MEDICAL MATTERS

to habits I

t is the time of year when people join a gym. The food and lethargy of Christmas somehow nudge them to try and get fit. Yes, summer is still a long way off but when it finally arrives they want

to feel good and look good. However, more often than not the direct debit continues to be paid while the good intentions evaporate.

What can we do as instructors and personal trainers, be it on a one- to-one basis or in a class, to transform that resolution into a habit? Here are some things I have found helpful.

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Run with a client’s general goals – I want to ‘get fit’ or ‘lose some weight’ or ‘look OK on the beach’. This is not the stage to set SMART goals.

Encourage attendance goals which at the beginning may only be two sessions a week. That is huge step for most people.

Programme the early sessions so that they are: Gentle – five minutes of low intensity exercise and a few stretches may be all that a client can manage on their first visit to the gym Uncomplicated – trying to train all the components of fitness in the first few sessions can be very confusing Short – if a client is unfit they just cannot do 60 minutes of exercise! Progressive – making progress, however small, is the best possible encouragement a client can have

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Always be positive. If we come across as critical or negative we simply reinforce the client’s low self-esteem and guilt.

Be holistic. Getting fit and staying fit is not just about working out in the gym. Increasing the activities of daily living and eating healthily are vital if the work in the gym is to have the maximum benefit. So there is a longer term educational programme which is part of helping them to get fit.

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From resolutions

Dr. John Searle explains how he managed to hold on to such a high number of January clients through a range of friendly, effective and powerful techniques

Nurture your clients, which means encouragement during and between sessions. A text message asking them how they are or that you are looking forward to the next session indicates that they are important to you.

Ask for feedback: l At the end of each session l During the warm up l Between sessions if they are worried

Make the sessions fun.

Total professionalism at all times is essential if we are to maintain a client’s confidence.

Our goal is for our New Year clients to discover and enjoy the fact that exercise, like a dog, is not just for Christmas but for life.

THE AUTHOR John Searle worked for 25 years in the NHS as a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care. He developed rheumatoid arthritis in his mid 50s and had to take early retirement on health grounds. Subsequently, he discovered the benefits of exercise for his illness, going on to qualify as a personal trainer. He spent a number of years thereafter working mainly with older people and people with chronic conditions. He is a former honorary chief medical officer of the ukactive where he worked to promote links between the health and fitness professions. He continues to see a small number of clients, usually with quite complex conditions. He believes passionately that physical activity and exercise are the key to health and wellbeing. He was awarded the OBE in 1998 for services to medicine and the hospice movement.

The REPs Journal 2014;29(January):26-27