Very important article!!!

Please learn from this article

My good friend John Macgowan of www.indoorcycleinstructor.com effectively outlined the three components of a group fitness class: 1) foundation, 2) media (i.e. music) and 3) presentation. It is my opinion that neither one, alone, will make your class great, but one, alone, can ruin it.

I participated in an indoor cycle class this morning and I am confident I will never attend this instructor’s class again. The foundation was great. The instructor chose to lead us through a moderately challenging endurance ride. We performed a combination of high and medium cadence sections both off and on our seats.

The music selection was good. Most of the music was easily recognizable and appropriate for the ride.

The presentation, on the other hand, was extremely poor. There was zero excitement and enthusiasm in the instructor’s tone and facial expressions (if there were any facial expressions at all). Eye contact with the fitness participants was minimal. Lastly, there was too much talking and explaining during the 60-minute class.

Unfortunately, the instructor’s poor presentation skills trumped the foundation and media components of the class, making the experience a negative one. I didn’t exert every ounce of energy I had to give. I can say the same for the other participants because they were busy chatting amongst each other during the entire class.

I have always taught athletes, coaches and fitness professionals to highlight their strengths and improve their weaknesses. I do not believe you have to be excellent at everything, but you must be adequate in all of the components involved in your craft.

I would bet this instructor spends numerous hours planning the foundation and the media components of the class while dedicating little time to the presentation and delivery. Although the foundation and media components were good, if not great, the poor presentation ruined the class. When I looked around I saw people talking and doing their own thing. A few participants left before the class was over, most likely to never return.

Call to Action:

We can all learn from this instructor. Identify your weaker links and spend the time and effort to improve them. If you don’t improve, your participants’ focus will be on your weaknesses rather than your strengths. However, if you do improve, it will be easier for the fitness enthusiasts to gloss over the weaker components of your class and focus on the components you excel at.

Believe and Achieve,

Dr. Haley

 

 

 

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Are You Afraid of Being A Success?

I have been consulting with an athlete (her pseudo name is Tanya) for the last 10 months to help her earn an athletic scholarship. She has put forth tremendous effort to improve the skills required of her to perform optimally in her sport. She has also worked very smart to increase her physical condition and release some unnecessary weight.

Last week, during our consulting session, Tanya was disappointed in herself because she had gained some weight back. Through our discussion, it became clear to Tanya that one of the reasons she was not able to maintain her new weight was that she was experiencing living in a new body and was unsure how to cope with it. Although Tanya wanted to release the weight for her health and to improve her performance on the field, she confessed that it felt weird and uncomfortable to feel the way she did.

Many people who achieve their goals experience a fear of success.  Athletes spend numerous hours training and working smart to achieve their goals. Some of them never really take the time to prepare for when their smart work begins to a pay off. What will they do to maintain their new level of performance? What will they do to become comfortable with their new mind and body? When these preparations doe not take place, the athletes are in unfamiliar territory and can perceive that as fearful. Consequently, to eliminate the fear, they resort back to their old behaviors

Tanya and I spent the rest of our consultation session focusing on three things: (1) the action steps required to achieve her goals, (2) the action steps required to maintain the results she has achieved and (3) the action steps to help Tanya become comfortable in her new mind and body.

One way to help Tanya look forward to realizing her goals, instead of being fearful of them, was to focus on the positive aspects. She needed to be reminded of how great she would feel and how confident she would become when she achieved her goals. She needed to focus on the enjoyment associated with her new behaviors. It was going to be fun to put on clothes and realize they were too big for her. She was going to be a role model and leader when she chose the piece of fruit instead of the piece of chocolate at lunch with her friends. Tanya also needed to prepare for the compliments she was going to receive from friends and family. Instead of perceiving them to be stressful she needed to perceive the comments as positive reinforcement.

Call to Action

Prepare for when you achieve your goals? What will you do to maintain your new level of performance? What will you do to become comfortable with the ‘new you’?

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Believe and Achieve,
*Haley Perlus, Ph.D.*

Show Me the Numbers!

On Wednesday I participated in a cycle class with about 30 other fitness enthusiasts. Each bike had a small computer, attached to the handlebars, to record various performances including watts, RPM, caloric output and miles per hour.

