If you are reading this, you probably consider yourself a normal person.

You are not a professional athlete, you are not training to be a bodybuilder, you do not want to put on 50 pounds of muscle, nor do you care to sustain 5% body fat.

However, everywhere you turn there are articles, videos, and pictures all dedicated to being “hardcore” and finding physical perfection. Have you ever been on Instagram and searched “fitness”?

It won’t take long to find hundreds of profiles of 20 something year olds wearing very little, oiled up, flexing, and telling you they are an online coach that can help anyone.

Really?

I bet 54 years old Mrs. Jones is really excited to fill out a training application for the 23 year old female trainer wearing a thong flexing on the beach.

You know who else isn’t? The 24 year old female who is 50 pounds overweight who feels nothing but intimidated by the self obsessed “model” posing as a “trainer”.

Why is the “training” industry so focused on the 2%.

I often refer to the 98% versus the 2%.

The 98% are the VAST majority of us who are looking to lose some weight, put on some muscle, decrease pain, and just feel better in day to day life.

The 2% are the small group of individuals who have truly mastered the 98. They been at it for years and have exhausted most training and nutrition options. They are at the point of stepping up to whatever level it takes to get more lean or muscular.

Advanced supplementation, extreme eating plans, very intense training schedules, etc.

Even though this describes about 2% of the fitness population, trainers still continue to spew all about the perfect diet, the perfect workout routine, or why people who make New Year’s resolutions are stupid.

Guess what? Any positive change is better than no change and if it takes a resolution to get someone to make that first step, so be it. The gym you go to and the trainers there should do their best to make those first time resolutions folks stick with it, not cry and moan that the facility is busy.

The gyms and their trainers FAIL.

The gyms fail because all they wanted was to sign people up for the monthly EFT and watch their bank account continue to grow as all the January 1 newbies stop coming. They had no desire to encourage a lifestyle of health and fitness to their new members, but rather get them to sign up and hopefully never show up again.

The trainers fail because they see resolution clients as wastes of time. People who won’t stick with it and will drop out after a few sessions.

Maybe they won’t end up long term clients.

Or maybe the trainers didn’t do a good enough job showing the client what they could do for them and how they could assimilate health and fitness into their lives no matter how busy or stressed they are.

Could it be that a good chunk of these trainers really have no idea what lifestyle training is?

Think about it.

If you make a New Year’s Resolution to get in shape, there’s a part of you that desires it. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have tried at all.

There is a chance that it didn’t stick in the past because no one showed you how health and fitness can be a lifestyle that won’t take five workouts a week at an hour and a half a pop.

That it doesn’t have to mean eating 20 grams of carbohydrates per day for the rest of your life.

All it takes is the right guidance, motivation, and progress to keep going. That is in large part the job of your gym and it’s staff.

THEY FAIL.

Now I know some people are not going to stick to it no matter what, but there are loads of people that quit who wouldn’t have if they had the right influences and guidance to help them.

Welcome People

Are you the person looking annoyed and scowling at what appears to be a new gym goer shortly after the first of January?

How would you feel if you were at the doctor’s office and your doc told you that you had DVT?

You say, “uhhh what’s that?”

Your doctor then looks at you with “what an idiot” written across his or her face.

You would probably feel mistreated and a little embarrassed.

Just because a newcomer in the gym doesn’t know what they are doing doesn’t give you permission to be a jerk.

Now, I am not saying every gym should be Planet Fitness — their commercials and concept are mostly stupid.

But what I am saying is that when you go to the gym it should be a safe place.

The gym is a like a school, not a fraternity.

It is for teaching, learning and honing skills. Not belittling.

Just because you might feel like you have your PhD in lifting does not mean you should stroll into the elementary school and act like everyone is stupid.

If you see someone that looks like they need help doing something, help them.

If you see someone that looks like they could use some advise, give them some.

Forget how crowded your gym is. Be a good person.

Isn’t it funny how the “cool” new trend is to post on social media how stupid New Year’s Resolutions are?

You probably saw multiple people make posts or videos about how dumb it is and how it shouldn’t take the new year to make a change.

Yeah, whatever high horse. Hop down off your podium and think about actually helping these people. Because you are doing NOTHING for them.

In fact, you are the problem.

Do you think that yelling at them is going to make them want to come to you for advice? Or for that matter, come to anyone for advice?

People do not seek advice from people that make them feel stupid.

For Life

Let’s all try to put a new spin on the way we look at the new year and the people starting fitness journeys.

Yeah, some will drop off, but what if you can help some keep going.

Remember, this stuff is for life. I could care less about helping someone feel good for a few months. I am aiming to help people feel great for the rest of their time on this earth (or another planet if technology takes them their).

Do you need help taking the plunge into a lifestyle of health and fitness?

Taking the step of seeking out guidance could be the one thing that bridges the gap from where you are now to achieving the things you have been wanting to.

If you would like some direction I would be glad to help!

Email me right now at: JwaltersPT@gmail.com