The trainer within

Everyone serious about getting fit and healthy would benefit from having a Personal Trainer or a Fitness Coach. A Personal Trainer is invaluable when it comes to doing exercises in correct form. They can educate you on the best method to get the results you want. Also, they can provide you with ongoing motivation to give 100% to your exercise program session after session. I personally have a handful of fitness professionals that I consider my mentors, my coaches and my inspiration. I value their opinion and advice.  I am thankful for having them impacting my fitness and training style. I would go as far as to say that the fitness professionals that I hold in high esteem have given me the confidence and skills to pursue my passion.  Some of my favourite people are Personal Trainers like me.

Having said the above, I think it is important to realize the one thing more powerful, then the best trainer in the world. It may surprise you to learn that you are the most important part of the equation of your success in moving toward a fit and healthy lifestyle. If you take 100% responsibility for your health and fitness you will have the best chances to succeed. Nothing is more powerful than your inner drive. You can be your own trainer. You have inside of you the tools you need to be fit and healthy. Some are naturally are aware of this reality and for others the shift happens slowly.

Do you want have access to that powerful trainer within? Think about how you define yourself?  Do you think of yourself as strong? Someone who is into fitness and a healthy lifestyle? How do you see yourself? Do you think that just because you have excess weight you are less entitled to consider yourself an athlete? Do you see yourself as someone with the ability to participate in exercise? Do you see yourself with the ability to succeed at your workouts? Knowing and challenging how you perceive yourself will help you develop the trainer within.

Imagine you walk into their workout with your inner power switched on. You take the warm up as a chance to get your body and mind ready for your workout. The thoughts in your head are positive messages and excitement. “This is going to be a great workout” or “I’m going to give my 100%” or “I love this stuff” or “this is my favourite  part of the day” or “I know I’m going to ace this workout” or “I feel honoured to look after my health” or “it is a privilege to be able to exercise”. With this kind of self-talk, your body step right up to the task at hand and is ready to work.

During the workout your mindset and attitude will contribute a huge amount to the success of your session. Let’s face it - a good program will be designed to be physically strenuous. You will most likely get to the point where your body will say, ‘I want to take it easy’. This is where the mind kicks in or you can call it will power. It’s that voice in your head that switches gear and says, “I can do this”, or “I’m committed” or “I want this”-just like that, Bam- the last 3 reps of a difficult workout are pumped out.

I call this the “trainer within”. What you are telling yourself before, during and after a workout. I know from my own experience that the game in my mind is usually the biggest factor in my success in my workouts. The above scenario assumes that you started your workout. Some of you will need to take a step back and get your “trainer within” to get you to your workout. Some of you reading this will be familiar with the self-talk that tries to get you to cancel your workout or think of every reason you can’t train. Try saying to yourself, “I really want to be healthy”, or “I know I’ll feel proud for having done my workout” or “Once the endorphins hit I’ll love it.”

Developing your “trainer within” will contribute to your success at every workout. It will put you in the headspace to give everything you possibly can to the task at hand. Most importantly this “trainer within” will carry over into the other areas of your life. You will unleash your power to achieve.