As I was setting up my bike for the class, an individual (let’s call her Rachel) started setting up the bike to my right. When she was ready, she began pedaling to warm-up. Within about 30 seconds, she got off the bike, collected her things and moved to use another bike.

Two minutes later, a second member (let’s call her Wendy) started setting up the same bike. Similar to Rachel, she quickly got off the bike and moved to use the bike on my left.

Three minutes into class, a third person (let’s call her Tammy) chose to ride the bike on my ride. To save her the effort, I leaned over to warn her that two riders had begun riding that bike, but then quickly moved to another bone. I was under the impression that something was wrong with the bike. Maybe it was the resistance or the clips that were giving Rachel and Wendy trouble. Tammy thanked me and quickly chose another bike.

To cure my curiosity, I looked to Wendy, who was on my left, and asked her why she had switched bikes. She said that the computer wasn’t working. The information, especially the caloric output and RPM, were catalysts for her motivation and she wanted to use them during class to help her persevere.

What Rachel and Wendy have learned, and what I want to teach you today is the importance of measuring your performance. Wendy said that the computer’s measurements increased her motivation on the bike. The reason for this is because the numbers allow her to compete against herself. For example, in that particular cycle class, we performed three sets of two-minute intervals. If Wendy’s RPM for the first interval was between 85 and 90 for the first interval, she was motivated to either stay within the same range or beat it for the next two intervals. Also, if the computer said Wendy used 453 calories in last week’s cycle class, Wendy would be motivated to use more calories in today’s class.

Logging numbers is also a great way to increase your confidence. Your caloric output, distance covered, RPM, speed and heart rate provide evidence of what you can accomplish when you train. When those numbers change, as a result of your increased strength, speed and overall health condition, you will develop a powerful belief in yourself and your ability to achieve your fitness goals. Nothing will stop you from looking the way you want to look and feeling the way you want to feel!

Call to Action

Use one or two measurements to track your progress. Use your numbers to set goals during your fitness training. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get motivated and exert high levels of effort and intensity when you train.

Believe and Achieve,
*Haley Perlus, Ph.D.*

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Carlos’ Way

It was 7pm and, as I walked into Whole Foods, I was wishing for the day to be over. It had been an unfortunate day at work and all I wanted to do was grab a few items at the grocery store and go home.

As I was walking around looking for lettuce and avocado, Carlos, the man in charge of the produce section, asked me if I would like to taste the perfect apple. I was about to say “no thank you”, but then I looked at Carlos, saw his smile and the sparkle in his eye and decided that I wanted to experience the joy he was portraying. I took a bite of his apple and it was perfect. He told me that these apples were the sweetest I would ever taste, but they would only be this perfect for a few more days. Although apples were not on my shopping list, I asked him if he would pick four I could take home.

With my apples in hand, I walked over to the avocado section and began to feel around for three good ones. Carlos called me over and said that the better avocados were in the box he had just brought out from the back. I walked over to him and, once again, he asked me if I wanted to taste the perfect avocado. He said he had been working with fruits and vegetables for fifteen years and promised me that, with the avocado he picked, I would be able to easily peel off the skin.  He was right. It was the perfect avocado. I asked him to select three for my shopping cart.

It was evident that Carlos was knowledgeable about produce. It was even more evident that Carlos was passionate, enthusiastic and had a great deal of pride for his job. I wanted to continue to feel Carlos’ energy and joy. I was hooked and asked him to show me what other ‘perfect’ fruits he had for me to taste. I ended up leaving 45 minutes later with three grocery bags full of fruits and vegetables.

I share this story because you have the opportunity to turn someone’s day around, as Carlos did for me, and get more business. Carlos was hanging around the produce section waiting for someone like me to make smile. You could do the same thing. Walk around the club and approach a person or two and share your enthusiasm for health and fitness.

Carlos gave me a free bite of the perfect apple. He even played a game by asking me to guess the apple’s name. You can provide free knowledge to the person you interact with and include a friendly game to further grasp their attention.

Carlos showed me how much he loved what he did. I felt that energy and chose to stay as long as I could with the hope that his joy would give me a happy ending to my terrible day. You can share your joy and enthusiasm with club members and have the same influence on them as Carlos had on me. As soon as I got home, I told my family about my experience. I’m even telling you the story because it’s so powerful. Wouldn’t you like the members you interact with to talk about you when they get home?

