How to Motivate Clients to Train Throughout Winter

With the cold mornings and dark evenings well and truly upon us, consistent training can become difficult. It is our job as personal trainers to motivate and encourage each client to train on a regular basis, even throughout these cold spells. Throughout the winter months, it is especially tough to jump out of bed in the morning. Dark, shorter days also limit the urge to workout in the evenings. It is not surprising that health & fitness plans can collapse during this period. So, how can you ensure that your client stays on track during party season? Here are 4 steps on how to motivate your clients throughout winter from MotivatePT:

1. Establish a consistent schedule
2. Offer rewards/incentives
3. Change your surroundings
4. Mix up your routines

1.Establish a consistent schedule

Throughout this time of year, diaries become increasingly full, from family occasions to work Xmas parties, which means it can be difficult to pin your client down. With so many valid reasons to avoid working out, it’s important that your client creates time in their busy schedule for their fitness routine. Just as they would schedule a meeting at work, it’s important you encourage your fitness sessions to hold just as much importance in the diary. By sitting with your client and scheduling their workouts in advance this will help them to avoid the excuse, ‘they have no time!’! Ensure that your client writes each session into their planner, or you could suggest that they set digital reminders to ensure that their workouts continue to happen. By taking accountability and planning each workout in advance, they’ll be less likely to cancel. Supporting your client and ensuring that they are accountable is key for consistency. Once their fitness routine had been created, there will be less space for excuses.

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2. Offer rewards/incentives

As well as scheduling workouts it is also important to discuss and write down incentives/rewards. There are many types of rewards which you could implement. My favourite is creating regular progress reports, this can be in the form of a photo from when they first started, fitness or endurance tests or strength improvement check-ins. This report really allows my clients to be aware of how far they have come, which motivates them to keep striving for more. Another way you can add encouragement is by using the visualization technique by reminding them how good they’ll look in a party dress over the New Year. Or a material reward, such as a new pair of trainers or workout gear once they have hit the target you have been working towards. Whatever it may be, it is important to give each client something to work towards to ensure their goals are met.

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3. Change your surroundings

If you have been training your client within their home gym or doing with bodyweight training in their living room, changing your clients surroundings can have a hugely positive effect. If they are becoming complacent or have been experiencing the same type of workout for a while, changing the environment can work wonders for their motivation. There are many beautiful royal parks situated around London from Regents Park to Hyde Park to really spice things up! (It’s important to be aware that you will need to have a license to train in the Royal Parks).

4. Mix up your routines

This may seem an obvious step but if your client is starting to lose interest then you need to ask yourself why. Boredom can lead to clients associating fitness with negative feelings (instead of fun and excitement) and therefore they’ll be more likely to quit. It can be tedious for your client to repeat the same exercises and workout style each week, especially with the challenge that winter brings. This means you need to make their sessions exciting to ensure that they have something to look forward to. Change regular weight sessions to HIIT training or try using a new piece of equipment, which should really keep your clients on their toes. To keep my clients motivated I surprise them with unexpected routines and I mix up their routines each time I see them.

Kira Mahal, MotivatePT

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