Even in 2021, New Year resolutions season is sure to be a big boom for the fitness industry. Continuing on with the pandemic, consumers are likely to want to signify a fresh start, even if their typical New Year efforts aren’t possible because of public health regulations.

Unfortunately, even in a typical year, people often don’t stick with their resolutions. January 17th is actually known as “Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day,” because that’s about how long people’s willpower lasts.

Fitness resolutions often don’t work because people are very ambitious and forget to take small steps forward. Of course, having people quit after two weeks is not healthy for them—or your business.

What can you do? With community and engagement, you can make it easier for clients to keep going—and help them build healthy, sustainable lifestyles.

Why resolutions fail

What’s the problem with people’s good intentions? Why does everyone’s focus on doing better wane so quickly?

Often, the goals people set between Christmas and New Year’s Day are often too big. Even more than that, people take an all-or-nothing approach. If they fail to work out one day, they feel like the entire goal is ruined. They end up disappointed and return to their old habits.

People who succeed with new goals are the ones that break them into small steps and focus on creating new habits, instead of a huge all-or-nothing change.

As a part of the fitness industry, you can help clients stay the course.

Community and sharing help fitness resolutions

When clients feel like part of a team, there’s more support and accountability. This helps them avoid giving up on the fitness club so quickly. As a trainer, you can help create an environment where even your individual clients feel connected to others. Recent Trainerize case studies have shown the importance of community—whether you’re training online or in-person—to keep people engaged.

Some ideas include creating fitness challenges and allowing clients to share their results on a wall in the fitness studio, on social media, or both. You can encourage your personal training clients to share encouragement and results online with specific hashtags.

If you have a fitness class, consider offering mini sub-groups where participants can get to know each other better, encourage each other, and share wins.

Community and accountability make all the difference when it comes to keeping fitness clients for the long term.

Help clients with goal setting

Too many clients look at a year as a single leap. “I want to lose 50 pounds this year,” or “I want to work out four days a week.” Unfortunately, their starting point is that they don’t work out much at all—and it takes a lot of changes to get to the point that they are consistent.

Help your fitness clients see their goal as an end-point rather than a starting point. Break things down so that they create new habits gradually over the year.

Not only will they stay more engaged and encouraged, but they will also be much more likely to stick with you throughout the year!

Celebrate each step forward

Because so many people feel like goals are all or nothing, they get discouraged and quit the first time they eat “bad food,” miss a workout or make some other misstep.

As a fitness professional, you have an opportunity to set them up for success instead of failure. Help them understand that each workout is a win, and celebrate with them. If they miss one, they’ll be much less likely to give up.

Help your clients see that each time they make a great food choice, they win. One bad choice (or ten) doesn’t undo that.

When you celebrate each step forward, your clients will understand that they are making positive changes, even if they have missteps along the way.

Fitness resolutions are great if they motivate change, but long-term habit change is what it takes to be truly successful.

Boost fitness client engagement with Trainerize

When you use a platform like Trainerize alongside personal training programs, you’ll have even more opportunities to connect with and encourage your clients. The platform allows you to share encouraging quotes and messages between sessions, as well as provide clients with online and at-home workout options, and facilitate payments.

To see how we can help revolutionize your business in the new year, contact us today!