Lastly, remember that I purchased a lot more than I had planned. The people you spend time with at the club could easily turn into new clients. What a bonus!

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

The More Praise You Give, The Less Chance They Will Improve

It’s simple…. we all seek to experience pleasure and avoid pain. We do what feels good and fight ‘tooth and nail’ to stay away from what doesn’t. The only reason for choosing to endure pain is to experience pleasure in the end. Athletes, in particular, will suffer through intense training and treacherous conditions to earn the reward of a medal or positive praise from a coach. These rewards are the carrots on the stick and can either stop your athletes from improving or encourage them to reach the next level of performance.

The most effective way to coach your athletes is to provide frequent praise for new tasks and limited praise for tasks they already have acquired. If Johnny, a 15 year old golfer, is learning how to hit the ball out of the sand (i.e. bunker shot) for the first time, his golf pro will want to praise Johnny every time he makes contact with the sand, just in front of the ball, regardless of whether the ball makes it out of the bunker or not. Once Johnny can consistently make appropriate contact with the sand, his golf pro will want to offer less praise for that performance. He’ll move on to provide frequent praise for the new task of swinging through the sand.  Once that skill is consistent, Johnny’s golf pro will limit his praise for swinging through the sand and offer lots of praise for when the ball actually makes it out of the sand. This coaching technique will continue as Johnny progresses as a golfer.

Why does this coaching technique work? Once again, athletes want to experience pleasure in the form of praise. If Johnny’s golf pro continues to provide frequent praise for making contact with the sand, just in front of the ball, Johnny will have little reason to put forth the effort to improve. He is already experiencing pleasure so why do anything different? Conversely, if Johnny’s pro reduces his praise for appropriate sand contact and begins to provide lots of praise for swinging through the sand, Johnny will put forth the effort to perform that skill in order to feel the pleasure from his pro’s praise.

Call to Action

Think about your sport and the athletes you coach. How could you begin to incorporate this coaching technique? Inform your co-coaches of your ‘praise’ plan and work together to decide what task each athlete is improving. You and your co-coaches will want to limit the praise you give your athletes for tasks they have already mastered and increase the amount of praise you give them for tasks they are currently working on.

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Is It Worth The Risk?

Distractions happen in sport. Some of them are uncontrollable like game delays, comments made by spectators, change in weather and sudden equipment problems.

However, there are some distractions your athletes can control.

Your athletes have most likely had a “what if” thought? What if my team loses at our home field? What if I get injured? What if I don’t qualify for the championship? What if my coach doesn’t pick me to start? What if I disappoint my parents? What if I can’t put it together in the race?

No matter what the “what if” thought, you can ask your athlete this follow-up question: Is it worth the risk?

To be the best athlete you can be, it takes 100% focus and commitment to your performance. Your athlete’s desire to succeed must outweigh his/her desire not to fail. In other words, during competition, his/her focus must be on winning and not on what’s going to happen if he/she loses.

To have an unwavering focus on achievement, your athlete has to be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in order to progress. Those sacrifices include injury and disappointment and they have to be worth the risk in order to achieve his/her goals and get where he/she wants to be in the chosen sport.

Call to Action:

As soon as your athlete has a “what if” thought, ask him/her the following two questions:

1. Is it worth the risk? If the answer is yes, proceed to question #2. If the answer is no, your athlete will need to review his/her achievement goals.
2. Why? What can you achieve with proper focus and commitment? Why do you want to achieve your goals – what will they do for you?

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Sell Them What They Want and Give Them What They Need

What do fitness enthusiasts want from a personal trainer and group fitness instructor? They want to (1) have fun and (2) get results.

Some enthusiasts will also say they want to learn new training methods and understand how to perform an exercise correctly. When you think about it, learning new methods is to prevent boredom and keep them interested and motivated (i.e. have fun). Understanding proper technique will help them achieve their goals (i.e. get results).

What fitness enthusiasts need in order to get what they want is where you most likely find resistance. How many of your clients jump at the chance to test their fitness levels each month? How many of them are eager to log their training, nutrition and overall feelings each day? When your participants have completed the instructed 15 repetitions, how many of them choose to push their boundaries and perform an extra two to five repetitions?

The best way to give fitness enthusiasts what they need in order to get what they want is to follow these three tips:

1). Be as informal as you can be. There is no need for formal testing sessions. If you are doing one-on-one training with a client, once a month, incorporate a few exercises that are part of fitness testing and keep track of the progress made. Do not tell him/her that you’re recording the performance. At the end of month, show him/her how much they have improved.

