One thing that’s surprised me as I’m going through the ACE certification process is the strong focus on psychology in the first lessons.  We don’t even dig into Anatomy and Exercise Physiology until after we’ve already read the first 4 chapters of the Personal Trainer Manual!  There is a huge focus on motivation, communication & teaching techniques, the psychology of behavior change, and of course the role of the personal trainer in all of this.

That’s interesting to since I’ve always acknowledged that half the battle improving your health & fitness is shifting your mindset and habits than anything else.  The hardest part is convincing yourself it’s important enough to step out of your comfort zone and develop new habits if you’re going to make lasting changes.  Once you’re in the mindset that your health is a priority, will power becomes less of an issue and it becomes easier to make better choices.

Trainers are in an interesting position, in that many people start a diet and exercise routine because of outside influences.  Instead of being internally motivated to adopt a healthier lifestyle, they may be following doctor’s orders, being gently nudged by family or significant other, or succumbing to societal pressures of being a certain body type.  At least at the beginning, a large part of the trainer’s job is to get their clients to WANT to improve their fitness and ENJOY the process.

While external motivators are a good start, in order to stick with it for the long haul, you must be internally motivated to do this for yourself.  It’s really easy to skip a workout that you didn’t want to do in the first place.  On the other hand, if you’re looking forward to your training sessions and seeing yourself improve, it’s easier to pass on things that don’t serve your goals.

A good trainer will help a client identify their goals that will keep them going long after the initial motivation wears off.  I love that ACE places such a huge emphasis on the psychology and mindset aspect because this is the heart of what I’m trying to accomplish in becoming a trainer.  I want to help people figure out what their true fitness goals are beyond just exercising because their doctor said so or having an arbitrary weight loss goal based on what they see in magazines.  I want to help people find their WHY.