As a Personal Trainer, I meet a lot of people with zealous goals such as getting fitter, leaner, obtaining visible abs in a few short months. And they want to achieve their goals in a short time frame without making alterations to their priorities and lifestyles. Many do not realize the amount of work it takes and the number of sacrifices they have to make in order to achieve their goals.
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On the other hand, I have had the pleasure of working with several clients who have been able to reach their fitness goals, attain a substantial amount of progress in their fitness goals with my help and guidance. And one of the major factors that lead them to seeing results is Consistency. Consistency in showing up for PT sessions, consistency in doing cardio on their own, consistency in their diet and nutrition.

With that said, let’s look into ways in which you can achieve consistency in order to achieve your fitness goals.
 
1. Stop the guilt
When guilt starts sweeping in because you missed a day or two of training, or if you had a hick up with your diet, immediately stop! Feeling guilty about a mistake you made is not going to undo it. The train of thoughts that follow that emotion will only hinder your progress. So stop the guilt thought process and start thinking about how you are going to make up for the lapse in discipline. Work out longer the next day, or eat more vegetables instead of carbs the next day. Been missing your PT sessions? Make it up by doing extra sessions the following week. That’s how you build discipline. By “punishing” yourself in a productive manner and that is how you gain control of your fitness journey.
 
2. Realistic workout schedule
Many times I have clients telling me that they would like to have PT sessions 3-5 times a week if they can. I usually discourage them from doing so. Firstly, because more sessions does not always mean quicker results. In fact, it creates a burn out and a lot of times I am not able to push them as much as I would like to because of that. Even doing PT 3 times a week can be really texting if your body if not used to staying active. I usually recommend doing twice and maximum three times a week. On other days, I ask them to do something they enjoy. Like a workout video, running or swimming.
 
3. Build a relationship with your trainer
There will be tough days, days when you really do not want to work out. Days when nothing seems to go right and all you want to do is go home and relax. Those are the days when the relationship you have with your trainer comes in handy. Try thinking about the things you can share with your trainer or the jokes you can crack during your training session, sharing jokes you saw online about working out. It is going to be hard to be consistent with your training if you dread seeing your trainer. Especially if it is after a long day at work. Professional personal trainers use several techniques to make sure they always present a pleasant energy when working with their clients.
 
4.Track your progress
Keeping a journal and keeping track of your progress in terms of training, hours of exercise, energy levels, how training made you feel and your food intake will help you stay focused. It may seem like a hassle at first if you are not used to journaling. You could use an app on your phone and just jot your thoughts down during your commute for a start. Sometimes having something to look at to see how much work you have already put in will discourage you from giving up.
 
5. Knowledge is empowering
Read fitness forums, blogs, articles to see how people deal with the difficulties they face in training. Maintaining a constant interest in fitness related matters would help you stay on track for a longer time and eventually integrate it permanently into your lifestyle. It also gives you something to talk to your trainer about during your rest breaks!
 
6. Set a date
So you got busy or got tied up in life’s messiness for a few weeks. You lapsed in your training. Stop ignoring your trainer’s messages! Let him or her know when you will be able to resume training and give updates when you can. Commit to a date in which you would be ready and keep your trainer accountable to your return. When you set that goal it will be easier to get back on track.
 
I hope these pointers were helpful. Cope with the obstacles that lay before you in achieving consistency. The key is in never giving up. Do not think about the time it is taking you to achieve your goal but rather focus on the process. Try and enjoy it as much as you can and the results will follow in due time. Your trainer is there to guide you, make use of them

Client Background
Mandy is a mother of 2 young children and originally from Europe. Mandy gained about 10-15kg over the years and was looking to get back to the weight she feels comfortable in. She tried several diets but they did not help much.
Mandy came to me and spoke to me about her goals, background and sought my advice. Looking at her body type, it was apparent to me that she had not much muscle to work with and hence all her efforts in cardio and dieting just was not going to do the trick in getting the numbers on the scale down. Upon taking her measurements, I came to realize she has problems with varicose veins on her left leg, making her left thigh 2cm larger than her right thigh. Most of her fat was stored in her hips and waist areas which is normal for most women. And with age, if no lifestyle change is done, the fat storage will only increase with time. Which is not a healthy aging process and it is just paving room for more health complications in the foreseeable future.
 
Training and dietary Program
Mandy initially started training with me three times a week, after which she reduced it to twice a week. It was a suggestion I made in order for her sessions to sustain longer. That way she would be able to give her body time to gradually but consistently drop body fat and build muscle.
During her sessions the only thing I focused on was building muscle. I asked her to do cardio on her own. My instructions to her was to start going for morning walks before breakfast just to make a habit of moving early in the morning. After which, to incorporate short distance running into the walks and gradually increasing the distance each week.
As for diet, we tried different approaches but the one that worked best for her was to eliminate carbs for dinner. As we progressed and her weight started going down, Mandy started using an app to watch her calorie intake.
 
Outcome/ Results
Over a period of 5 months, Mandy lost 7kg. Her waist went down 2cm, hips went down a whooping 12cm, both arms went down 3cm and her thighs 5 and 3cm with both of them at even measurements now. She is much stronger now and able to lift much heavier weights. Overall looks firmer and is starting to show some muscle definition.
 
Things that lead her to achieving her goal

1. Accepted challenges- Mandy has always been very co-operative during training. I constantly pushed her during sessions by increasing the weights and reps. Although it was hard, and she hated them she never complained. That allowed me to confidently push her each session, because she chose to accept the challenges I gave her each time.
2. Consistency – Mandy prioritized clocking in 2 sessions a week. She shifted things around, made sure I booked her in my calendar in advance and always showed up no matter the circumstance. There was once the MRT broke down, we had to start our session an hour late. We still managed to make it happen.
3. Knowledge and curiosity- She did a lot of reading online about building muscle and tracking her diet. She asked me a lot of questions during training which just indicated to me how keen she was in learning about fitness. Good trainers like questions, it helps us dig out knowledge we have kept locked up in our brains for so long.
4. Using an app to track her diet-  I gave her guidance and advice on how to better her diet. But it was her own initiative to download an app she was comfortable with to track her calories.
5. Discipline – I tell a lot of my clients to do cardio on their own. But very few actually do it. As a result, a lot of my clients get firmer as their build muscle but their weight does not go down due to the lack of calories burnt. Mandy did her homework when I told her to do so.
6. Focus- Showing up for PT sessions is not enough. It is important to focus when lifting weights. Resistance training is not just about conducting a movement. It is crucial to have that mind body connection in order to activate the targeted muscles. And for that, focus is very important.

 
Conclusion
There are a few things to note. I signed Mandy on before I bought my body fat analyzer, hence I do not have numbers in terms of body fat percentage. Also, Mandy has no health issues, and is not taking any medications. She did not come across any injuries during the period she was training with me. So it is important not to compare yourself with her measurements or story. Also Mandy is European. She is accustomed to meals that are not hot or spicy, usually simple dishes made from very few ingredients. She snacks on raw carrots and celery. Asians tend to be accustomed to eating carb dense meals, prefer hot meals and like their vegetable cooked. Observing eating habits are crucial in achieving results. Find the best approach that works for you.