I would hazard a guess that you have joined us (or are thinking of doing so) because you would like to see some form of results. Generally, those results will fall into one or both of the following categories:

Improvements in how you feel.

Improvements in how you look.

Regardless of what your goals are, changes need to be made in order to achieve them- after all, if you are doing everything you need to be doing right now, then you would have already succeeded.

‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’ Albert Einstein

Some of you will be starting your journey in pursuit of those goals; others will be somewhere further along the road to success. Wherever you are on your journey, your mind-set and desire for change will ultimately determine how successful you are.

‘The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat’. Napoleon Hill

With so much fitness and nutrition information readily available to us, why are so many people still no nearer to achieving their goals? The reason could be your mind set. In fact, as personal trainers the biggest hurdle we have to overcome with clients is to change their mind set. Personal trainers are becoming more and more like a life coach. There are a number of ways a client can create barriers between themselves and getting results. Some of which are listed below. Do any of them ring true for you?

• You keep putting things off - You talk about it but you never do it.

• You spend more time defending your problems than taking action - You complain about how you are not getting results. When people try to give you suggestions, you spend more time justifying why their suggestions will not work and defending your lack of results, than brainstorming with them on how to get out of your rut. Spend less time thinking about your problems and use that time to think about solutions.

• You’re too enclosed in your own world - You don’t venture out beyond your normal routine. You do the same things; act the same way, circle around the same issues. It’s no wonder you stagnate. Open yourself up – take active steps to grow.

‘If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results’. Jack Dixon.

• Avoidance (Fear) - You avoid taking action because some of the things you have to do intimidate you. You rather delay the process as much as possible. Results come to people who pay their dues, not people who avoid the work required. The fear isn’t going to go away by waiting it out. Face the fear and do it anyway.

• You over-complicate situations - Common among the neurotic perfectionists. If you are a neurotic perfectionist, you blow the situation out of proportion and create this mental image that’s so complicated that it’s no wonder you don’t get anything done.

• You give up too easily. You give up before you even get anywhere.

'The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply’. Denis Waitley

• You lose sight of your goals. You settle for less, forgetting the goals you once set. That’s bad because then you are just stifling yourself and making do with what you have – and this isn’t who you are meant to be.

• You’re too stuck in your ways. You insist on doing things a certain way. You don’t open yourself up to new ideas. Guess what? You’ll remain stuck in your situation, too.

• You underestimate your goal - Almost all the time, people fail because they underestimate what it takes to achieve their goals. Be realistic. I recommend you read our article on ‘Goal Setting’ in order to avoid this.

As you can see from the above, the biggest barrier between you and your goals is not your body, it is your mind. If you expect awesome results by handing over to us your hard earned cash, move around for an hour during your fitness session whilst making no other changes to your lifestyle, then you are only going to be disappointed. There are 168 hours in a week and the vast majority of your results will come from what you do then rather than what you are doing in the one or two hours per week you visit us. Don’t get me wrong, we as personal trainers and a gym are an important cog in the wheel of change - we will help motivate you, send you off in the right direction, and through effective exercise programming will prime your body ready for change - but ultimately you will rise or fall from the direct result of what you do during the rest of the week.

If at any point during your journey you find yourself stagnating, I highly recommend you re-read this article. It may help you identify where you are going wrong.

Conclusion

For success you need a can-do attitude. Be open minded. Be honest with yourself. Put in the effort. No excuses.