Before we get under way…
Hi Groovers. If you happen to live in Australia and you read this before ten a.m. (Wednesday), and if you happen to be near a TV at 9.45ish, take a peek at Channel Ten. I’ll be chatting about work-life balance and retirement. Should be interesting.
Things you won’t find in a text book
At the start of this year I wrote part one of this article. I have since been asked many times for direction, advice and stories for fitness industry newbies and wanna-bees. People always say that the real learning starts when you finish school, well in many ways, they are right (whoever they are). For me, the real learning (for my career in the fitness industry) started when the study stopped. Ironic huh? These days, when I lecture to wanna-be trainers I always leave my academic cardigan and slippers at home and wear my very pracademic work boots to class. If you’re gonna spend a career helping people renovate their body, maximise their genetics, change their behaviours and create their best life, there’s a few things you’ll need to know first. Things you probably ain’t gonna find in a text book. Things like the words ain’t and gonna for example! Here’s what I learned in my first year of being a humble gym instructor (yes, I remember back that far).
Shut up.
1. People lie a lot. Human beings lie. We all like to think we’re above lying, but we’re not. Put up your hand if you’ve never lied. Fibber. When it comes to exercise, eating and lifestyle habits and behaviours, it’s no different. Nearly everyone lies at some stage, especially about eating habits. Some people do it incessantly. Some people lie so often that they start to believe their own crap. Stupidly, I used to believe the morbidly obese people who would look me in the eye and say “my diet is great and I never eat junk food.” I was so young and naive. And stupid. I would beat myself up for not getting results with them, when all along they were totally sabotaging the process behind my back and lying their asses off to my face. If someone is morbidly obese then there’s a very high likelihood that they’re (1) over-eating and consuming poor quality foods and (2) lying about it.
2. Giving people information and direction is easy but getting them to apply it consistently is another thing. I got to a point early in my career where I became very frustrated because I realised that I could tell people what to do, why to do it and how to do it, but I couldn’t actually MAKE them do anything. Education is useless if we don’t apply it and resources are a waste of time and money unless we use them consistently and intelligently. We are one of the most educated fat countries in the world. So educated yet so stupid.
3. Many people don’t actually want to work or sweat to get in shape. They want a short cut. A pill, a powder, a potion or a product that will do it for them. As soon as I use terms like self-control, discipline, organisation and commitment, some people switch off and their eyes glaze over. And they’ll stay fat and keep looking for a quick fix.
4. People will happily pay for gym memberships that they don’t use. Great for the gym owners, not so good for fat Australia (America, England, NZ, SA, etc.). Apparently just having a membership makes some people feel better. Weird. It’s always okay though because they’re starting back at the gym next Monday. Of course.
5. Changing our body is all about our head. Our physical self (the way we look and function) is (largely) a by-product (or symptom) of our mental and emotional states. How we feel and think, determines the decisions we make (food, exercise, lifestyle), which in turn determines our behaviours and habits, which impacts greatly on our physical reality. If some trainers (and other health professionals) would spend more time focusing on what’s happening above the shoulders, they would see much better results below the shoulders.
6. Many people are more attracted to the ‘idea’ of exercise, than they are to the reality of it. Some people are legends in their own mind and the older they get the better they were. Embarrassing. Many people talk and plan more than they do. If you’re a surfer, who surfs once a year, you’re not a surfer. You’re a sedentary person who owns a surfboard. Owning a surfboard doesn’t make you a surfer anymore than owning a paint brush makes you an artist.
7. Some people are very emotional (periodically irrational) about their exercise regime. Some people are inclined to make emotional decisions about how and when they exercise. Rather than doing what works (what will best benefit their body in the physical change process), they will gravitate towards what they enjoy the most, or what they are physically and emotionally comfortable doing. We need to find the balance between doing what we enjoy and doing what works (produces results). People don’t like change. Even with their exercise program, people are creatures of habit. Some people have been training the same way (with very little change) for years.
