The suitcase has been stowed away and the tan is slowly fading – yep, summer is drawing to a close and after a week or two relaxing in far flung locations, heading back to the gym can be a painful thought. However, never has the term “strike while the iron's hot” been so appropriate when it comes to your clients' return. Giving them a call as soon as their plane touches down may be a little extreme, but waiting a couple of days could be the difference between keeping and losing a client. With a couple of extra pounds and a depleted motivation, try these top workout tips to coax your client back to the top of their game:
LIFT THEIR GUILT
Do you ever feel like your client is dodging your calls? This could be due to post-holiday guilt – they've over-indulged and perhaps undone all of their hard work pre-holiday and can't face heading back to real life quite yet. We've all been there but from a health perspective, feelings of guilt can cause stress and anxiety that may have a real impact on weight gain. Try to be encouraging and commend them for taking some down time and enjoying themselves. We all need a break to relax and recuperate for our physical and mental wellbeing, after all.
GET TO IT
Although every client is different, it's safe to assume that the last thing they're going to feel like doing after some time off is going hard and fast in the gym. However, their body has been at a lethargic state for a long time therefore their muscles are completely healed and good to go for weightlifting. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing and there's no better way to wake up their body then putting them back into action. As a result, not only will they burn fat more effectively, they'll also start to see that definition come back a lot quicker than if they struggled through hours of cardio.
GET OUTSIDE
When you've spent days or weeks on a beach, in a rainforest or up mountains exploring your holiday destination, spending any time inside doesn't sound appealing, least of all in a gym. Taking their workout to the great outdoors will enable them to feel a sense of euphoria as breathing fresh air releases feel-good endorphins in the body, making them want to work harder than they would in a gym. Whether it's a run, cycle or circuits in the local park, exposing them to a little vitamin D will give them the motivation they need to make their work out a pleasure and not a chore.
SET ATTAINABLE GOALS
There's nothing better than swimsuit season to get an extra rep out of your client but with the holiday over, their desire to workout can wane. As a Personal Trainer, setting achievable tasks such as attending a spin class once a week or lifting a set weight by next month is a great way to give them something new to work towards, making the practice of exercising more worthwhile and joyous. You can even go the extra mile (excuse the pun) and challenge them to next year’s marathon to give them a training goal throughout autumn and winter.