Accountability

Staying on track is tough! Just as Jesus writes "...the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult..." (Mathew 7:14 NLT), we all naturally have a difficult time accomplishing the tasks that will make us better. It is often too easy to put aside proper dieting, exercise and tracking for a later time or another day. This is especially true if there is no one else to keep you accountable to your goals except for yourself.

Accountability with your health goals is the number one way to dramatically increase your odds of success! Regardless of how much you know about diet and exercise, it always comes down to just doing it. Accomplishing the tasks of exercise and tracking your diet becomes a higher priority when you know that there is someone else to answer to if you don't do these things.

I think we all agree that when we were in school, if a teacher told us that there was going to be a test in the next week, we all might at least think about studying or reviewing a little bit more if we wanted to do well in that class. Well, diet and exercise is exactly the same. When you have someone to hold you accountable to your goals, you will want to be well prepared by making sure you exercise the way you are supposed to and keep track of your diet to show him/her how well you are staying on track!

Having an accountability partner or trainer is a great way to make sure you achieve the results you are looking for. When I prepared for the previous bodybuilding competitions that I competed in, I met with a very knowledgeable trainer to make sure I was on track to be in the best condition possible. Even though I am a personal trainer already, I realized that if I wanted to be in the best condition, I needed someone to hold me true to my goals. In addition to that, meeting with her allowed me to relax about the whole process and just do what she recommended and not worry about if I was doing the right amount of work or eating too many or too few calories. I just did what she said and I got results. In most cases, when you place your trust in someone who has the expertise that you are looking for and you do exactly what he or she says, you won't have to stress about the results either, it will just come.

When you are searching for an accountability partner/trainer, make sure he/she is very honest and not afraid to hurt your feelings. In order to get the results that you are looking for, it usually takes honest dialogue, and quite often the truth hurts. If you think your best friend or spouse is going to be a good accountability partner for you, you are more than likely setting yourself up for failure! These people will typically not give you the honest criticism that you need to be successful. You also may not feel like you can tell him/her everything because sometimes there are situations that involve this person (i.e. spouse wants you to eat ice cream late at night with him/her before you both go to bed). When you deeply care about someone, it is very hard to be as upfront and blunt about what you need to do to change. It is really best to find someone that is pretty impartial to your living situation and can tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not.

Hiring a personal trainer is one way to make sure you stay on track to meet your goals. Having a personal trainer used to be only exclusive to the rich. However, these days personal training has become very affordable. For anywhere between $40-$75 for a session, it's not a bad option to consider. Many people pay much more than that in doctor's visits, co-pays and pharmacy transactions. By meeting with a trainer once each month, you can make sure you stay on track with your goals, improve your health and more than likely decrease your other medical expenses.

When looking for a personal trainer, look for one who has the background and experience you are interested in (i.e. pilates instructor for someone interested in learning pilates or a trainer that has done bodybuilding competitions to learn about bodybuilding). Also, look to see how long he/she has been training and what types of results/testimonies he/she can produce. In addition to that, credentials can also be an (but should not be the most) important aspect. Look to see for specific health related degrees (kinesiology, exercise science, phys ed, nutrition, etc) and personal trainer certifications. There are currently three big name certifications that are nationally recognized by all gyms: NASM, NSCA and ACE. If a trainer has at least one of these three, this means that he/she has passed a nationally accredited exam that demonstrates that he/she knows the important aspects about how to effectively train individuals. However, I want to remind everyone that book knowledge does not always mean he or she is "effective". Effectiveness is best determined by experience and testimonials. If you have a friend that recommends a certain trainer, I would listen to him or her. Usually the best trainers are the ones most often talked about (or complained about ;-)

If you are interested in finding out how a personal trainer can really help you achieve your goals, please let me know.

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:14 (New King James Version)