PEABODY — Every New Year, a fresh crop of fitness hopefuls come to nearby gyms in droves searching for a change in their health habits. In fact, a Pew Research Center survey found that a staggering 79% of resolutions are typically concerned with health, exercise or diet.
For Life Time Fitness North Shore, the challenge of helping those who are just starting their fitness journey is a welcome one and certainly something they’re prepared for.
“The first step is just coming into the gym at all and speaking to one of us,” said Nikki Alliegro, a trainer at Life Time North Shore for almost a year. “Developing a mindset to have the discipline to keep going and really work on staying motivated, they might not start with that… but they can develop that along the way.”
According to a Scranton University study, only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals and nearly half abandon that resolution by the end of January.
For trainers like Alliegro that’s exactly what they’re trying to avoid. To do that, they need to help their clients develop habits so they’ll keep coming back to the gym.
But first, none of that matters if beginners don’t feel comfortable and aren’t being actively welcomed into the health community.
“We have an amazing team. I’ve never worked with a team of people and coaches that are so well educated and knowledgeable about what they’re doing,” said Alliegro. “Every single member I’ve met is nice and was working when I first started working there… It’s like a family there to be honest.”
Some of the techniques she uses with clients include creating concrete exercise goals adapted for their unique needs and keeping a personal planner to write down what needs to be done.
“Discipline over motivation always, because motivation is going to come and go all throughout the year,” said Alliegro. “They all develop their own ways to make sure they stay disciplined and it’s something we practice with clients.”
Also crucial to the trainer-client relationship is understanding that everybody is different and not every exercise or routine will be a fit for someone. Finding the optimal customization is something that is cultivated through repeated work with the trainers, she said.
It’s also important to remember that exercise alone is usually not enough to achieve fitness goals. Discipline with a clean diet and sufficient sleep are also habits that should be aimed for when setting off on this journey, Alliegro said.
Alliegro says that when clients stick to the routine and truly show a commitment to exercise and healthy living, the result is a transformation in the person’s overall behavior and mood, a payoff that makes the hard work entirely worth it for everyone involved.
“It’s definitely the most rewarding thing I think you can do, to help someone on their health and wellness journey,” she said. “That’s their longevity, it’s for their quality of life, and that’s important.”
