Fear of Change

fear
  • A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
  • A state or condition marked by this feeling.
  • A feeling of disquiet or apprehension.
  • A reason for dread or apprehension.
Change is not the easiest thing to do, to physically change you will notice that your mentality will follow.  If you change mentally you will notice that you will also, change physically.

Fear will always hold you back

I want to start working out but I have no idea what I am doing-This is a fear of the unknown, if you don’t start looking for answers you will always hold yourself in the same mindset.  The ability to learn is not as hard as one would think, with the internet, books, magazines, professional assistance and friendly advice the tools are completely within your reach! But the fear of asking and admitting your knowledge is at a minimum can paralyze you! It will keep you trapped standing still and not moving forward.  The process of change is one of a small step by step operation leading into leaps, you have the power within yourself to make the small steps forward, if you choose to overcome your first objection, fear.

I want to join a gym but I don’t want everyone to judge me-The most common of fear, discrimination.  I have understood from most clients that they want to join a facility where no one is mocking them, they don’t want to be on a machine doing the movement wrong, they don’t want the people who are already fit to be laughing at them, looking or talking about them.  The truth is, most are in the gym looking at themselves! You will notice that from competitors to new members the sense of improvement is avid in each member, you are all in the same category! The competitor has a higher goal and a higher sense of improvement than the one who just joined, they are completely focused on themselves rather than you! In all honesty YOU notice THEM rather than the other way around, they are in the gym for the same purpose, you have nothing to fear and in actuality, you can learn from them.

I don’t want to eat the same thing all the time-This is a fear of non-variety, who says you have to eat the same thing over and over? 
Meats-Chicken, Turkey, Lean ground beef, Sirloin steaks, Tilapia, Catfish, Salmon, Venison, Buffalo, Tuna.
Carbohydrates-Oatmeal, Red potatoes, Ezekiel bread, Rice, Sweet potato
Vegetables-Green beans, Asparagus, Broccoli, Peppers
Additional proteins-Almonds, Protein shakes, Egg whites, Protein bars/puddings
So where are you eating the same thing over and over? Did you know that I encourage a cheat meal per week? Have at it! Enjoy! Mix it up as much as you can, learn new recipes and styles of cooking that not only taste good, meet your nutritional goals but are quick and easy to cook.  There are a huge variety of sugar free treats for you as well, you just have to find what you like.

I don’t want to give up my social life-The fear of being lonely, you feel that you will be missing out on a good time, you feel that you will have no human connection, you feel that you only work and workout.  I believe that a social life is extremely important and I believe that you should utilize it, if a social life means social drinking or social eating, you might want to check and see if it fits in with your goals. It might be time for a change if you have not noticed a “change” in yourself physically, or change your goals.  I understand that things in your life might need to change, you have to find ways to have a great social life that doesn’t interfere with your goals, these goals are the ones that you set upon yourself, how bad do you want it? Are you willing to sacrifice? Learn other ways to have a great time! Appreciate the outdoors rather than the inside of a bar or restaurant, reach out to new people, surround yourself with successors! 

I don’t want a personal trainer to tell me how ‘fat’ I am, how ‘lazy’ I am, how ‘unhealthy’ I am or how I am doing it ‘wrong’-The fear of misunderstanding or judgment.  A personal trainer needs to be your coach, your shoulder to lean on, your understanding and your protector.  Pick a trainer who has a back story, their own personal struggle, their own ways of overcoming objections.  If you don’t want to know your weight or body fat, don’t ask for it! Who says that you have to know? Instead of how lazy you ARE, find a trainer who will encourage a more active lifestyle, instead of how unhealthy you ARE, find a knowledgeable trainer deep into nutrition and ways to incorporate it into your lifestyle! Instead of WRONG, learn techniques from your trainer to appropriately incorporate the correct muscle to its full capability! 

