO! Its time for YOU to take control!

What most gyms don’t tell you is that it takes 4 to 6 weeks for your body to actually begin to change, it terms of long term fat loss or muscle strength. The success of the first few weeks are largely due to loss of water weight and your brain sending more efficient messages to your muscles which feels like more strength. The highest dropout rate is at the 4 to 6 week mark…dropping out from the workout~ while still paying the monthly membership dues!

So, if you are ready to dive into your why lets get started! I will take you through a couple of real conversations that I have had with my clients to give you some insight on how you can find your why.

Let us begin with an easy one:

ME
“What brings you here today?”

CLIENT
“Well, I’ve thought a lot about this and I want to drop 2 dress sizes.”

ME
“Why do you feel you would like to drop 2 dress sizes?” (Why?)

CLIENT
“Because I hate my body.” I have never looked the way I want and I’m going to a wedding and I just can’t find a dress that looks good on me. I’m single and can never get any guys to even look my way so I don’t even have a date to this wedding.” I’ve been on workout programs before and I have XYZ machine at home that I bought on from an infomercial and that didn’t work either!”

ME
“Why do you believe you have failed in the past?” (Why?)

CLIENT
“Because every time a start with something I might lose a little bit of weight and then I stop for some reason. Then I gain it all back and more!”

This young lady simply needed to follow through with a commitment she made to herself for herself. Her self esteem was low because she had seldom completed what she promised herself. We recognized that her internal desire to fulfill commitment (her why) ~ it motivated her to reach her initial goal of going from a size 8 to a size 6 and maintaining that to this day!

Her new body and increased confidence also turned her into quite a catch…just ask her husband!

Here is one of my favorites:

ME
“What would you consider the number one reason for beginning this exercise program?”

CLIENT
“I want to lose my gut, like 25 pounds would be good, and put on some muscle.”

ME
“Tell me more about that.” (Why?)

CLIENT
“I’m finally taking a vacation and I want to get into a bathing suit and not be embarrassed.”

ME
“Wow that is great, how long has it been since you took a vacation?” (Why?)

CLIENT
“Let me tell you…too long!

ME
I’m sorry to hear that. How come so long? (Why?)

CLIENT
I never do anything for myself! I work too many hours. I’m always stressed out. My blood pressure is up and I’ve gained this stupid weight over the last 8 years and I hate it. I’m sick of always being too tired to play with my kids and enjoy my family.” “So can I lose the 25 pounds?”

This, my friends, is a very common scenario. As you can see this person has some huge reasons to begin right now! The 25 lbs. he wants to lose is a fringe benefit to his other much more important desires like having the energy to play with his kids and enjoy his family. Dropping his blood pressure and lowering his stress by utilizing exercise as an outlet as he loses the weight will change his life forever!

Note….this person actually lost 30 pounds. He eventually left his stressful job and started his own company~ and is one of the happiest, stress free people you would ever meet!

Once you find your personal “why” you can then set concrete, attainable goals and begin the journey to a brand new you!

About the Author:

Dave Gleason owns Movement 4 Life Personal Training serving clients in Massachusetts' South Shore and Metro West areas. His website is http://www.fitnessmistakes.com