8. Their body is not my responsibility. For a long time I felt completely responsible for my client’s results. Boy, that was an exhausting place to live! When it dawned on me that I am only a resource (not a solution), I felt somewhat liberated. I can’t eat for people, I can’t exercise for them and I can’t make decisions for them. Therefore, I can’t change their life. Only they can.
9. Some people stink. I know that this point is of no educational value to you but I couldn’t leave it out because I have such vivid memories regarding this issue. As someone who has a thing for (nice) smells, I was amazed (when I first started in the industry) at how much some people smell and how unaware they are of their stench. And I mean S-T-E-N-C-H! I’ve trained people who have literally made me dry retch. Think Parmesan cheese and multiply it by a hundred. I could tell you numerous revolting stories about some people’s interesting approach to personal hygiene, but I’ll spare you. I have walked up to people on the gym floor (men and women), handed them a can of deodorant and said “spray this on, you stink.” I’m nice, but not that nice.
10. The best Trainers (teachers, instructors, coaches) are the best communicators. A brilliant academic with zero communication skills will always make a crap health, fitness or medical professional. While someone with average academic ability and excellent communication has a much better chance of being a great educator.
Let me know your thoughts…See ya x
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooh… first comment.
That really does make me a stalker. By the way, I checked with my husband… he’s fine with me stalking you, as long as it’s only on days ending with ‘y’.
So, I know this is totally missing the point of your general ravings, but… STINK!?! You don’t know nuthin’ til you’ve taught 36 grade 6 students on a hot summer’s afternoon.
*gagging now*
I do love my job. Really. I do.
Linda
Hi Craig….and Linda
By the way Craig, Linda is a friend of mine and we are meeting for the first time at RYL!
Lol on the 6th graders…I have a 15 yo son who has an aversion to water….doesn’t like to shower,now that is revolting!!!!
Thanks for the heads up re tomorrow. Always seem to miss you
I am so glad you realised you couldn’t “do ” everything for people. I am working on getting back to basics and back to losing after stalling and losing and gaining then losing the same 200g,I have been devouring Fattitude to help me on my way! I know it is up to me and I am up for it!
Hugs Craig
Michelle
You want stink – try catching the Paris metro at afternoon peak hour.
Mouth breathing equates to survival.
I’ve taught writers who want to publish for over 22 years, and it’s amazing how your problems mirror my own. With wannabe writers, they tend to exaggerate how much time they put in writing, and how often they write. They want a short-cut (hence all the self-published writers paying LOTS of money to printers). They sign up for workshops and courses, but don’t show up. They like the idea of being a writer, but don’t actually like the work of writing and revising. Thanks for reminding me that their career is not my responsiblity. (However, I only remember one stinky writer in 22 years. Most smell heavenly.)
Kristi Holl
Writer’s First Aid blog
Dear Craig
Part number 5…its all in your head. That’s the part that does me in … I know that when I am in the ‘zone’ I will lose weight.
I train 2 times a week with my PT and do 5 to 7 cardio sessions a week, every week and I love it. Being in the zone means I am organised with my food and no alcohol and I lose weight.
However if I do the same amount of training eat poorly and drink wine, I go backwards.
My problem is I am an all or nothing person. I am either in the zone or I am not. Which is the same as being antisocial or good time girl.
If only I could get my head right and find a happy midline.
I also start to fall off the wagon because I drop weight quickly (gain it quickly as well) however as soon as I start to feel good ie pants feel loser, I get happy with that and lose the urge to go further.
Hence the yo yo – dropping 10 kg is the easy part. Keeping it off is harder.
Cheers Keri
Dear Craig,
My area of learning & expertise is not fitness, but music. So I always convert or relate your posts to this passion of mine. The process you have outlined fits perfectly to teaching and the development of a studio.
Point no 10 however is very true. For years I could not fathom why parents weren't encouraging their young child/ren to complete the home activites that I had set for them. After working out that it came down to the WAY I was communicating to them (which was badly and off the cuff), I realised I had do some serious research and belief practise!
As a result of this effort, I could confidently say 99% of cliental understand why they need to complete these activities with their kids, and now do so. My business has grown substantially because I choose betterer words, belief is obvious and passion is evident.
