It's All About MEE!

Majority of my time is spent talking with clients, potential clients, and other fitness professionals about the reasons for need to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.  Everyone knows that exercise is "good for you", but it seems everyone has a different primary reason for needing to do so.  Some are young athletes aspiring to be all-conference, others have let their weight get a little out of control and need to shed a few pounds to be healthier and feel better about themselves, and as our life expectancy increases many people want to prevent common conditions associated with aging.

Regardless of the primary reason, it usually comes down to three components a qualifed personal trainer delivers.  (the MEE)

M   Motivation - it seems all of us get a temporary burst of motivation, sometimes multiple times in the same year or month.  Ever ask yourself why the gym is busy on Monday and progressively gets emptier as the week progresses?  We know we need to be regular exercisers that get the most efficiency out of our exercise programs, but we struggle with the day-to-day motivation of participating on a regular basis.  I conducted an informal survey a few days ago: I asked 50 people who were using a personal trainer if they would have exercised that day if not for the appointment with the trainer...48 said no.

E   Education - if people see the value is something they will adhere to the program more.  If you know why you are investing money and the long term benefit of it, you will be much more likely to stick with the plan long term.  You know the payoff - you understand how investing now will pay dividends and make life easier later.  Exercise is no different, it is making an investment in the one thing you can't replace - your body.  A qualified personal trainer educates his/her client on the proper execution, progression, intensity, duration, and reason behind any exercise or program.  We spend all day every day in health and fitness.  Most people won't invest their life savings after reading a magazine article or downloading a PDF off the internet, they seek advice from a qualifed financial advisor (as they should), but it's amazing how many people will take that risk with an exercise program.

E   Empowerment - with the motivation and education comes empowerment.  After I meet with a financial planner a series of times, ask questions about my own situation, learn about the benifits of investing and the benefits of doing so, I feel empowered to be disciplined and work harder to meet my goals.  Your personal trainer is no different.  You will execute your program more effectively - and not feel intimidated or like you "don't know what you're doing".  Empowering a client to navigate succesfully through an exercise program is the most rewarding thing I do as a personal trainer.

So remember, as you contemplate starting an exercise program, remind yourself: It's about MEE!