Yell at me, scream at me, motivate me! (part 1)

A friend turned client recently asked me if I was going to scream at him a la the Biggest Loser. We both laughed but he really wanted to be motivated to get to the last struggling repetitions. He’s a big fan of the hit NBC TV show and bootcamps. I asked him, “well who’s gonna yell at you when you’re standing in front of your refrigerator, or when you’re at a restaurant, or when you’re at lunch with your co-workers?”. He was confused. I explained, not only is degredation counter culture to any of the mind-body movements (yoga, tai-chi, pilates, etc.), but it also means your goals are impotent. As with any guy, he didn’t like the word impotent.

People who really want to achieve something don’t need to be told to go after it. They take action and don’t stop until it’s done. For example, if you needed your favorite shirt to be clean so you can wear it later on an interview or audition, you would put it in the washing machine. If you couldn’t get to the washing machine for whatever reason, you would bring it to the cleaner. If the cleaner couldn’t clean it by the time you needed it, you would take a wet wash cloth and rub out the stains. So on and so forth. You wouldn’t stop until that shirt was clean because you had a goal that really meant something. To look your best might mean a better and more rewarding job.

My friend didn’t really have any good reason for himself to be fit. He had the same superficial reasons everyone else has:

• I want a six-pack
• I want a lot of women to like me
• I want my buddies to be jealous of me
• I want to be healthy

He would’ve been better served if he had phrased his goals this way:

• I can only be wealthy if I am healthy. This money is meaningless if I’m sick.
• I don’t want to suffer from CVD while in my 40′s or later.
• I’m not defined by what I couldn’t physically achieve earlier in my life. I’m worth more than that now.
• I want someone who values and respects their body as much as I do mine.

When his goals are set this way, there’s no stopping him because there’s something tangible at stake. He wouldn’t need me to yell at him or tell him “C’mon! You got one more in you!”. In fact, I’d  probably have to hold him back so he doesn’t over do it.

Many of the studio’s clients are self driven this way. Albeit, Pilates can be a pricey endeavor and is typically practiced by successful professionals like lawyers, actors, writers and the like. If I were to scream at them for motivation’s sake, they’d probably tell me to go kill myself. BTW, I’m blessed to have clients who are all very caring and nurturing. The point is, success leaves clues and I’ve noticed that they all have clearly defined reasons why they should get into the best shape possible.

ADDENDUM:

I have no prejudice against bootcamp and the Biggest Loser TV show. I’ve done bootcamp and it’s great. Just like spinning, hiking, jogging on the beach, walking long distances, gardening, and anything that causes your body to change from an inert state. The most important thing is find your own reasons to get healthy and choose a fitness path you can consistently do for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.