It's the most dangerous idea a newclient can have, but it's most likely what drove them to you in the firstplace. It's the "All or Nothing" mindset, the "If I can't exercise everydayand eat perfect then what's the use?" excuse for not achievingsuccess. These clients are generally theones who seem the most gung-ho to begin training, five days aweek, and want to follow a super low-calorie food plan. And they assure you thatthis plan is very realistic for them...
...Until life throws them the slightestcurve and then all bets are off. The minute their son's baseball team calls anunexpected practice and interrupts their training schedule, the plan iscompletely derailed, never to recover.
Most likely, you too have encounteredthis type of client. And most likely you've been fooled by their initialenthusiasm. But experience eventually teaches us to give these clients somecoaching early on -- let them know that this isn't an all-or-nothingproposition. That exercise and eating right need to become a part of alifestyle shift, a change that you lean into and become better and better at astime goes along. They need to know that nobody -- including the professionalathletes with the greatest bodies and eating habits -- aren't perfect all thetime. And as trainers, we don't expect them to be perfect either.
Interruptions will occur. Plan with yourclient how to handle them. And share with them that consistent effort makes much bigger changethan striving for perfection.
