Fitness Coaching – Minds of Steel: Bodies of Iron

Fitness Coaching To Achieve Your Fitness Goals

Are you frustrated with the lack of results you’re getting at the gym?

Have you tried everything from Zumba to Crossfit to Power-lifting to kettlebells and still not seeing the result you want?

Well, it just might be not what you’re doing by why you’re doing it and how you are doing it.

I’m talking specifically about your mindset and thoughts you’re thinking when it comes to your fitness, body and supporting lifestyle (if you have one).

No matter what time of the year, people are always re-committing themselves to get back in, or get in better shape.

I’m all for fitness commitments!

However, there is a trap here that many don’t realize, the trap is lack of specificity. Saying things like:

“I’m going to back in shape.”
“I’m going to get fit”
“I’m going lose weight”

The phrases have one thing in common they do not have a definitive destination.

Because of this, your efforts will meander all over the place. It’s like saying “I want to go on vacation”…where are you going to go? “I don’t know, I just need to go anywhere.”

Do you hear how ridiculous this sounds?

OK, so now you’ve set a specific goal of releasing 5 lbs of fat in 12 weeks.

Great goal!

You get to the gym; you do your workout, eat accordingly and get lots of rest. You’re all set right?

Not really.

You see, you’ve taken care of all the external items and let out the most import part…your mind and its’ thoughts. Your thoughts are what are going to drive you toward taking action. No action…no results. Your initial intentions may have been good, but you counter your intention, unknowingly, with dis-empowering thoughts your actions will diminish and you’ll find yourself back setting new goals in 3 months.

What is going on in your mind?

Your thoughts, words and images you have will decide your success or failure. Let’s take a look at three major players in your mind.

Goals: Whose goal is it? I know I can hear you saying; I SHOULD lose weight…I BETTER get back into shape…HAVE TO lose 15 pounds. These are all words the point to someone else’s goal and not yours. Words like ‘desire’ represent that the goal is yours.

Investigating where and who is motivating you to workout is a big clue about your success or not.

Self-talk: Self-talk (what you say to yourself when you’re not really listening) is paramount in your success. If you’re subconsciously telling yourself, “Here we go again, I wonder how long this is going to last until you quit again?” or “C’mon you can go to the gym tomorrow, your friends what to go out tonight” All this type of no supportive self talk is a recipe for disaster.

Visualization: How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as you are now or how you want to be? Believe me, there’s a huge difference! If you look at yourself in the mirror and say “WOW…you’re still out of shape.” You’ll stay out of shape. If however you look at yourself and see a lean, mean sexy machine…that’s what you’ll get

These are just thee of the mindset traps that we’ll look into with your fitness coaching.

Here a Few Things We Know:

A one-size-fits-all approach to fitness does not work.
Knowing biomechanics is good but not effective in developing a compete fitness program
Life stages and changes in a person’s life must be taken into account when developing a fitness program
Not all fades are created equal. To embrace the latest and greatest fade is very ineffective in making consistent fitness progress
The carrot or the stick? A positive approach works much better then a fear based approach, to anything, especially fitness
Social and domestic support is crucial for starting and continuing a fitness program
In the end, we need to embrace a holistic model of fitness, working on the body alone is not enough

Where Does This Leave You?

If you are not getting the results your desire or if you’re not having fun with your fitness program it maybe time to take a look at fitness coaching.

“But I already have a personal fitness trainer, why do I need a fitness coach?” you ask.

First, if you’re not getting the results it might not be your trainer, it could be you. I’m not saying it’s your directly at fault, but there maybe some underlying situations that you and your trainer are not aware of that a good certified fitness coach could help you discover and find a solution.

What is Fitness Coaching?

