As trainers, how do you stay motivated?

By looking for and appreciation the small positive changes that I see in my clients! My clients are the entire reason that I got into this profession, and so when I see a client make a small positive change that makes a big change in their lives, it really motivates me to continue to help people in this way. It also motivates me when I see someone who is just starting out on the road to health and fitness, and who NEEDS my help. I love helping people and that is what motivates me.

LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
lecfitness@yahoo.com

My motivation comes from several different avenues. One way that I stay motivated is I have a very active dog so knowing that I have to exercise her is part of my motivation to get up and go on my morning jogs. I also have personally lost 100 pounds and not wanting to put it back on is another part of my motivation to stay on track with my diet and workouts. The last two ways that I stay motivated is I have a very active friend that will trains with me from time to time and pushes me to keep up with my workouts and healthy diet and last and probably most driving form of motivation is the fact that I will not be a hypocrite. I feel that I should model a healthy lifestyle if I am teaching clients how to have a healthy lifestyle.

I stay motivated by taking classes from other instructors or exchanging training sessions with other personal trainers. Not only does this help give me additional ideas for my client training sessions, but enables me to be the student for a change. Additionally, attending conferences provides great motivation as I learn from industry experts.

Andrea,

I love this question. It can be stressful dealing with the demands and responsibilites of your personal life while having obligations to others (helping out your fellow man).

I get through it by reminding myself that every day has a lesson. I know that tomorrow I will have learned something new that I didn't know today. Whether it's good or bad, I know that my new knowledge will only add to my quality of life and my ability to understand this life a little bit better. I have stopped taking myself too seriously. I still try very hard at most everything I get involved in, but I have learned to accept failure as a part of life, and I look at every failure as a lesson learned. It's like of like LaRue said a while back on another question about certification exams. If you go into the test knowing that you won't get every question right, it takes some of the pressure off.

I have learned to appreciate the small successes in life; it makes everything else so much easier to accept. At the end of the day, being able to sit down and say, "you know what, I've done my best today" is what keeps me going. Knowing that I put forth my best effort today gets me through to tomorrow.

Ditto, LaRue's answer. Well that saved me some typing. Thanks man, elequently spoken.. err, typed.

I stay motivated through using variety in my workouts. I love doing anything outside (running, hiking, biking, swimming, snowboarding etc.)

I have found working out with other trainers, or having another trainer train me, to be particularly beneficial. Someone else can usually push you harder than you can push yourself. It is also nice to not have to be the one to plan the workout for a change. I usually learn new ideas to use on clients as well.

Signing up for different races also helps keep me motivated. I recently completed my first triathlon which forced my to add a lot more swimming and biking to my workouts. I try to challenge myself the same ways I do my clients. (If I suggest to a client sign up and train for something, I feel I should be challenging myself in the same way).

I stay motivated by setting and achieving goals

I stay motivated to do cardio by inviting my clients to come along! I post on my Facebook page when/where I'll be walking and whoever is available is welcome! This makes sure I get up and get out of the house knowing they're waiting for me. We motivate each other!

This probably can go without saying for most of us, but I love exercise, and I love testing new exercise programs -- be it programs I've put together for clients or existing templates from other trainers. Like Deborah and Dawn, I'll often exercise with other trainers/instructors.

Another thing I've found to be helpful is to set goals throughout the year. I'll often work with quarterly milestones: fall - get ready for a long vacation; winter - stay healthy throughout the holidays; spring - train for a run or other sporting event; summer - stay in shape for another run/event.

It's also rewarding to see the passion we have become contagious with clients. Seeing a client reach a milestone (LaRue and Marlan), especially an athletic one, is nothing short of inspiring and motivating!

One of the many things that keep me motivated is learning about the body. There is always something to discover, and if I can apply that to help my clients I feel that I am doing my job. It takes commitment to do this job, and I am very fortunate to have the clients that I have. They have put their trust in me to make them healthier so I feel it is a duty to learn all I can. Training becomes a passion, it's something that grows on you.

If you really enjoy helping other people to reach their goals and you are knowledgeable and determined to get their commitment to work together with you, then you will achieve the results they want and that is what keeps you as a trainer motivated and excited about what you do. A trainers motivation lies in watching his or her clients achieving the goals that have been set in every single set that has been designed for the client to the best of their ability with 120% of their commitment (that is our job, getting that commitment out of people). That's in my opinion, the best experience you can have in our profession. There in lies the joy in what I do.

Always have a goal and a plan to achieve it. You will motivate your clients if you are also pursuing something, and telling them about it. In my experience, it makes you more real and easier to relate too. For me, it helps to plan my own workouts as if I am my own client (ie, set my own workout as an appointment during the day). Personally, I want to workout during the day, not after I am done training, because I have more energy. Everyone is different. A goal and plan is key!

I use the Polar FT60 heart rate monitor programming and have to stay on a workout schedule around my clients schedules so the fact that I can only workout out on those designated days keeps me motivated to get it done and knowing that my watch has set a goal for the week helps me to strive for a goal. I have always had the phrase "practice what you preach" in the back of my mind and it is always a good motivator. I find that during my workouts I can experiment with new ideas to pass on to my clients and can think of the best choice of words to cue them to execute it.

Motivation is so important to both you and your client's. Having clear set goals (short and long term), and taking each step little-by-little is paramount. Always try to keep exercises fun and lasting, and don't forget to change them up occasionally.