Personal Trainer Allen Branch decides to stop eating

The doctor recommends that you exercise.
He also recommends that you eat well.

As a Personal Trainer, It is funny to me as important as exercise is, how many people drop out of an exercise program with their series of excuses to justify what is usually a touch of laziness...As many as fall of the exercise wagon, I wonder why none of them ever decide to stop eating? Check out the Personal Trainer blog below to see how ridiculous the start and stop exercise program that so many fall into really is, and maybe you won't fall victim of the fall off the wagon dilemna...

The Personal Trainer gets the call

I thought I would give you a version of the phone call I receive time to time as a Personal Trainer.  These are those people who have "fallen off the wagon" and have decided to give up and quit their exercise program.  Some of these excuses include "I don't have time for the gym anymore, I think I will exercise at home, or  I just cant fit it into my schedule."  You can create a lot of different “deciding to stop your workout routine” excuses, but the definition of quitting is pretty simple.

"Quitting"

This is a parody of the call a Personal Trainer might get, but this time using eating in place of exercise, and the grocery store in place of the gym...

Oh, and by the way, if this is you, remember this... You got where you were, by doing what you did. Going back to it, will take you EXACTLY the same place!!!

So, here we go.

Grocery Store-“Hello, Grocery Store X Can I help you?”

Caller-”You know, I haven't had as much time to eat lately, so I think I need to quit coming to the grocery store. It really isn’t working out with my schedule. you see, I just got busy and haven't been able to get up there, and I think I need to take a break from it for awhile.

Grocery Store- “Ok, are you sure this is what you want to do? We do have the best selection of different foods, and good prices as well.”

Caller-”Yes, it's what I need to do. Now earlier this year when I started eating, it seemed like a good thing, so I did it for awhile, but now I just don’t think I have time for it. I may even try to grow my own food at home.

Grocery Store- “Well it isn't very healthy to not eat. You know it is recommended that you eat daily to maintain your health. Also, growing your own food isn't really feasible unless you work on a farm”

Caller-Yeah I know, but you know how it is. The kids have soccer, and I’m going to miss a week of coming to your store in 3 months for vacation so I should just quit now.

Grocery Store- “You know we would highly recommend that you visit another store while on vacation, you need to eat there too!”

Caller-”Yeah well thanks for the advice and all your help, and the time you spent with me, but I have just decided that it is best for me to just quit for now.”

Grocery Store- “Ok, just keep in mind that you are going to lose a lot of your energy, eventually all of it, you are going to be more prone to disease, and your body is going to pretty much shrivel up if you don’t eat.”

Caller-”Yeah, I know. Maybe I will start back eating in the fall, or next year. It could be my next New Years resolution.”

Grocery Store-Ummm...You said that last year.

This is what calls are like when it comes time for someone to create reasons to stop exercise. We all know it's important, very few people do it correctly on their own. It really isn't very difficult to find 45 minutes 3x per week and creating reasons to stop do not change the fact that quitting should not be an option.

You wouldn't decide to stop eating would you?  Neither should you decide to stop a fitness program.

We know that people move, and job schedules change, and that kids play sports. I have 2 active kids that play on 4 teams total, and with games, practices and events it does eat up a lot of my time. But this can never be the reason why I stop doing one of the most important things for my health I can do. Like healthy eating, proper exercise isn't a luxury anymore-It's essential.

At Fitness One, we are not looking for excuses. Sometimes things happen, but even still we find that most people who will quit (We fortunately have an extremely high 94% retention) do so becuase they fall of the wagon. Money also cannot be the problem-Because we will not turn anyone away who cannot afford to pay.

Wanna hear excuses?

I have one man who does Krav Maga on one leg. Another new member who has Cerebral Palsy, and trains 4-5 days per week. We have several members ages 50+ who among the most elite conditioned people at Fitness One. A 78 year old man takes our Bootcamp class. We have members who join whose weights do not even register on the scale when they get here, and stick it out and learn a healthy lifestyle, and they get in shape. And then of course there is my man Charles Nichols who lost 115 pounds in 7 months, starting as a 400 pound man who couldnt even register on the scale.

Do you think they want to ever go BACK to the way they were? Is quitting an option? Is it acceptable to give up?

No way.

NOW let's look at that other 6%. Of the ones who quit and then return, they have all gained back their weight or more. They wish they hadn't stopped. It did not work out doing it on their own. Sometimes worse they become injured from a something like a running routine. Will we take them back, of course! And help any way we can. But they tell us how much better it would have been if they would have stuck it out.

Maybe it is the fighter in me. Maybe it has to do with what started as a tough childhood for me, I'm not sure. But one thing is for sure-Check your excuses at the doors guys. Don’t ever let yourself become a victim of the “Im going back to the way I was" syndrome.  All of those who have, that I speak to  later, will promise you that you will regret it, every single day.

 “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
 -Epictetus

It has become my mission to be here to help you. The only time I cannot, is when someone decides to let go. Until then, Fitness One is here, and we've got your back.

P.S. I have NO plans to stop eating. :)

Allen Branch is the founder/Master Instructor at Fitness One Training Systems, the Kernersville areas leading results based fitness program. The new Fitness One Facility features a 10,000 square foot facility equipped with Treadmills, ellipticals, Free weights, TRX suspension trainers, Kettlebells, Agility training, a complete line of Fitness classes, Rapid Fat loss bootcamps and Kernersville Krav Maga, Martial Arts, Kickboxing and Karate and Much more. Allen can be reached at 336-655-4558

See the staff credentials and learn more about Fitness One at myfitnessone.com