Being a personal fitness coach isn’t just about understanding diet and exercise. It is all about putting mind over matter. You know this is true if you have ever tried to get in shape or lose a bunch of weight. You set your goal, lay out your plan, and nothing happens. Nothing happens because you have not put the power of your subconscious mind to work.
Your Drive for Consistency Makes Fitness Impossible
Your subconscious mind is driven to make your life consistent with your self-image. If you want to be fit and your subconscious believes that you are out of shape and just a little bit chubby, it will drive you to stay that way, even if you consciously would like to be fit. As a personal fitness coach, this also applies to your clients. Unless you can convince your clients’ subconscious mind that they are slim and trim, they will remain as they are – out of shape and very frustrated.
Applying the Greatest Discovery of the Last Century
The good news, as a personal fitness coach, is that you can do just that. William James said that the greatest discovery of the last century is that your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between something that is vividly imagined and something that actually happened. Applying this to personal fitness means that, as a coach, if you have your client vividly imagine being fit, after a while their subconscious mind will believe it and kick in to make their actions consistent with that “reality”. Suddenly, exercise and healthy diet become completely natural, and so does losing weight and being fit. In fact with sufficient reinforcement, it becomes harder to not exercise than to exercise.
The Personal Fitness Coach as Magician not Slave Driver
By changing your client’s self-image to slim, trim and healthy, you are able to help them achieve their goals without constantly beating them up. Getting and being in shape is now a pleasant and positive experience. This further reinforces their desired behavior. Follow these guidelines and what do you have? You have a formula for success that goes way beyond personal fitness coaching. Think about it. Suddenly you have the formula for success in personal fitness, financial security and romantic relationships. It is all their in the subconscious mind
Dave Iuppa
JTS Advisors Strategy and Accountability Coach
Hi Dave,
I totally agree. Losing weight and getting fit is really a hard job. It is not just about exercise and diet but a lifestyle change. Some people seek help from fitness coaches. So the burden is somehow passed to the coach because it would be their job to help these people lose weight and get fit. I just realized now that their job is not only to help their clients with the exercise routines but to motivate them and, as you’ve said, influence their subconscious mind.