I’ve been doing this fitness training gig for 5 years now, it’s been a wild ride!   A huge learning curve.  But also an interesting experiment.

I love watching people.  At one point I told my high school history teacher I wanted to become an Anthropologist, because my understanding was you got to just like study people and stuff from different cultures…. shame I didn’t have the means, the dedication or the elbow patches to become a full time Academic.

I digress.

I’m watching you – yes, you! (In a strictly professional way!)  I see your struggles, your patterns and your successes.

And I can see the common factors between my highly successful clients.

Firstly, let’s define success the PT with Angie way.

I consider that to be “successful” in your fitness goals they should:

1. Fit into your lifestyle as effortlessly as possible without taking over (ie; becoming an obsession)
2. Keep you mentally healthy ie; be realistic and not overwhelming.
3. Keep you physically healthy with enough hard work to make progress, but taking rest into account to avoid injury or any other physical side effects of over-training – on an INDIVIDUAL basis.
4. Be flexible – because let’s face it, life rarely goes to plan!
5. Be enjoyable – Your time with us should be considered an important part of your social health!
6. You should also be able to MAINTAIN your results as part of a healthy balanced life….

I can say that on average, the successful clients I refer to have managed to keep off between 3-10kg and more of unwanted body fat in a balanced long term way, depending on where they started from and what their goals were originally.  I can also confidently say that none of them are “obsessed” with their goals – and I consider that a massive win!

So, what are the 7 key habits of my highly successful clients?

1. They turn up:  yes, yes we know – commitment etc.  *rolls eyes*… but I’m not saying I expect you to train for 2 hours a day – I literally have clients I only see twice a week, but I see them twice weekly WITHOUT FAIL.  That’s the difference, they’ve established a habit, they are reaping the rewards.
2. They put in:  We ALL have limited time to spend on ourselves and our ideal lifestyle.  Well, most of us (I’m cursing my early 20’s self right now!)  So we need to make it count when we can get to class.  You don’t get results from a few 30 min sessions by stopping, sooking it and giving up.  Now, let me be clear – there is NO competition in my sessions, no one is being graded against another person.  But I want YOUR best effort in relation to where you are currently at.  And yeah, for some of you, that means occassionally high-fiving the vomit zone (but let’s not go all the way there please).
3. They take a long term view: Achieving and maintaining their results is not a 6 week process and then go back to old habits…. You want a tighter booty, stronger arms and core?  You gotta be in it for the long term.  That’s the beauty of shorter, more intense sessions, they can seamlessly fit into your life. 
4. They take responsibility: Nobody is perfect, but if you can’t objectively look at the way you might be self-sabotaging your own progress, you simply won’t…. progress!  My successful clients put their hand up and say yeah, I’m making less than ideal choices at times (that’s life), but I’m owning them.
5. They keep track:  Ask any business expert or scientist.  What gets tracked gets managed.  If you don’t have data, how can you initiate effective change?  This is a key coaching point for my clients.  No, it doesn’t mean being a slave to numbers for the rest of your life, but you’ve got to know your starting point. 
6. They ask questions:  “Sorry to be annoying…..” NO- please, do be annoying!  The more you ask me questions, the more you get in front of me, the more I can HELP you.  The more you will ultimately learn.  I encourage it, annoy me!  I love talking about your goals. 
7. They trust the process:  Ever heard of magpie syndrome?  Looking for the next shiny solution constantly?  Yeah, successful clients don’t do that – they stay the course, stay on track, stick to it more often than not, and ANNOY the hell out of me ;).  But most of all, they give it a good chance for the magic to happen.  And it does! 

So, there you have it!  I reckon I could write a novel on this stuff, but maybe another day 😉

I’d love to hear about your most successful habits – how could you adapt them to reach your fitness goals? 

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