Did you know there is a hierarchy of getting amazing results? It’s so easy to step over dollars to pick up pennies. Where should you focus your effort?

I do believe there is a hierarchy to getting great results, and if you start with level one, layer on level two, and then level three, you will get fantastic results! The below applies if your goals are weight loss, strength gain, endurance training, overall fitness, longevity, or really anything. Some details will change based on your individual situation, which is why we only do personal training. The fundamentals will be universal.

Here is the hierarchy as I see it:

1. Show up consistently to your workouts. You need more than fitness, but fitness is the gateway drug to a happy, healthy life. You could argue that nutrition is actually more important to your overall health, and I would agree. That said, discipline is a muscle. Showing up consistently to your workouts is how you start to build that discipline. It is a prerequisite that is hard to skip. If you don’t have the discipline to get out of bed and show up, you likely won’t have the discipline to improve your nutrition. Nutrition is also weirdly way easier when we work out regularly.

2. Show up and work hard at your level. Consistency has to come first. I’d rather you show up and give only 80% effort for the first 3 months than give 110% effort for a week and then bail. Once you have consistency down, it’s time to work hard at your level. I keep saying “at your level” because we have a bit of a Goldilocks situation. Go too easy, and you won’t have enough stimulus to elicit the response (results) that we’d like to see. On the other hand, go too hard and you will injure yourself. To make things more complicated, your optimal level of intensity is a constantly moving target in an effective program. So how do you know if you’re working hard enough while still avoiding injury? Helping you work as hard as you can without injuring yourself is the MOST important function of a personal trainer. Without experience and without an extra set of trained eyes constantly evaluating how you move and how you’re progressing, it’s very difficult to hit this sweet spot of optimum challenge. With the help of an expert personal trainer, it’s easy!

3. Show up, work hard, and eat well. “Eating well” means good enough to have good energy, to maintain a healthy weight, and to like the way you look. It doesn’t mean being perfect, and I don’t suggest trying to be super strict indefinitely. I think it’s a good idea to raise your standards during certain times and to be a little lax at other times. Just remember, most of the time when people say “everything in moderation” they are actually having everything in excess.

Show up, work hard, eat well. Easily said. Effort is required along with some help from your personal trainer to get it done!

When you’re ready to talk with a personal trainer about your goals, fill out the form at the top or bottom of this page and I will take care of the rest 🙂

Our first location serves Portsmouth, Kittery, and the broader Seacoast community. Our new location serves Kingston and the broader southern New Hampshire community. We help people strength train, walk daily, and eat real food.