initial consultation and why change is so difficult

What you say can either facilitate or hinder change Category 1: these clients do not typically eat real food. If you

were to ask them for a 24 hour diet recall the list would most likely consist of processed carbs, microwavable dinners and would be completely devoid of vegetables. These clients will be difficult to change but I will go over methods that can help.

Category 2: these clients may be a little overweight, they eat real food sometimes. For example, they might be eating chicken wraps rather than grilled chicken salad. They have a basic idea of what healthy eating entails but don’t have a diet that will help their goals as efficiently as possible.

Category 3: these clients already have a very healthy diet. They may just need some advanced strategies to lose those last five pounds. Their goals will usually be related to aesthetics.

With category 1 & 2 clients you may have to ask questions like this:

Goals: Have you tried to meet these goals before? What does your ideal self look like?   If you were your ideal self what would you be

doing differently today?   What are the barriers that you believe are

preventing you from becoming your ideal self?

Don’t say this

We have to change everything

Good dialouge

Justin: Why don’t you tell me about your goals? Client: Well I would like to lose fifty pounds. Justin: That’s a good goal, have you tried to meet this goal

before? Client: I’ve tried before, and I’ve lost weight but it came

back. I was on a diet plan I couldn’t follow. Justin: Well that’s actually quite normal; most diets don’t

work in the long haul that’s why I employ a slightly different strategy than a precise diet plan. So your ideal self is someone who is fifty pounds lighter?

Client: Yes, that’s correct. Justin: So why don’t you tell me this, if tomorrow you woke

up and you were your ideal self, fifty pounds lighter, what would you be doing differently than what you did today?

Client: Well I suppose I would be snacking a lot less and wouldn’t be eating unhealthy at night.

*note: this strategy is what I call inception (yes stolen from the movie). Rather than you telling your client what to do they tell you what they should do. The idea seems self generated when in reality it would be the same thing you would tell them.

Justin: Awesome, those are all good starting points. What do you think are some barriers that are preventing you from doing those habits?

Client: I work late and when I get home I don’t feel like making dinner so I just go for a quick option even though I know it’s unhealthy.

Justin: I know how that goes, I used to work 12 hours days when I wouldn’t get home until 9 and had to be asleep by 10. The last thing I wanted to do is make a healthy dinner.

*right there I empathize with the client and let them know their behavior is normal, they’ll usually respond with this though:

Client: Yea I know it’s hard but I should be eating healthier, it’s not really a good excuse I could make a healthy meal in 15 minutes.

Justin: You could make a healthy vegetable stir fry in about 15 minutes, do you like stir fry?

Client: I do! Justin: Excellent, why don’t we start there? I don’t want to

overload you with new habits so how confident are you that you can make a healthy dinner every night? Let’s say on a scale of 1-10.

Client: I can do that, that’s a 10! *there I gave the new client only one thing to worry about. If

they had given me 7 out of 10 I would make the habit easier. I would ask if they could make a healthy dinner five nights out of the week. I would make the change easier and easier until they were sure they could do it.

Always remember that your dialogue with your new or prospective client will dictate whether or not they will change.

WHY IS CHANGE SO DIFFICULT?

Lifestyle change

Your clients have probably tried to get in shape and failed Why is this so difficult? What is normal? So what does that tell us?

How do we get healthy

Change exercise and change diet right?

Seems so simple but…

Exercise

Exercise - how much?-30 or 60 min -how often?- 3 or 4 times per week? - what kind? –cardio, machines, free weights, how

do I design a program? - do I hire a trainer do I do it on my own?• Exercise just turned into 10 choices and that’s not

even half of it.• People have to change their whole routine to fit an

hour in for the gym- one hour at the gym can take another hour of prep, get ready 15 min driving each way, shower ect.

Diet

Diet: this is a minefield of misconceptions that cause indecisiveness

- What kind- more fruit? More vegetables? Are grains good? Are grains bad? Is fat good? Is fat bad? More protein? Less protein?

- How much- 1500, 2000, 2500?- How often- 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times?- When do I eat?- How do I cook my food?- Diet just turned into 17 questions? Once again

there are probably more

How do we get healthy?

