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3 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CLIENTS ON TRACK As you well know (and wish your clients knew better), time spent working out with you is only the first sweaty step on the street towards building a stronger body. A healthy diet filled with whole foods and discovering more ways to become active day-to-day will go miles in helping your clients achieve their fitness goals. But how do you drill this in? Screen-time doesn’t have to mean scrolling time One survey in the UK revealed that the time people spend on their smartphones adds up to as much as fifty days a year. If you are trying to get the attention of your clients outside of the gym building, the best way to reach them is through their mobile phones. While social media is the most common way to do this, it can also lead to negative responses from clients. A systematic review of twenty papers published in 2016 found that photo-based activities such as scrolling through Instagram or posting pictures of yourself online can be an issue when it comes to having negative thoughts about your body. To promote a healthy, positive attitude instead, try an alternative method of phone-based activity. This could mean encouraging clients to learn more about health and nutrition by following helpful
podcasts or recommending them your favourite Netflix documentaries. Or it could mean using an app for personal training such as Virtuagym, which gives clients workouts to do at home and can be used to track nutrition. Make goals meaningful If a client has a big event such as a wedding or holiday coming up, they may be easier to motivate. But if the need to get in shape isn’t quite so immediate, a client may need to be pushed to set goals in order to stay on track. Sit down with your clients and try to understand exactly what they hope to achieve. Encourage them to move away from vague statements like “I want to tone up” or “I want to lose weight.” In order to keep them tuned into their training plan, goals should be both realistic and extremely specific such as “I want to squat my body weight” or “I want to run a half marathon in three months time”. Adding a date of completion will also help to add a sense of urgency and keep your client coming back to train with you. Try and get your client to find their why. Keep in touch via a messaging app and remind them of this on the days they are tempted by junk food or are inclined to skip a gym day.
Keep things interesting Boredom can leave clients sliding off their fitness regimes quicker than you can say “squat press”. It’s your job to make the workouts fun and interesting and keep your client coming back for more. You can do this by switching up workouts frequently and creating bespoke routines that are based on the kinds of exercising each client loves to do. If it’s sunny, take a client outside. Throw in some boxing or incorporate calisthenics such as helping your client perfect a handstand. You could also organise rewards for your clients after they achieve set goals - who can refuse a free smoothie? When it comes to keeping clients on track remember that it all comes down to making sure they stay engaged with the programme. For more tips on how to keep your clients motivated head to the Virtuagym website. www.business.virtuagym.com
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