Oh I just love getting out of bed in the morning!
Have a fabulous day!
Kathryn
PS I love reading your other readers' responses. Even if it's just to have a chuckle! There is so much we can learn & be inspired by hey?
Morning CH
Thank you for the extra tuition, I like your teaching style.
Enjoy the sunny day
TG
Hi Craig
Thank you! I am a PT about to commence business and these are great tips
) I love reading your posts, and learning so much !
I often hear about good communication, to me this means clarity, and being in the moment. Another of my communications beliefs is realising that sometimes you need to push people’s buttons for them to get the message. My difficulty is not to be afraid to do this!
Hi Craig
I admit I’m a bit fat liar.I lie to myself all the time. Especially when it comes to my body. I almost lied to myself this morning when i got on those ‘magic scales’ for the first time at the gym. I thought “No way it couldn’t be.” Then i stopped and thought ‘well yes, actually it could be’. Don’t take care of yourself you end up a blubber guts. The results shouldn’t have been a big surpise but it was. We do crap stuff to ourselves all the time and then we act surpised when we feel crap.
Keri- I have the same problem, i drop weight quickly, i crash then come back bigger than i did before. I think the only way to find a middle ground is to be realistic and to make exercise and eating well a habit and an everyday part of your life were you don’t think about it too much. Like having to wake up at 5am for a workout everyday for the next freakin 3 months (not that i’m mad about having to do this or anything). It’s now become a part of my weekday schedule. I don’t think about it anymore i just wake up, get dressed and go and because i’ve dropped my ‘all or nothing attitude’ about the whole thing i don’t think or analyse it. Less thinking means less arguing with the ‘devil’ part of my brain that wants to sabotage myself. I know it’s tempting to go full speed ahead but what’s the point if 3 weeks from now you’ve run out of gas, crash and then don’t move for the next 6mnths. Think about all the time we waste losing lots of weight in a couple of months then putting it back on. How many times have you done that in your life? 50? 100? I’ve been yo yo dieting since i was 10yrs old. I’m 35 now. What state do you think my mind and body is in now because of all that dieting? If we had just done it the right way once then we wouldn’t keep ending up at the same place we started with the same nasty habits. Nothing changes. Personally i’m just so sick of doing that. When i get in that ‘all or nothing’ mode everything seems to be urgent and i feel like i’m in a hurry to get fit but it only makes things worse. Really, what’s the hurry? If we just slowed down, did things properly then maybe we’d lose the weight we had to and we’d do it without all that unnecessary stress.
Ange
Keri – Making your diet and exercise a permanent life change may work? Not just to lose weight and get fit but as a lifestyle to do until you get alzeimers LOL
I am only a resource (not a solution).
Love this quote. It’s still up to us to just do it and keep doing it.
Thanks, Craig.
() to everyone
Suu
Hi Craig
I can totally relate. After getting back in shape then being mobbed out of my job ( hmmm…) I decided to go and train as a gym instructor/PT. I have weight trained for 25 years and was trained by bodybuilders. So this seemed like a glamorous fun occupation.The course was good but the reality of working in a gym not so much………and these were two of the top gyms in my city.
Some observations
gym instruction for $15-$18 per hour! having to clean and do reception as well. Then doing PT after been seen cleaning-confuses the clients and I don't think they respect you.
Being told by consultants( mostly stick thin models) to design a program for the client to take a little off here and add a little there-what is this ? Photoshop.
Clients being signed up for expensive weight loss programmes on top of gym memberships and still they don't lose weight
Clients that really,really want to lose weight,listen enthusiastically then don't follow their program.
Client's that continually cancel with pathetic excuses that just don't add up.We aren't stupid
PT supervisor very loudly demonstrating to me how to do squats in a crowded gym with "R" rated comments.
Experienced clients coming to tell me that not only was he offensive but I was right & he was wrong.
Experienced clients continually telling me they can't believe what the some of the PTs are showing clients. But they were getting the business as I make the clients work too hard.
