Preach Moderation and Your Clients Will Benefit
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By Sal | December 22, 2008
When it comes to exercise and nutrition there are far too many fitness professionals who preach extreme views which places undo pressure on clients to live up to unrealistic expectations. If you adopt an "all things in moderation" philosophy you will have a healthier and happier clientele and as a result be a more successful trainer.
The most common example of this are extreme nutritional philosophies, that demonize and exclude entire categories of foods and calories, and the weight-centric approach to health that is a prominent theme in the current fitness media. No-fat, no-carbohydrate, no-protein and other "no-whatever" diet absolutes are potentially harmful, difficult to maintain and establish an unhealthy connection between food and health. These kinds of diets represent the polar opposite of moderation and serve as great illustrations of programs that doom fitness consumers to failure before they even start.
The fitness extremists aren't any more forgiving when it comes to exercise, as these types advocate exercising five or more times per week, every week, and spout off their uneducated and demonstrably incorrect advice without any remorse. Exercise every day is poor quality exercise and if it's easy enough to do every day, than it isn't worth doing.
Quality over quantity wins out every time.
Moderation in an exercise program gives your clients time to rest in between workouts - both mentally and physically - which will help clients improve their fitness level in the long run. This doesn't mean your workouts have to be easy - far from it - but only that you give your clients ample time to recover between sessions. Remember any exercise that you can do every day is poor quality exercise.
When you think about it, aside from eating and hygiene, there aren't many habits or behaviors that you should engage in every day. If someone told you they ate the same food everyday you would think it very odd, and yet I know people who run, use the Stairmaster or elliptical trainer everyday. Even if this occurs in the short-term, people are sure to burn out following this kind of regular routine.
The best way to ensure long-term adherence to your program by clients, and contribute to the success of your business, is to preach and practice a program that features moderation and high-quality exercise.
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