So our single question, how do we get healthy just turned into 27 questions which in reality is probably only half of the questions clients have.

Leads to decision paralysis You contemplate, analyze, but go

nowhere Decision paralysis- the more options,

even good ones can freeze us in our paths

Eat better and exercise

We all know these are two ways to live healthier

So why do we not act on it?

HEALTHY EATING AS A SKILL

Unconsciously Bad Consciously Bad Consciously Good Unconsciously Good Most people are either unconsciously

bad or consciously bad. Healthy eating is a process.

Client has to be ready, willing, and confident that they can change. – ask those questions

Elephant rider, elephant, and the path (SWITCH)

PATH AND ENVIRONMENT

Elephant- your emotional brain (right brain, what you want)

Rider- rational brain (left brain, analyses the many choices we have to make to get healthy, your will power)elephant will always win

Path- if the path is too difficult we revert to our old ways.

Why do we fail?

The Path

To daunting Changing too much too quick

The environment

Who do they hang out with Who is there support group

Solution-

make the path to healthy behavior changes as simple as possible.

Remember though, dramatic body changes require dramatic lifestyle changes, small body changes require small lifestyle changes.

The more changes we try to make the more likely we are to fail

A little is better than nothing, be confident you can follow the habit

When you talk to your clients about their diet Be delicate What you say can either influence

good behavior or reinforce bad habits.

Nobody likes to be told they are wrong Some trainers may look at your diet and

say something like “this is awful and we really need to change everything”

If I came up to you outright and said something like “you’re doing your job wrong” would you even listen to me after that.

Being defensive is in our nature and we don’t like to be told that what we’re doing is wrong

Understanding and finding a solution is the better approach Understanding We need to look at how we can

change clients behaviors. So if by some miracle you had a

healthier lifestyle what would you be doing differently tomorrow?

Pull an “Inception”

Best if they generate the idea rather than you This is what I should do to get in

shape vs This is what you need to do to get

into shape

Habits have to be easy to follow Can you exercise 4 times a week for

an hour?- I’m not sure. Can you exercise 3 times a week for

an hour?- I think so Can you exercise 3 times a week for

half an hour?- Yea, I’m pretty sure I can do that

Can you exercise 2 times a week for half an hour? Absolutely, that’s easy. there’s where we start.

One habit at a time

One habit- 85 percent compliance Two habits- 35 percent compliance Three habits- 10 percent compliance

This increases your chance for lasting success

Why do I workout 4-5 times per week, why do I eat healthy 90 percent of the time?

- it’s a habit that I have been doing that sticks with me, it’s now second nature.

Habits need to be specific not vague Drink less or limit yourself to five drinks

in a week Did you drink less? “I think” did you

have under five drinks this week= a yes or no answer

Eat more vegetables or eat 1 cup of vegetables with every meal

Did you eat more vegetables? “I think so” or did you have a cup of vegetables with every meal= a yes or no answer

Be future minded

This is a problem a lot of us have Our riders get exhausted and the

elephant runs wild we eat when we’re not hungry, we

eat bad food when we know it’s bad, we smoke, we drink, because we don’t think of the future.

We all want quick results! But what if I told you in a year you could be 50 pounds lighter?

50 pounds lighter is constant lasting change

98 percent of all diets fail because we put to much on ourselves and our willpower is too taxed

32 pounds in 25 sessions- “CAN’T THIS GO FASTER!?”

Lifestyle changes over years will mean body changes

Expectation setting for clients People will not always be supportive You are the average of the five

people you spend the most time with- remember that

You will slip up, if you cheat don’t cheat often and don’t cheat a lot

Slow consistent progress is better than quick that doesn’t last.

Where do we start- one habit at a time Slow down your eating- 20 chews before you

swallow Stop eating when 80 percent full Drink 2 L of water today Eat five one cup servings of vegetables a day Eat mostly whole unprocessed foods Eat lean protein with each meal Eat fewer carbohydrates Sleep at least 7 hours a day Add your specifics depending on clients

certainty

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/the-compliance-solution-part-1