Trainer says success in fitness is journey, not the destination

Brian Attebery

Published: April 22, 2008

The fitness industry typically follows cycles. We know that, due to New Year's resolutions, January and February are typically our biggest months. Many people get really motivated by those initial changes and reasons for starting the program. Why is it so hard to stay motivated? Why don't we stick with it longer than a few short months or even weeks?

When you decide to start a program, the most important thing to get straight is your mind. The mind-set must be geared toward understanding that you have to set realistic goals and be consistent. You also must realize that you will fall off that wagon. That is OK. Everyone, including myself, will do that. The key is to not think "all or nothing.” You must simply re-establish new goals and make your schedule. I want to go over some helpful tips for achieving success in fitness.

The first step has to be to make nutrition a priority. Drop sugary foods such as soft drinks and fast foods. A soft drink a day will add up to almost 20 pounds worth of calories per year. Fast foods are a fast track to a high body fat level for most people. I compare it to alcoholics. If you are a recovering alcoholic, it would be much easier to succeed if you simply do not have alcohol in the house. A few years ago, I had a pageant contestant who couldn't stop eating some sugary cereal at night, and it was keeping her from progressing. She said she just couldn't quit eating it. The solution I told her was to simply quit buying it. She won the swimsuit round at Miss Oklahoma that year. We have to recognize our weaknesses. Make it a goal to eat properly during the week and set a date to eat out with friends or family on Friday or Saturday, and eat whatever you want. Never cheating on a diet does not work either. You will cheat, so plan it so it is timed properly after you have given yourself time to make some progress.

Scheduling workouts is important, too. You must schedule times for weights, cardio and classes to make it happen. You should not decide to go if you "feel like it.” Realistically, not very many people feel like it as much as they actually do it. Many times I could have justified not doing my workouts because of various excuses, but I know the consequences, and being out of shape is worse to me than the exercise session I am wanting to skip. You must look past the process and focus on the outcome.

Personal training is another tool for success. Personal trainers offer accountability, knowledge and motivation. Many people get frustrated because they are not progressing but refuse to hire a trainer because they have been working out for many years and supposedly know a lot. That is even more a reason to hire a trainer. People sometimes can be their own worst enemy because they do not think outside of the box. Qualified personal trainers can offer a vast amount to clients from beginner to the more advanced. Make sure you check their credentials.

You must establish realistic goals. Set goals not only for the ultimate outcome but for how you are going to get there. For example, set up workout times for weights. Establish the mode, duration and frequency of the cardiovascular training. Establish your heart rate level on the cardio you choose. You need to set up calorie levels that are appropriate for your age, sex and activity level, then write down your food to see whether you are staying within those perimeters.

I think another tool is to purchase an assortment of fitness magazines and videos, which can offer tips and examples. I prefer magazines that cite various scientific studies on supplements, training techniques and diets. The models can just provide me motivation in terms of how they look. Many times these models do not even really do the workouts they are portraying. They are simply modeling for the article written by a fitness expert.

The workouts might be fun, and the models might just be inspiring to look out. Use both for motivation.

Staying motivated is an ongoing process. I have been working out for 20 years and it is a challenge. Nonetheless, I still have my bad weeks even as a personal trainer. I just remind myself and my other personal trainers that, "fat trainers don't make good money.” Stay on track and keep pushing ahead. Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Good luck.

Brian Attebery is a degreed and certified trainer. He owns and operates Results Fitness and Nutrition Center in Edmond. Web site: www.resultsfitnessusa.com.

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