The Answer that Destroyed Your Results

I am a trainer. As you can imagine my life revolves around the gym and attempting to help people get into the best shape of their lives. I get to help people accomplish their goals and live the best life possible. Part of that is helping my clients set goals. And, I follow up with them.  I ask them lots of questions. How are you going to achieve this goal? Why is it important to you? What did you eat for breakfast? How many hours of sleep did you get? Now, there are hundreds of answers for each of these questions. And, most people know what the answer is SUPPOSED to be, however, it seems as though the real answer is always hiding someplace.

Whenever, we ask questions especially related to our health, there are a series of emotions tied to those questions. We don’t want to be judged. We want to feel as though we have it all together, especially when we are around others. If I ask the question, “How many hours of sleep did you get last night,” I sometimes get the answer, “Oh about seven or so…” However, the person really got five or six hours. Why did that person feel like he/she had to up the number? Was it to look better or maybe to feel better? Just because you know what the answer is supposed to be doesn’t mean you have to let the little voice inside lie about it. What do you gain? Nothing, you are actually hurting yourself.

 In the fitness world, at least in my world, I ask people these questions all the time. I hear a lot of different answers and my biggest piece of advice is to not dance around the real answer. You may know what your fitness coach wants to hear. But, if you can’t tell him/her the real answer, how can they help you maximize your life? That is what we are here for. We are trying to help you find the goals you have for yourself and plan to achieve them. Pay attention over the next few days, even hours, to how many questions you get asked, and how many times you blurt out what you know is supposed to be the answer, when really the real answer might not be so great.

For most of us, fitness and health is a journey. If you are truly invested in it then you’ve probably read article after article about it. So, more often than not we have a decent handle on what the answers are to some of the more general questions regarding fitness. However, those general questions are the things that can lead to more specific goals or gains or losses or whatever it is you are focusing on during your fitness journey. You may know what the answers are supposed to be, but tell the real one and don’t slow your journey to success. Be honest with yourself and the person who is trying to help you succeed.