Fear is a mindset, not a lifestyle

Please be honest with yourself, don’t look for the answer that YOU are looking for, look for the answer to best suit your goal to change.  Every time I train a client I am amazed at how far they have come, I don’t let their long path distract me from where they are, rather I am excited at the fact that they have the ability to now travel that path.  Change is in YOU, so is fear! You have to let change be the stronger power within your mind and drive fear to the very back, you will amaze yourself, the most important person! 









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Driven to succeed

suc·cess  

 The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted


What drives you? Is it getting a small taste and wanting more? Is it finding the person or physique that you want to be or look like? It is self improvement? Are you self motivated or do you require assistance in order to achieve your goal? 
What is your motivating tool? Success? Inspiration? Improvement? Perfection? 
Each stone on the picture above is your path, your goal, your life! Take time to notice the picture and find what it means to you.  Each stone represents you, it all starts from the beginning and find where you are in the small path displayed.
Everyone starts from the beginning.
  • Start with honesty, lay it all on the table, where are your areas in your life that needs change.
  • Learn to take one bad quality out of your life and add one good quality.
  • Be proud of the small improvements that you have made so far, strive to keep improving.
You can either take a small step to the next stone or a giant leap depending on how far you want to reach.

  • Push yourself past what you believed you could possibly do.
  • Don’t be lazy, don’t be comfortable, push past the plateau.
  • Create larger goals for yourself, step outside of your comfort zone.
Instead of seeing a small stone that is distant, believe in yourself and take that giant leap! 

  • Understand that with your ability and accomplishments, success is a time frame.
  • Surround yourself with positive attitudes, people, experiences and support.
  • Take a good look at what you have accomplished and how many stones you have crossed.
Before the end of your path, create new stones, bigger stones, more distant stones and accomplish.

  • As far as the path has led you, build bridges and a support system to help others.
  • Hold other peoples hands on the stone but allow them to stand on their own two feet.
Success is a team effort, no one does this alone although we might feel like we do at times.  If you hold other people with both arms they will never accomplish on their own, they will stay on the first stone and keep YOU there, but given a hand you can jump together.  Remember this as you will need a hand from someone else too! Give back to get forward! 

You have support always, you must give support always.
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Intensity and focus-Trainers need to apply these principles.

in·ten·si·ty 

Exceptionally great concentration, power, or force.

Have you ever seen someone at the gym lifting enormous amount of weight effortlessly? Or seen a spin class and everyone in there is gasping for their last breath? Who is working harder? Is the person who is strong pushing themselves beyond their ability? Have you gone through your routine and left the gym knowing that you could have pushed harder or more weight? Better yet, have you left a training session knowing that your trainer could have pushed you more?

I have seen trainers sitting down, looking at the clock, on their phone, clients sitting around waiting for their trainer, I have seen trainers talk to other people while in session and even offer assistance to someone else while their client is just left waiting to be commanded and pushed.

This is unacceptable

I can tell you that a client doesn’t want to waste their time or their money, they might like you but that will only last so long.  Do not underestimate their ability! If a client can dumbbell press 10 pound dumbbells for 10 reps, assist them to push 5 more out, their body will respond to this and grow the ability to do it on their own.  A 200 pound client who can do body weight squats can do the equivalent on a leg press, if they can lunge their body weight they can take that leg press up to 600 pounds! Yet I see trainers with their clients pushing the weight of the machine, their body is stronger than this and they will only burn the minimum amount of calories! Why would they want to burn the minimum? If their heart rate is accelerated during this exercise, keep them moving with calf presses or outer thigh kicks, benefit them with burning more calories per hour rather than giving them a chance to bring their heart rate back to resting! Accelerated heart rate means accelerated burned calories, means more weight and body fat loss.  It’s a simple win/win situation.  Your client is your canvas yet you allow it to stay blank, fill it with color and imagination, the positive reaction from your clients will overwhelm you! 

