How do you make sure your new clients are supporting their exercise with good nutrition, sleep, etc.?

Ultimately - you can't. Only the clients can do that. You can educate, educate, educate, but in the long run, it is up to the clients to implement the necessary changes in their lives.

Yes, there are tools. As Michael suggested, a journal is one; a 'contract' may be another which may specify rewards for accomplishments.

Oftentimes, I find it important not to overwhelm people with all our enthusiam. At times, it's all they can do to drag their bodies to the personal trainer for those 2 or 3 hours in the week to start the 'healthy life'. It is important to keep the eye on the positive and praise the steps already accomplished rather than highlighting what still is left to do. That may work for some but not necessarily for everybody.

There are several models of behavior modification, and it may take a keen eye to ascertain where a person is on those scales.

I try and keep up by FB, texts, emails, just general communication with them. The funny thing is when a client has THAT meal they will let you know. Earlier today I started using the app LOSE IT, my client told me about it. So I signed up and am able to track her progress with meals and workouts.

My clients like to share the good, bad and ugly of their meal days, it is humbling yet rewarding that we have a solid trust in how we approach our overall nutrition and strength (exercise) regimen.

I ask them. Sure I have them keep a log. But for the most part I ask them. You can tell a lot by the way they answer various questions. Not just what they say, but their body language when saying it. You can tell if they're in a place where they're willing to hear what you have to say and to make changes or if they're just not ready yet.

Ultimately, unless you're living with them 24/7, there's no way to make sure for certain that all of their behaviors are supporting their new healthy living lifestyle. But that's ok. They need to take responsibility for that to make the habits life long ones. And you'll know what you need to focus on next so that they can continue to make healthy choices that support their new lifestyle.

Thanks, Jocelyn, Karen, Michael, and Kurt. Great ideas! I am so impressed that we have such high caliber of fitness coach and trainer support in our communities. I think you hit the nail on the head w/r education, personal accountability with logs, communications, and tactful interpersonal skills(!).

I am currently working with a program that increases the rate of success with clients--not just for their sake, but also for our's (to get a sense of achievement vs a slow pace with efforts that seem to go against our client's motivations). At the risk of sounding pessimist or negative, sometimes our progress can seem so slow and minimal. Yes, we have occasional success stories, but those who really get the "before and after" transformation have been too few, overall. I've come across something that seems to penetrate that motivational aspect. I don't want to sound like a commercial, so I'll stop with that---except that I'd like to share more for those interested in getting more information.