Coaching & Mindset
New Year, So What? Trainers and Weight-Loss Preaching
In short: A trainer's job is to help people reach the goals that matter to them when the time is right, not to guilt them into exercising with new-year motivational pressure.
Exercise is not just for the new year. Every January, every platform fills with motivational fitness content, and honestly most of it makes me wince. The last thing I want to be is an unwanted gift or an expectation built on someone else's anxiety, worry and fear of failure.
I do not need to guilt-trip you
I do not feel the need to push motivational messages. As a trainer I do not need to make anyone feel guilty for not doing a "workout", whatever that word even means for a given person. Some people genuinely feel inspired by those motivational posts, and that is fine too. If the timing is right and I happen to fit into someone's life at the right moment, then great. That is a lovely thing: finding out what someone actually wants and working together to help them get there.
Anything can be exercise
Something people do not say enough is that almost anything in life can be exercise. Walking to the post office. Cleaning the kitchen floor. Doing the gardening. I would never want to add pressure to someone's life because they did not sweat on a run or crank out ten press-ups a day. Trainers do not need to push people into exercising, however beneficial we think it is. Some people are simply not ready yet.
The real journey
What I would rather do is show what I do for my current clients, talk about what they achieve, and, if they are happy for me to, why they achieved it. That is how a trainer and client end up on a journey together. It is rarely about the diet, the exercise, the muscle group, the heart rate or the calories. For most people it is about the bigger picture: something they want to do again in life, or something they have never done and want to. I am there if they feel they need me to help them get there, however big or small the goal.
Want to go deeper? The Results-Based Nutrition Coach.
View the course →Frequently asked
Should trainers push motivational weight-loss messages?
Not necessarily. Guilt and pressure can make people feel like a failure. Some find those posts inspiring, but plenty do not.
Is exercise only worthwhile in the gym?
No. Walking to the post office, cleaning the floor or gardening all count. Movement in everyday life is still exercise.
What is a client-centred approach?
Finding out what a person actually wants from life and working together towards it, rather than imposing calories, heart rate or press-up targets.
What if someone is not ready to train?
That is fine. Some people are not ready yet, and adding pressure does not help. A good trainer is there when the timing is right for them.