If you are teaching a class, it will be more difficult to keep testing informal, but very easy to frame the testing as fun, exciting and a great way to learn more about your personal fitness state. Have your club create a lot of ‘hype’ around your testing class. When you advertise and when you teach the class, focus on what your participants want: to have fun and get results.

2) Treat the required tools (e.g. journaling, goal achieving, pushing boundaries) as a natural part of the training process. In other words, create a system for all of your clients that is guaranteed to work. For best results, check out http://www.TheUltimateAchievementJournal.com.

3) Whatever you do and whatever you say during your sessions, always come back to what your client wants: to have fun and get results. Tell them that writing things down will significantly improve their chances of losing the weight they want. Advise them that pushing the boundaries by performing one more repetition will get them closer to the ‘finish line’.

Find out, early, what type of training your participants enjoy and incorporate them in the programs you create.

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Ask for What You Want

Are you being treated the way you want to be treated?

Do your parents provide the support you need to do your best?

Do your coaches teach you skills and tactics in a way you understand?

Do your teammates encourage you in a way that motivates and inspires you to five it all you’ve got?

There are many uncontrollable factors in sport. You can’t control the weather. You can’t control when delays occur and how long they last. You can’t control your teammates and opponents’ performances.

Effort is not just about the intensity you put forth in each performance. It’s also about doing your best to receive the support and guidance you need. Ask for what you want so that your performance can improve.

Talk to your coaches and let them know what kind of feedback you prefer in training and in competition. Tell your parents what you would like them to say to you before an after competition. Let your teammates know what kind of support really helps you get in the ‘zone’.

If you don’t ask for what you want, you will get what other people think is beat for you. Your coaches will treat you the way they were treated as athletes or how they think you want to be treated. Your parents will talk to you the only way they know how to talk to you. Your teammates will encourage you the way they want to be encouraged.

The worst thing that can happen when you do ask for what you want is that you don’t get it. You’ll be left exactly where you are now – no better, no worse. On the other hand, the best thing that can happen is that you do get exactly what you want. Then you’ll be much closer to achieving all of your goats

Call to Action

Choose one person you feel comfortable asking for what you want. When you speak to him or her, be direct and specific when you ask for what you want.

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Do’s and Don’ts for Your Health and Fitness New Year Resolutions

DO dream big. What do you want feel like in 2010? What do you want look like? What do you want your healthy and fit body to do this year?

Have fun when you’re setting your 2010 intentions. Do you want to compete in an ironman? Do you want to climb a 4000 footer? Anything and everything is possible when you have a dream, believe in that dream, and do what is necessary for it to come true.

DON’T expect to be perfect. Give yourself the best opportunity for success by committing to excellence and not perfection.

2010 will bring you many achievements and great success when you focus on your effort. After all, effort is the only thing you can control.

Things will happen to cause you to skip a training session or eat a delicious meal that is not the healthiest. So what? You can enjoy it all when you understand that your desire to be healthy and fit does not mean you have to be perfect 100% of the time.

DO add variety to your nutrition and fitness. One of the top reasons for dropping out of fitness is boredom. Start 2010 off right by mixing things up. With nutrition, continue to eat foods you like but start to experiment with new healthy foods. With fitness, add a variety of training techniques to keep things interesting and fun.

DON’T set your 2010 intentions in stone. Leave room for change. Twelve months is a long time with plenty of room for adjustments. As the year progresses, you may choose to modify your intentions.

Remind yourself that the reason for New Year resolutions is to grow and be happy. At the end of the year, if you can honestly say that you have grown as a person and are happy, your New Year resolution has been a success.

DO challenge yourself. It’s wonderful to dream big. However, the only way to make your dreams come true is to set daily/weekly intentions that are challenging, yet realistic.

If your current level of ability is a 7/10, set an intention to improve that to an 8/10 where you are challenged to exert more effort but it is still realistic to achieve.

As you continue to improve with these short-term realistic challenges, you will get closer to the big dream.

Believe and Achieve,
*Haley Perlus, Ph.D.*

PS. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with friends

PPS. Visit www.TheUltimateAchievementJournal.com and make it easier to achieve your goal