As fitness professionals, we are in the business of behavior change. Whether it’s getting a sedentary person to move more, or helping a sometimes-weekend-warrior to develop a regular schedule, or supporting a fat loss client to eat more protein and veggies – we must use principles of behavior change to help our clients achieve their goals (not to mention visit us more often, stay with us longer, and refer us to their friends).

We know that – above all else – consistency is key to our clients hitting and maintaining their health and fitness goals.

Turn exercise into a habit, and healthy living into part of someone’s identity – and they’ll be an exerciser for life.

If you analyze your library of client success stories, how many of your clients who have achieved and sustained their goals hated – and continue to hate – exercise?

We’re guessing it’s not many. At some point along the way, they experienced enough enjoyment that continuing their fitness journey became more appealing than throwing in the towel.

The rewards of exercising overshadowed the early mornings, the drive to the gym, the membership fees, and the time commitment.

The Habit Loop

You may be familiar with the habit loop, the process by which we build habits that was popularized in Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit.

This framework proposes that all habits share three common components – the cue, the routine, and the reward.

We can work with our clients to adjust these components to promote healthy behaviors.

• Keep forgetting to drink water? Make the cue more obvious by keeping your water bottle in your line of sight at your desk.
• Have a post-dinner mindless snacking routine? Swap out chips for crunchy vegetables.
• Feel like the benefits of working out are taking too long to see? Give yourself a reward for keeping up your routine.

The reward component of the habit loop is the key to turning a behavior into a habit. If our clients do not perceive their behavior as resulting in a positive reward, they are less likely to continue that behavior moving forward. If our clients do perceive a positive reward, a positive feedback loop is created, and they are more likely to continue the behavior.

In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear proposes laws of behavior change as they relate to the habit loop. He states that, in order for a habit to stick, the reward for any given behavior must be both satisfying and immediate.

While we may not be able to accelerate the physiological adaptations our clients desire, we can create small immediate rewards to make the process more enjoyable for them. In other words, we can help our clients to feel good about exercise, so they want to keep coming back for more.

Making Exercise Rewarding and Enjoyable

How can we make exercise more rewarding and enjoyable for our clients? Here are some recommendations:

• Give immediate feedback.

The rise of wearable technology makes feedback instantaneous. It allows our clients to understand how their body responds to exercise, to aim for specific goals during a workout, and to course-correct when needed. The idea is: “I did x action, and that caused me to achieve y result.” When our clients can visibly see how their actions lead to results, it helps them feel good about what they’ve done. As coaches, immediate feedback provides us with information to effectively cue and motivate our clients.

• Make the experience personal.

We have the privilege of helping our clients see something greater in themselves. That is why it is vital that we make every client feel seen, understood, and important. Every interaction with our client is an opportunity to make their experience more enjoyable and to reward them with recognition. Wearable technology helps us offer a personal experience, especially with the use of a live in-club display. For instance, you can turn a large group fitness class into a one-on-one experience by calling each member by name (as is displayed on the screen) and by offering personalized praise and feedback based on the user data displayed throughout the workout.

• Acknowledge effort and consistency.

Focusing only on long-term outcome goals can quickly become frustrating for clients. Rather, look for ways to acknowledge consistent hard work. For instance, exercise frequency is a simple number to track with your CRM or with wearable tech. Myzone takes this recommendation a step further with Myzone Effort Points (MEPs), a point system that rewards users for every minute they spend exercising. Additionally, Myzone Status rewards consistent effort; users who earn 1300 MEPs every month will earn new status rankings, from Iron at 1 month all the way up to Hall of Fame at 48 months.

• Offer incentives and chances to win.

Tangible rewards are a powerful motivator. Unlike longer-term rewards like weight loss, which are often dependent upon many complex factors, incentives and chances to win tell our clients that if they do x, they will earn or may get y. This is why periodic or ongoing challenges can keep motivation high among your clients. If they simply earn a certain amount of MEPs, or walk a certain number steps, or check in a certain number of times, a reward may be waiting for them.

• Create touchpoints with clients.

This ties in with recommendation #2 and can extend well beyond the actual workout. Finding ways to interact with our clients, even when they are not physically with us, keeps them accountable and keeps us at the forefront of their mind. For example, the Myzone app is designed to promote social connectivity, so you can connect with your clients, send them a direct message, and like and comment on their workouts. Each time you check in with your clients, you remind them that you care about whether or not they show up, and that you have their back.

Immediate rewards that help our clients feel good about exercise may come in many forms, including personalized feedback, points, chances to win, recognition, and more. Reinforce your clients’ positive behaviors by offering rewards that make them feel encouraged and acknowledged, and you’ll set them up to achieve and sustain their goals.

Are you ready to change the way you do fitness? Unleash the full power of Myzone within your facility and motivate your members to achieve more. Click here for more information.