I recently started training a client, who has shown great improvement, whether she notices or not, it’s there to see, and while I may be helping her on the way, it’s her hard work, and commitment to following the training and eating plans that is making the difference, despite her long hours at work. It helps that she is not driven to look for instant success, she is noticing the little changes – her strength improving, a bit more toned muscle showing, how her gym routine is a little easier – and that’s nothing to do with the scale (which also show great results but isn’t her prime focus). The point is, while we joked she wanted to be Cindy Crawford (she is around 5ft2), she is actually just aiming for a better version of herself – not an impossible dream – no trainer I know can deliver increased height and a supermodel lifestyle as part of the package.
Another client, has a baby and a full on busy life, how she fits everything in is beyond me, she is a very cheerful whirlwind. She has a healthy attitude to baby weight – yes she’d like it to go, but not at the expense of getting on with life. Sometimes that means a bit less time doing structured exercising in a week, but, instead of using that as an excuse, she finds alternatives – walking with the pushchair to the shops, getting on her bike and going to a further station. Every little adds up, and with her positive outlook, it means results are coming along. Sometimes her baby comes to our sessions in the park – she finds mummy exercising very funny – skipping in particular (I have suggested once she learns that we can return the compliment!). In her case, it’s just getting on with small changes, good healthy eating (helped by the fact her husband is a good cook, using fresh and often home grown produce) and fitting in her exercise around a busy life. I am teaching her the joy of weights and how quickly you can complete a session and still get all the health benefits.
Recently both clients told me how they had bought new jeans – in a size smaller – it was good to hear, not just because it feels good to be helping them achieve their goals, but because it made them feel good, it showed what their hard work achieved and it wasn’t about what the scale said, it wasn’t how quickly they had done it and it certainly wasn’t to make them look like some impossible (possibly airbrushed) ideal they thought they should be aiming for. That was a nice birthday present!