3 Things I Have Learned About Fitness

Define Fitness has been in operation for approximately 10 years now (7 years officially) and we have definitely had our ups and downs!

Over the course of our evolution I personally have learned so much about running a business and managing relationships. As personal trainers we must be “personable” and listen to what our clients want from us and our services. Balancing this with a healthy response in regards to “what our clients need” is one of our biggest challenges. We’ve moved from small group training and personal training to strength and conditioning to now yoga and corporate fitness and seminars. We want to open a studio location in the near future but need to be careful as “that is what our competitors are doing” and I am a big believer in “doing what everyone else isn’t doing.” That is Define Fitness, it is what I have built this small business on. Providing services that are personal and that are different to the norm. The way we deliver our products has changed too: We now look at exercise, food, and lifestyle as important as any other drug that’s being pumped on the market. Exercise is a must and neglecting it results in you riding a fast and slippery downhill slope.

Over the recent time off I had from my daily job I was able to spend time with my new family. Clare and I welcomed Beau Sebastian Hitchcock into the world on the 3rd July, 2015. 9 weeks later I am back to the grind of teaching during the day and running Define Fitness sessions of an evening. Having these 9 weeks off got me thinking about the top 3 things that I have learned from Define Fitness and generally from being a Personal Trainer. I wanted to write 20 things but narrowed it down to these 3 important points.

We deliver a Lifestyle that is a necessity

Health and Fitness is not disposable and should not form part of your disposable income. Saying that fitness is a lifestyle is about as ludicrous as saying I choose illness over health. Our bodies were made to move “we are like an old rusty car if we do not move, we rust up and find it hard to get moving again.” The link between the four pillars of true health: mental, physical, spiritual, and social cannot be isolated. What you chose to practice as exercise is what people define as a lifestyle. You can label yourself as a runner, a Crossfitter, a #definefitnessfamily member, or a cyclist but those are simply launch off points to better health.

Don’t ask me how long it will take to get a result

Results are the manifestation of the effort you personally exert. It isn’t a linear equation where: as long as you workout you’ll lose weight. Success depends on a multitude of things and is as complex as the equation that explains the big bang theory. Simply, each person is different and asking this is damn hard for your trainer to answer. My response to this is often “if you follow our suggestions and program protocols, you will see results. I highlight here: We have a tagline “Move – Feel – Achieve” and this explains it all from our end. Get moving, feel good about yourself and then achieve your goals. The amount of time a person is willing to invest will determine your success. Remember “you only have one body, look after it and don’t treat it like crap because you can’t trade it in for a new model.” We hope that essentially you create a healthy interaction with exercise that isn’t a consumer based and extrinsically goal driven activity.

Just focus on one thing: crush your farking goals

Pick a goal, and just annihilate it. Practice strength and composure and you will see the results. Willpower is what you need. Talk to yourself. Tell yourself that you can! Critically learn, don’t simply absorb. Don’t look around and compare yourself to others, don’t shop around for the answer you want to hear. We are honest people a Define Fitness and will tell you what you probably “need” to hear. We do break this to you gently but don’t hate us for it. You have come to us to work on YOU! We are the people to help you do this. Stop second guessing what you do and more importantly stop second guessing who you are. Learn from what others do apply it to your own life. Learn how to crawl, then walk, then run, and then smash your damn goals to smithereens. Above all else: welcome knowledge whether that’s learning more about yourself or about others. Everyone you meet is an expert at something that you suck at; so be humble, ask a lot of questions, and listen before you talk.

By Nathan Hitchcock