I was having lunch last week with a client of mine, which is always one of my favorite things to do.
It gives us an opportunity to sit down and talk on a more personal level, instead of in our “work” atmosphere of the gym.
Almost every time I have gone out with a client for lunch, it usually starts with a conversation regarding nutrition.
Naturally, since we are out to lunch, and my client wants to order the “right thing”. So, he lets me order first and then follows my lead with his order.
This leads to a conversation that I have probably had thousands of times with people over the last 15 years of personal training.
To give you the 10,000-foot view of it, it sounds something like this…
“So what is good for me to eat here?” – client
“Almost everything is okay in moderation. You need to be realistic with your goals. If you want to feel better, drop a little weight, move pain-free, and live a longer life, you don’t have to eat only salads every day. You need to look at the big picture… the long view of what you want to accomplish. Nothing happens overnight, and when it comes to micro results like weight loss, it needs to be accomplished in a macro approach over time.” – me
“But, how many times a week to do you cheat on your diet?” – client
“I personally don’t believe in “cheat meals,” I believe in a balanced approach that yields consistent change over time. If I am out with some friends, and I want to have a burger and a beer, I have it. I don’t feel guilty about it, or beat myself up over it, I just make sure that I get back on track with eating healthy during my next meal.” – me
“So you’re saying that I can still eat what I enjoy, AND get the results that I want?” – client
“In moderation, yes you can.” – me
“Excuse me, waiter… can I change my order from a grilled chicken salad to a double bacon cheeseburger?” – client
Well, that usually doesn’t happen, but it would be really funny if it did!
Once this conversation was over, it dropped his guard, and he realized that I wasn’t judging him on what he ordered for lunch (believe me, your personal trainer doesn’t judge you for that. And, if he/she does, it’s time to find a new one!)
As our lunch progressed, we ventured into many different areas of conversation.
He is an extremely successful business owner, so I started to pick his brain as to how to improve my business.
His answer was simple… have patience.
“I have been building my business for 16 years now. There were many highs and lows, but I just kept pushing forward and learning from my mistakes. I had patience because I knew that over time all of my hard work would pay off. It might have taken me 16 years to get successful like I am now, but if I didn’t have patience, and gave up after every bump in the road, I wouldn’t be in business today.” – client
As soon as he told me that, the light bulb went off.
I asked him to repeat that to me, but replace business with weight loss.
Because it is the exact same principle.
Which could be true for almost anything in life.
There are two words that everyone who wants to accomplish a goal needs to learn…
1. Patience
2. Persistence
If you can master these two “Ps” of progress, you can accomplish anything.
If you’re struggling, or just need a little help, I would love to help you reach your goals.
Schedule a 15-minute strategy call with me this week by using the link below, and let’s talk about how I can help you achieve the goals that you deserve!
