The Secret to Fitness Results that only Experts know!
“Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in-front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend “ - Albert Camus
Community and Accountability.
I can’t wait to talk about accountability. Here’s a little Fitness insider secret: The number one reason why people hire Personal Trainer’s because of accountability. On most days our clients don’t feel like “working out” and if given the choice to cancel guilt free, they’d probably take it.
But before I talk about accountability, I want to talk about why I put community in this blog. You see, community won’t just help you get fitter and stronger, it’s been proven to help you live longer. I mentioned this in a previous blog about the “Blue Zones” in the world. The little pockets of humans in the world who hold powerful secrets and who are famous for their long healthy lives (many of them are still working, exercising and actively leading healthy lives past age 100). One of their biggest secrets was that they were part of a community. Something bigger than themselves.
To discover the 6 secrets of the World’s longest living people, Click Here
Now let’s talk about accountability. If you want results in anything you do, be accountable. Accountability (and nutrition) is the secret sauce to get those mind-blowing results you’re after. Most people start a new gym program, or a new diet when their willpower is high! They then rely on that willpower to carry them through, but it never lasts. Which is why way too many people simply don’t get the results they’re after.
The truth is, that after time, there are days you feel like working out and some days you can’t be bothered. How many times have you skipped exercise because you didn’t feel like it? Guilty.
Even us super healthy people get the days where we don’t feel like working out. So, what do we do? We make sure we’re accountable to someone else by asking them to train with us. Having someone waiting for you at the gym means you are way less likely to skip that workout. I try and rope as many friends as I can into joining me for my workouts to ensure I never skip workout sessions.
There are 3 levels of accountability:
* Social/Community: – join a group of people facing the same struggles and obstacles as you are, and walking “shoulder to shoulder,” sharing tips, tricks, encouragement and to build relationships. You’ll come to rely on them to help you see it through.
* Expert: - you enlist the help of an Expert or Coach to keep you accountable. Experts such as, Personal Trainers, dieticians, etc, know exactly why, what, when, and how you should be doing the program. They keep you accountable through weekly text messages, follow ups and weekly weigh ins. This is a form of accountability that sees tremendous success in our clients.
* Self Accountability: This is the hardest form of accountability, but if you have no other option, I’ve coached clients on how to do this successfully. With the right strategies and approach, you can use self-accountability to keep yourself on track when your willower inevitably decreases.
I’ll give you a real-life example with a client I had recently, let’s call her Kate. Kate joined our Fitness Studio because she had put on 10 kilos of weight over the previous 12 months. She had no idea how it crept up and wanted to do something about it. After a strategy session with me, we made the goal for her to lose the 10 kilos in a period of 6 months (we always take a long term, sustainable approach with our clients. No short cuts). And she wanted to make herself accountable (at this stage, she could only commit to group classes with us), so we made a “Bet”. We added stakes to her goal. I asked her what on the horizon was really important to her and she said the two weeks annual leave she had later that year. She had planned to book herself into a swanky resort in the Gold Coast.
So, I said to her “How about we make a bet with yourself? If you successfully lose the weight, you can book that swanky Gold Coast resort. But if not, you can’t book it. And you have to follow through!” She was game. And every group class I saw her, I reminded her that her holiday was at stake if she didn’t continue with her program. And the result? She dropped 10 kilos in under 5 months. She smashed it. I also hear she had a great time on her holiday. She told me she enjoyed it even more than she would have before because of all the work she put in.
Here are easy ways to fast track your results through Accountability and Community:
1. Join a gym/fitness studio that has members that are like minded to you
2. If you want to be a better runner, join a running group. Same with Tennis, Pickleball, dancing!
3. Volunteer at a local organisation or charity. Believe me, this will help you live longer.
4. Hire an expert or coach to work with you One on One who’ll keep you accountable, especially on days when life is hard and you don’t have the energy
5. If there are no other options, make a “bet” with yourself to achieve your goal. (Here’s my insider tip for this tactic, the stakes need to be HUGE. It really needs to hurt if you don’t achieve your goal. Whatever your first thought is, double it).
And as always, if you’ve read this far, you get a special Jerome reward. A really funny dad joke. Here goes:
REMEMBER WHEN BOTOX WAS A TABOO SUBJECT? NOW WHEN YOU MENTION IT NOBODY RAISES AN EYEBROW.