There are three general things that I want all of my current and potential Personal Training clients to know and understand. Those three things are as follows:

Consistency is the key to reaching your goal, no matter what that goal is.
Without good nutrition, all of your efforts will get you nowhere.
You have to work hard to make visible changes.

Now, let me break those down for you just a little.

First, Consistency is key! If you are going to hire me to meet with you, get to know you and come up with a plan to help you achieve your goals then only exercise twice a week this week, once next week and three the following (when my plan for you is to hit the gym 4 times a week) you aren't going to meet those goals. Also, if you cancel our scheduled appointments every other time we meet, you aren't going to get anywhere and you might as well not hire me at all. If you can't use me as an accountability partner and meet with me consistently, you aren't going to be accountable to yourself and your training program. Even if you aren't wanting to hire a personal trainer, but you have fitness and health goals that you aspire to, if you aren't consistently eating well and working out, you won't see results, period. Weight loss and athlete level goals typically require you to be active every day and do formal exercise at least 5 days a week. Strength, toning and flexibility goals without a weight loss component are going to require at least 3 days a week and up to 6 days a week of consistent hard work.

Second, eat well to see your hard work in the gym pay off. Don't eat well and you will wonder why you are even bothering to go to the gym at all. You may have heard that health/fitness/weight loss is 20% working out and 80% nutrition. That isn't a hard fact, but I believe it! If you think about the amount of time that you spend in the gym each week in relation to the amount of time that you spend eating, which one is more? Most likely, eating. We eat (at least) three times a day and we exercise (at most) once maybe twice a day. If you are doing it right and preparing all of your meals at home, add in all those food preparation hours too. We spend (and should spend!) a lot more time thinking about food than exercise. Make that time count and eat lots of healthy foods including homecooked meals made from lots of vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fruits and some dairy. If you put a little more time, effort and thought into what goes into your mouth, that one hour a day you spend in the gym will get you a whole lot further towards your goals than if you keep eating out of a box or bag or a wrapper or whatever you eat your convenience food out of.

Third, you have to work hard to see the results in your physique that you desire. If you aren't prepared to work hard then don't hire a personal trainer. I am not a magic pill and I can't do the work for you. I can guide, inspire, inform, educate and motivate you, but i can't put in the time and energy that is needed for you to make changes in your physique. Only you can do that. If you think that hiring a personal trainer will somehow make the workouts that you have already been doing on your own work for you, it won't. I will ask you to work harder, do more, put more time in. Hopefully I will inspire you to want to do those things. However, learning from and working with me once or twice a week for an hour each time in the gym isn't going to get you where you want to be unless where you want to be is where you are right now. I will give you homework to do and you need to do it. Don't come to the gym unprepared, do a few easy sets of a few random exercises and walk away wondering if you are making progress towards your goals. Walk into the gym with your head held high ready to work hard and do whatever it takes to reach your goals; walk out feeling tired, but on cloud nine because you KNOW you are on your way to reaching your goals.

Work hard consistently, eat well consistently, meet your goals consistently.