Walking back to the weight room late morning to meet a client, I saw one of our regular early morning boot campers going at an elliptical machine like the faster she went, the quicker time would fly. She had the thing cranked up for a higher-than-normal resistance, going as fast as she could. Looking exasperated, she explained that her young daughter had wrapped her long hair around the teeth of a wide-toothed comb the night before, and it took until 10:30 PM to cut the comb out of her hair. School that morning was on a 2-hour delay because of ice, and she decided to let her daughter sleep in because of the frustrating night before. But she had to sacrifice her 8:15 boot camp. And she wasn’t happy. This girl would show up if she had to walk through a blizzard.
Really, working out is so important to her that, even though she missed a class, she fit in something else on her own. But why? What makes people prioritize their lives to fit in boot camp or training? More importantly, what keeps them coming?
I’m convinced it is real-world results that do both. Folks may get here on a whim or by fluke, but as they begin to feel stronger, leaner, more energetic during the day, and they sleep better, they get hooked. Boot camp classes or persona training becomes a necessary part of their day, week, and lifestyle.
After it becomes a habit to work out instead of a struggle, it’s all about feeling good. Missing your workout means you don’t feel as good physically or mentally.
Research suggests that 50% of persons starting an exercise program will dropout during the first 6 weeks. Most likely out of pure frustration that they do not see results. For example, Linnea, one of our 8:15 AM boot campers, says that after the Caesarean birth of her second son she wanted to get back into shape. After a few months of classes at the Y, she saw very little progress and quickly reached a plateau. She quit. She tried it again with us, initially committing to 2 days a week for a month. Four months later, she is happy that she can do pushups in a plank position and that her abs are toned and strong. She has lost weight and is proud of her strength and accomplishments in the gym.
Results. Feeling good. Those are the big reasons people feel like they miss out if they don’t make it to a training session or boot camp. As Linnea says, “the results began for me with the first class, and haven’t stopped.” Therefore she feels good about herself, and skipping is not an option.