Other PTs telling me how to waste time with clients to stretch out the half hour and that girls only need to train triceps/abs and thighs!!!!!! Oh and if you flirt you get repeat business
I did enjoy the client interaction but feel sorry for the people who are wasting their money and time because they aren't being told the truth- that you have to get your head in the right place first and that it is hard work. There are some great trainers out there don't get me wrong, but mostly they are disillusioned with main stream gyms. You need a certain level of maturity to help people get results and it is a 2 way street.Clients fess up and be honest -we know, we are human too!
I have gone back to admin to make some money and hopefully want to do something on line next year unless a radical new venture opens up that actually wants to help people achieve their goals.
Anyway my 2 bobs worth-the world needs more Craig Harper's and less FIGJAM's.
P.S didn't have any stinkies in 6 months, just nice people
Sue
Hello Stalker (Linda) – yep, that would stink!
( )
Hi Michelle 2 – that’s sounds yucky… and smelly. No thanks.
Thanks for sharing Kristi ( )
Yes, Keri – get you’re head in the right place… and then keep it there!
( )
Nice lesson Kathryn… ( )
Cheers Megan… ( )
Ange!!!
Is that a lesson I hear you teaching? Well done.
Nice wisdom and advice.
Here’s a hug you don’t want ( )
You’re welcome Suu… ( )
Hi Sue – quite the story – thanks for sharing.. ( )
LOVE IT! It’s all so true, I’m a personal trainer and have battled with feeling bad when I just can’t help some people no matter how much effort I would put in.
At the end of the day you need to want to change and believe you can as without these factors even the best trainer in the world won’t get you in shape.
Thanks for the fabulous article and making me feel good about what I do! I absolutley love helping people improve their lifestyle and feel better about themselves but used to get quite upset when I couldn’t help everyone! I now know this is unrealistic and can only do my best and hope that my clients do the same.
Have a fantastic day! Hilde
Hi Hilde – thanks for dropping by and saying hi…( )
Speaking of stink, the nuns at my Catholic school knew a thing or two when they said cleanliness was next to Godliness.
Did you know that there is a correlation between bad oral hygiene (read don’t floss teeth after meals) and inflammation of the arteries.
Yep, have bad breath and keel over clutching your heart..double whammy.
Hi LW
I love it when my readers teach me stuff… thanks!
Cheers
Hey Craig
Thanks for passing on your valuable realisations. It gives insight into why, in the past, I have been unsuccessful with my weight/health/fitness pursits. Monday’s never come! And, for me anyway, committing to a 12 month gym membership but barely going a dozen times in that time makes me feel crap not good! “What a waste” I tell myself. “Why do I do that, repeatedly??” The day I sign the paperwork I’m all full of good intentions but they dont’t eventuate. I might go a lot for first month or two but then fade completely. It’s like it’s all or nothing. I now understand that you have to get head in right place and to have self control and be consistent. What’s the point of going all out for 6 weeks? What happens for the remaining 47 weeks of the year? Sedentry lifestyle and consumption of rubbish on daily basis? That’s so self-destructive.
As someone who is almost at the completion of a uni degree and feels overwhelmed by the prospect of being a ‘real’ student paramedic on the road, I now feel a little less confronted. Just like we all had to have L-Plates on when we learned to drive, and doctors all had to be interns, I too will be on a steep learning curve in the first 6-12 months of my career as a paramedic.
Thanks heaps.
Jules
Allowing a person to make their own choices and to then act or not act upon them doesn’t just relate to the fitness industry, it can relate to any area of your life.
You can have all the best intentions in the world, and it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, the only mind we can make up is our own!!!!
I find the hardest (most challenging) area of my life to not interfere, is in that of my closest friends, where you really want to be able to help them, and offer advice when they are hurting or in trouble, but I have to step back and allow them the space to make their own mistakes, and learn for themselves what they want or need to do!!! In any area of your life, you can still get upset when you see something you can help with, yet are unable to simply because it’s not my decision to make.
Hope your well CH and Capt Johnnie….
Big happy birthday comin up!!!
Cheesecake anyone???? hahahah
KK
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