If a client doesn’t like to work out-which I have had my fair share-they still want the results! I guarantee you they will start to lighten up to your training style once they show the results, never stop believing in them as they have not given up hope in their trainer.  You have a responsibility, a duty and a success driven goal to accomplish with these clients, preach positive attitude to them, lift them above you and see what happens! What kind of impression are you showing with sitting down on the job? It shows that you don’t care.  What are they thinking if you are on your phone? It shows how important other people are.  If you are training other people on the clients dime then they will eventually get sick of you as a trainer and not waste their money! The end results is always the same-THEY WILL QUIT.

Trainers need to apply intensity to show the clients how to push 100% of their body, 100% of the time! If you train with a high level of intensity, the clients will react, show them how hard training will pay off, show them how hard they can push themselves, show them that if they are not completely worn out then you have failed as a trainer, show them that small goals are reachable and big goals are just a time frame away.  

fo·cus

A center of interest or activity

If you watch your client, ask questions to understand your client, interact with your client and follow up with your client you will know exactly where their path is going to lead them.  Pay attention to everything their body is telling you, listen to what they are saying with complete attention, follow through with their requests and needs.  You have to perceive what their next move is going to be.
  •  Focus on their muscle movement and contraction in order for the client to get the best workout possible. 
  • Focus on their heart rate, their strength levels and endurance.
  • Focus on their body language and facial expressions.
  • Focus on what they are telling you and know the difference on when they can push harder.

Without focus there is no interest in the clients goals.

Why did you become a trainer? The most common response is “to help people” so why lose track of that mindset? Do you only want to help those who are easy or are you up for a challenge? Do you only want to train clients who want to be helped? Think outside of the box, think outside of what you have been taught, think outside of what other people are telling you! 

Do you want to be known as an easy trainer or someone who gets results? 










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Why do we focus so much on the negative?

neg·a·tive

  • Harmful or bad : not wanted.
  • Thinking about the bad qualities of someone or something : thinking that a bad result will happen : not hopeful or optimistic.
  • Expressing dislike or disapproval.

I admit it, I have been negative in my life.  Everyone has.  We use excuses, life, fairness, work, situations etc as a reason for this behavior, but why? Why is it easier to complain, to try and put people down, to come up with a reason why the other person has success and we have not?  Life has its ups and downs but why do we jump at the chance to be negative? Is there a difference between a momentary negative reaction and being a negative person?

In the fitness world one of the biggest strengths is the negative, we focus on it, we strive to intensify it, our aim is to fail and push ourselves beyond what we believe is failure.  So why can we not put these same ideals into our own lives? Being negative has recently come to my attention as it is a result of a fear of failure, putting our own objections in front of us and when we put unsuccessful goals in front of us, we make up for it by trying to put down others who succeed.

On the positive…..

The bigger the goal, the higher the sense of accomplishment, the greater feeling of success!

On the negative…..

Not everyone can do what you do, no matter what it is or who you are, this I have realized.  We ALL have gifts, talents, success, intelligence and accomplishments! But yet, it is easier to bring someone down than to rise to their accomplishments….unfortunate but truthful, especially with the new age of social media and people free to express their own opinions.

As a society have we not expressed how wonderful we can be?  Have we not moved into an age where everyone is not put down for their age, race, sex, job or position in life? If not, then WHO in your life is like this? Better question, WHY are you allowing them in your life? OR are you the person that believes this? The truth is that we all are responsible for the negativity in our lives, we all choose to enhance it or eliminate it, we are all powerful and we are all strong! Its the belief in one self that will see us through the negativity.

  • Did you know that an act of kindness releases serotonin? 
  • Did you know that laughter burns calories? 
I challenge everyone reading this to accept the people in your life as those who accomplish and learn from them, I challenge you to stand up for yourself if you are in a negative situation, I challenge you to overcome your own feelings of negativity and start treating yourself as a success, I challenge you to not fear the unexpected, the failure and the objections in your life and most of all I challenge you to find a way to overcome it! 
I challenge all of you to smile through the storm, to get back on the horse and hit life back harder than you’ve been hit!
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