Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of daily physical activity. More than 80% of adults do not meet the requirements of healthy activity every month. Those numbers have remained stable or fallen worse during the 40-year ascension of the fitness industry. Expanding our knowledge and understanding of training methodology, nutritional science, functional anatomy and movement application is undeniably important.
But consider this…
The effectiveness of the very best advice in the world is directly in proportion to the advice takers’ capacity to receive it. Which is based primarily on perception and expectation: our clients’ perception of their capacity to succeed using the advice we’re giving them, countered or complemented by their unconscious expectations. This will determine self-actualization or self-sabotage.
Our customers, clients and prospects need you to better understand the reasons they can’t seem to sustain an exercise and nutrition program. They need us to appreciate that there are mental and emotional reasons that lurk underneath the surface for why that’s true. They need us to know that it really isn’t about laziness, lack of willpower or any other condemnation we tend to throw at people who seem to be inconsistent with a fitness lifestyle. They need us to learn how crucial mindset truly is and how much the “get after your goals” motivation really doesn’t work for everyone.
They need you to know that even if you stopped learning about training, exercise, programming or nutrition for the rest of your life, you’d still know 200% more than they do, but still may not be fully equipped to help them reach their goals.
Of course, no one should advocate that fitness professionals stop learning about exercise and nutrition. But at what point do we include mindset as part of that continuing education? Realize that understanding mindset is necessary and part of our obligation to help customers and clients achieve lifelong fitness and health. Without a quality education in mindset, perhaps we're only half as capable of helping people as we want to be.
We really can’t look at mindset education as a ‘revolution’ in the fitness industry. But without question, it is an evolution. And the difference isn’t semantics. Revolutions are based on hype; over-exaggeration, distorted fear tactics and embellished claims. Evolutions, on the other hand, are transformative improvements created out of necessity; required developments based on assessment and reassessment of need. This evolution is where fitness professionals should pay close attention. Wherever the mind goes, fitness goals will follow.
