You have likely had an experience in your life that was made better by having friends and family involved. The COVID-19 lockdown was a great reminder to all of us that doing things with people makes those things more enjoyable. Working out and living a healthy lifestyle is no exception to this. Knowing that your friends will get excited with you about new workout goals being reached is a motivating way to stay focused on your fitness goals. To help you get more of your friends into fitness (in a non-pushy way), we have put together a list of things you can do to be the motivating, inspiring, and educating personal trainer to your friends.
Here are the steps to get your friends into fitness:
Step #1
It All Starts In The Gym With Your Trainer
If you really want to bring that motivating energy to your friend group, it helps to learn from the pros. Speak with your trainer and get to know their training philosophy. Ask them what motivates them, and helps keep their other clients motivated.
Asking questions about why you’re doing exercises or why they suggest specific nutritional choices will help you relay that message to your friends. Be that little kid who just keeps asking ‘why’. Your trainer has spent hours upon hours learning everything they need to know to serve their clients best. Giving them a chance to share this depth of knowledge will benefit both of you.
Trying to absorb all of the information about anatomy, physiology, and human kinetics is a lot. To save you the headache, focus on questions about motivation and behaviour change. Find out what your trainer always recommends to their clients that they can do outside the gym to make fitness and health a priority. Use these insights to understand your friends better, and what will help get them on board – without being too pushy.
Step #2
Lead By Example
If you really want to get your friends involved it is as easy as showing them how fun and fulfilling your healthy lifestyle makes you. If working out gives you more energy, they will notice. If you go out to eat and you make a conscious choice about your meal, they’ll want to know if this is something that has helped with your new glow.
Humans are great at communicating through words, but there is still a part of us that wants to mirror favourable behaviours. So if your friends see you as your most confident-self, they’ll be eager to learn what exactly you are doing to feel so great. When they come to you to ask about what it is you’ve been doing, then you can begin to explain what you’ve been doing.
This is a classic case of monkey-see, monkey-do. How often have you been told to do something without asking for help? When someone tells you that you should do something, you’re more likely to rebel against it than to adopt it.
This is why modelling the behaviour, and simply showing the benefits of that behaviour are always the better option. You’ll have a positive influence on your friends and you won’t have to waste your breath.
Related: How To Get Your Kids To Love Your Workouts
Step #3
It’s Time To Get Them Involved
Now that your friends are interested and trust that you probably know what you’re doing, it is time to get them involved. Invite them out on your weekend hikes. Pick a night of the week where everyone gets together to share a healthy meal. Have open and honest conversations with them about your high’s and low’s, and create that space for them to share theirs.
You don’t need to be an expert in personal training to create a similar support system. A positive mindset and day-to-day activities make a big difference. If you can support that aspect of their healthy lifestyle, you’ll have more people in your circle supporting your health and fitness goals. It’s a win-win for everyone.
If they do start to ask for specific exercise suggestions, that’s when you refer them to a personal trainer to learn the technique and get a custom workout plan. As much as we would love to say that anyone can be a personal trainer, this is not something that you just pick up from a few conversations with a personal trainer. Please be mindful to not recommend any exercises or nutritional supplements to friends if you are not completely confident in your understanding of their uses, benefits, and risks.
So that’s all it takes to be the trainer to your friends. Having that support system will make your fitness journey easier. This also gives you more ownership over your own health. Sharing what you know and learning to listen to your friends and family will only help you understand your own fitness journey better.
