Need help?

Sometimes all it takes is someone else pointing something out that makes all the difference. Maybe explaining or suggesting something you've never thought of before. Another pair of eyes and ears, another brain focused on your particular problem or set of goals and needs. Sometimes you need some help.

If you are anything like me, you are probably saying to yourself right now, "Not me!" And that's great. Plenty of people work well alone. You may be one of them. If you feel that you are adept at gathering the information you need and putting it to work for you, you are probably right. But if you find yourself struggling, hitting continuous setbacks, feeling frustrated and wanting to give up, it is possible that some kind of coach, trainer, or therapist might be the answer. Sometimes you just need a jumpstart: someone to provide a format and some rules that you can eventually follow on your own.

Maybe your problem or your goals are so common that you can easily find the kind of program you need online. There may even be an app for that! Or possibly a book at the library might cover all the bases. But if you have already tried reading books, using apps, and following online programs to no avail, getting personalized assistance could push you past your particular plateau.

I have provided one-on-one holistic personal training and weight-loss coaching for many clients over the past decade. This is a powerful, personalized process which allows a diet and exercise program to be structured to your exact specifications. Through daily or weekly check-in's, depending on what each client needs, a coach can assess how well the program is addressing your goals and make specific changes when necessary in order to keep your progress going. If you have been attempting to lose weight or get fit on your own, and you are finding the road too bumpy or just too slow and meandering, a coach might be able to smooth the way.

You might think these personalized services are only available face-to-face, but this is not the case at all. There are myriad trainers and coaches who work solely online, providing detailed questionnaires to clients in order to tailor their programs very specifically to each individual. A coach might ask you to take photographs of yourself, or even videotape your workouts, in order to get a very good sense of your workout form, intensity, duration, etc. And keeping an accurate and detailed log of your food and beverage consumption is always mandatory. This is something that anyone who wants to lose fat should already be doing, with or without a coach.

Another point that is essential to consider is commitment. When you make a commitment to another person, perhaps a coach or a trainer, there is someone else out there to whom you are responsible. If you feel this type of commitment and responsibility to yourself, then you may not need an outside force to hold you to your promises. But if you tend to break those promises you make to yourself, having another human being to report to and who holds you responsible for your goals could mean the difference between failing one more time or finally succeeding.

And one more thing. I have taken on several clients who told me they were not just committed, but desperate to achieve their goals. However, once we began working together I discovered that my clients were way more committed to denial. So my advice to you is don't waste your money, your time, and your trainer's time unless you mean business. Don't get on the bus if you really just want to stay home. On the couch. With your feet up. Eating bonbons.

As I have said before, numerous times, change is uncomfortable. No way around it. But nothing worth having ever comes easy. And what you work your butt off to achieve is SO worth it!