Dear Deborah

Question from Ann, New York City: Every time I start a fitness program, life gets in the way, I start to plateau, and before I know it, I’ve fallen off the bandwagon and gained 5 pounds. I can’t really afford a personal trainer, but I can see how they can help keep you on track. I have tried DVDs and classes without success. Is there anything out there that can help me?

Answer: Thank you Ann for your honesty, I know many women have similar frustrations as they pursue their fitness lifestyle. There is a lot of new research in the world of fitness and out of that dearth of research comes a new hybrid of personal trainers. They are called Fitness Lifestyle Coaches, they can provide guidance on exercise and behavior and are a cheaper alternative to a Personal Fitness Trainer. I’ll approach your question with the mindset of a lifestyle fitness coach so you can see how the lifestyle fitness training process can work.

So let’s get down to basics and define fitness, which includes three elements. First you need a cardio challenge where your heart and breathing rates rise significantly. The second ingredient is strength training where the muscles are challenged with resistance work. Third is flexibility, the muscles need to stretch to maintain mobility. Remember, you get stiff and then you get old. Trying to take on all 3 elements may seem overwhelming at first, so don’t do it.

Pick an item you enjoy; all three are equally important, so choosing one can be the key to starting a lifestyle you can consistently engage in. Once an item becomes a habit, because you enjoy it, which usually takes 28 days, you can add another. Add each item gradually and in small doses so you don’t get overwhelmed. Of course, if you enjoy two or even all three elements of fitness, spend a small amount of time on each so that you experience success with the time designated for each element. Be realistic in your time allocation, if you can’t live up to it you will feel like a failure, so choose smaller time frames and experience success. Think ‘do a little less and emphasize success’ and your self-confidence will increase.

You need to find what motivates or excites you, so to motivate yourself you need a fitness vision. This vision involves using your imagination to project your future. Ask yourself what it would be like to see yourself successfully living your fitness lifestyle after a year or two. Visualize how you will look, act, eat, sleep, etc. until you can feel it, see it, smell it, breathe it. By making it as real as possible to yourself, you will start to feel the excitement bubbling up in you. Now that’s making your mojo work for you.

Now set goals for yourself to make that vision a reality. Where I am now? How can I get closer to that vision in 3 months/6 months? Weekly, what do I do? Start with small weekly goals, so you can feel a sense of accomplishment every time you reach your goals. Then, each week, add a little more challenge, and because you’re successfully meeting your goals, your self-confidence grows.

We all know how life gets in the way, that progress is never linear. So get creative and see potential problems. In your mind, think about how these obstacles can stop you and how you can find ways to get around them. This way, when problems arise, you won’t be caught off guard and you’ll be better prepared to deal with the situation and keep up with your physical lifestyle.

Yes, hiring a trainer makes it easier to keep up with your fitness, but doing it yourself can be fulfilling, rewarding, and even more empowering because you’ve thoughtfully devised your own solutions instead of just following orders.

A personal trainer appears with exercise programs that challenge you and keep you progressing to higher levels of fitness. Where, as a lifestyle fitness coach, he challenges you to be creative, solve problems, get to know yourself better and break down barriers, helping you break old habits, building confidence to develop new, healthier ones so you can maintain a fitness lifestyle of independently.

A lifestyle fitness trainer will also give a training session once a week and address specific exercise needs. You can find a fitness coach at http://www.wellcoaches.com or just Google Lifestyle Fitness Coaches.

I’d love to hear from you, questions, comments, problems, achievements, please email [email protected]. Now get out there and get your mojo working!

Deborah Caruana RN, MO, CPT, FLCoach. web: http://www.vitalsignsfitness.com