It can be called an ongoing and guided conversation and process between you and me (your fitness coach) that:

Involves a comprehensive fitness-related dialogue about your needs, interests and personal active lifestyle orientations
Is directed toward broad-based goals of personal and health gains that are
Is attained through continued involvement in physically activates which are
- Adjusted occasionally according to your evolving life agenda

But I Have a Personal Trainer

A personal trainer is trained and certified to do is develop the specific workout routine for you. They are to assess your currently physical abilities and limitations and develop a routine around these parameters along with your fitness goals. Then they are to ensure that you perform the routine with biometric perfection.

That is what a personal fitness trainer is schooled and trained in. If they are performing more than this and are not properly trained and educated in that field, they are stepping out of the boundaries of a trainer.

A fitness coach, through and open and ongoing dialogue, will help you:

Determine the best physical activity for you.
Stay on track and meet your fitness goals.
Work through any resistance or sticking points.
With support for all parts of your life.
Work WITH your trainer to make sure continuity and your success.

A fitness coach will help you develop your fitness goal, strategy and tactics and stay on-track with them. Your personal trainer (or yourself) will ensure the execution of the tactics, i.e. the specific routines, to reach your goal.

In this day and age we are bombarded with so many distractions that we need to have a qualified support team around us so that we can achieve ALL our goals (especially our fitness ones) with a much ‘ease’ as possible, I believe that two key members on this team should be a fitness coach and fitness/personal trainer.

I Don’t Have a Personal Trainer

If you are working solo, I can help you in developing a program that will create a healthy and fit lifestyle. I must emphasize, I will do this ONLY if you are not working with a trainer. As your fitness coach my job is to make sure your success, not create conflict.

If you’re not getting the results you want or if you’re bored with your current fitness program take a look at hiring a fitness coach. And with me you’re in luck…I’m both a certified Personal Fitness Trainer and certified Fitness Coach, so I can assist you in both areas if you already don’t have a trainer.

The Link Between Fitness & Career Success

It’s no mystery to successful people that there is direct correlation between sound health & fitness and success in their career and personal lives. Take of moment to recall a successful person you know and they likely show up at the health club consistently, work with a personal trainer, or get up a few minutes early for a heart elevating jog. Successful people like to jump-start their day with an abundance of energy and the feel-good endorphins that exercise offers. Recent studies identify the direct correlation between fitness and success.

Better ability to focus, improved confidence and enhanced ability to follow through were directly attributed to improved fitness levels according to a 2007 University of Georgia study. Further, a leading executive search company surveyed more than 1,300 executives who earn $100,000 or more annually. When asked to describe their perceptions of weight and work, 75 percent said good physical fitness is “critical for career success at the executive level.” Seventeen percent, by contrast, said staying in shape is “a nice goal, but secondary to fiscal fitness.”

The founder and CEO of that executive search firm said, “Good physical fitness is critical to success as an executive in today’s work world. The days of a little extra padding being a sign of maturity and success are gone.” When asked about obesity, 75% of executives said that being overweight is a “serious career impediment.”

Do these responses reflect our obsession with weight loss and mirror the constant barrage of skinny images in popular culture?

Probably not.

Rather, there is a very strong link between improved fitness and increase productivity, enhanced ability to solve problems, superior stamina & energy, not to mention reduced stress and fatigue, all leading to better job performance.

It goes well beyond looking good. Fit people tend to have better eating habits and miss fewer days at work due to a higher resistance to illness. And with competition continually increasing in every industry, companies are now rewarding employees and managers who miss less work and produce more.

A study by Jim McKenna, a British researcher, showed that after exercising participants returned to work more tolerant of themselves and more forgiving of their colleagues. The study goes on to conclude that “work performance was consistently higher, time management skills improved, as did mental sharpness”.

All it takes is investing 3 – 4 sessions a week, 30-45 minutes each, to experience these benefits. Combine strength training and cardiovascular exercise, along with sound nutrition to rev up your mental sharpness, enhance your productivity, elevate your mood, better manage stress and simply feel good. As your fitness level increases, likely your position on the ladder of success will too!

If you want to reach your peak physical condition, achieve more success at work or simply look better naked…fitness coaching can help you reach your goals.