You and Accountability

As a personal trainer, I know it is very common for most people to avoid the accountability they need to get started with or maintain an exercise plan. A couple of reasons they prefer personal training is to be motivated and pushed to the physical potential they thought they never had. Now, that is only part of the puzzle. When one is trying to lose weight or change their body composition or just stay on the wagon, the psychological side is just as important. That is where the commitment factor weighs in. Literally.
As my relationships start and grow with my clients, I ask them to meet me half way. This means I take responsibility for my services and the client has to take responsibility for their time away from me. The time away from me is significant in comparison to the miniscule fraction of time a client is with me during the week. A session with me is either a half hour or an hour and this could be once, twice or three times in a week. So lets take the client that is with me twice a week for an hour at a time. During that session, I motivate and guide them to an effective and inspiring workout. This is 2 out of 119 (awake) hours in a week. Outside of that time, I communicate to follow up after the workout and insure that individual is on track based on their personal goal. So, I provide more than their scheduled time to keep the goal at the forefront of their mind. The rest of the time is when the client has to be accountable. This means being conscious of what and how much they eat at all times and getting their exercise in to supplement the workouts I provide.
When guidance and coaching are embraced, results happen. If they are not, results waver. It also wavers when the client avoids his or her own accountability. A personal trainer is a catalyst for change but not the one making the change for the client. They have to want it and do it for themselves, with assistance.
Part of my creed as a trainer is, I can provide a solid foundation but cannot make someone thinner. I can give the proper education, but I cannot do the work for the individual. I can walk the client through the process, but cannot guarantee it will be easy. I can hope for years of active living, but only the individual can choose to be active. I can believe in my clients, but they have to believe in themselves.