How Do You Stay Motivated to Workout?

Reddit user cmoreno723 brought up a great question to the fitness enthusiasts of the /r/fitness subreddit: “What have you all done when your flame for the gym has slowly started diminishing?” As a personal trainer you are going to run into many people asking this exact question, and it is a great idea to have some answers ready for them.

Many Reddit users came to cmoreno723’s aid with helpful suggestions. One of those users is Rahkeem, he says:

“The best thing to do when you don’t feel like going is to go anyway. Even if you have a half a**ed workout it’s better than nothing. In fact it’s more important to go when you don’t want to than when you do. It’s about building habits. If you skip for the wrong reasons you are literally programming yourself to not go to the gym whenever you don’t feel optimal. Passion comes in waves, it’s the habits that carry you until the next wave hits.”

Others came bearing encouraging words, like user gghhgghhgghhgg:

“It is alright to go lift twice a week instead of three times until you have time again. It is not the end of the world. Forgive yourself for not being perfect, start from where you are, and move forward.”

Some came with motivational quotes, like one from French Nobel Prize winner, Albert Camus:

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger- something better, pushing right back.”

Giving advice and encouragement is all part of your job as a personal trainer. Be prepared to answer this question and many others like it. But, that doesn’t mean you should say exactly what these Reddit users are saying.

You have the benefit of working face-to-face with your clients and knowing them on a personal level. Tailor your response to each one of them individually. If they are someone who gets motivated by quotes or inspiring clips, give them that. If they are someone who needs a challenge, create a way for them to be challenged. If they need someone just to listen, then be quiet.

What are some ways that you’ve encouraged or motivated your clients in the past to keep pushing through these kinds of tough situations?

The post How Do You Stay Motivated to Workout? appeared first on The NFPT Blog.