Most people perceive exercise differently than you do. Remember how smoking used to be in-vogue? Look at smokers now. They are treated as lepers. If exercise was a badge of honor, as being smoke-free finally is, it would be easier to keep people on their exercise bikes and treadmills. See yourself as an "exerciser" just as non-smokers enjoy being smoke free.
It is difficult for people to begin an exercise program. Fifty percent of folks quit working out before they complete 6 weeks of training. They revert back to their lazy ways. Especially if they are really out of shape or overweight to begin with.
No one wants to feel incompetent. I see people in gyms trying to figure out how to use a piece of equipment. They are afraid to ask for help. They would rather die than have someone catch them reading the directions.
People who go to boot camp come out in the best shape of their lives. But when they leave the service, many of them fall back into their sedentary routine. Think about the reasons most of your clients workout - appearance, health, ... but these are end products, the goals of exercise. And they are transitory. Motivation to adhere to an exercise program based on appearance, health, or someone yelling at you to perform another pushup, wears off.
Try to find ways for you to benefit from the process of exercise. Process goals include stress management, fun, challenge.
Does your spouse support your workouts? Make the act of exercising fun and you will stay with it. And if you stay with it long enough, you will reach their health and fitness goals.Remember back to the time you made a committment to exercise. What motivated you then? What motivates you now? Probably, different factors have influenced how well you stayed with your program. When I began riding a bicycle I did it for freedom and relaxation. I would have exercised even if it was bad for me. Then I began to enjoy competition. And now I do it for fun again. Understand the reasons you tie your shoes to begin your program. Then you can press the right buttons to keep moving.
Find out what time you can squeeze a workout into your schedule. Bring your workout clothes to work. Put your running shoes next to the front door. Do you prefer to train alone or with a friend or your spouse.
Early on you will figure out whether you enjoy the SportCord, Aquajogger, or a combination of both, or competitive sports. People generally gravitate towards programs they feel comfortable with, or are good at. Balance your program.
Take control of your exercise. Determine the cost vs. the benefit of your exercise. This will be based on your intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. If you are intrinisically motivated your focus will be more on the process of exercise. Externally motivated exercisers are always searching for that elusive reward.
