Your clients want to change, but change is hard. They want to meet their goals, but there are so many ways they can become derailed. Modifying ingrained behaviors is an extremely difficult task. This is why they hire you. You are equipped with the knowledge and tools to get your clients on track and moving in the right direction.

Accountability

Because you will not be with your clients for the majority of the time, you want to help them feel responsible for their own actions and behaviors. You can do this in several ways. Require your clients to keep an exercise journal, so they have to put in writing what type of exercise they performed, along with when, where, and how long they exercised. If your clients set nutritional goals, have them keep a food journal where they record what they are eating and in what amounts. If your client would rather use a computer or handheld device, there are numerous programs and Web sites on the market that can be used for this purpose. Once a week or so, they should bring you the records so you can check their progress. Because no client wants to disappoint their trainer, simply knowing that they will have to show you will make them more likely to perform the desired behaviors.