Location Motivation

I can't tell you how many times people have asked me to write 'home' programs, 'away' programs, 'cottage' programs or even 'travel' programs for them to do alone. I used to put a huge amount of effort into putting together the perfect independent training programs for everyone regardless of the likelihood of them getting completed. Once I even went on a TV show demonstrating how to exercise on a sail boat! As if anyone has ever exercised on a sail boat! (correct me if I'm wrong ;)

It's taken me years to fine tune my intuition in terms of what an individual is likely to do alone. The truth is that most people find it very difficult to exercise at home, on vacation, or in a hotel room alone.

I've also spent some time training people in their homes. The workout is always different. Perhaps it's the phone ringing, the child asking for a snack or a dog needing to go out but workouts are more interrupted and generally less focused. I don't dig training people in their homes.

Most people need to get themselves into an environment conducive to focusing on their bodies. So today one of my clients came up with a great term when describing his decision to get a membership at Urbanfitt to encourage his independent workout plan.

LOCATION MOTIVATION

I love it! I googled it and didn't see it being widely used anywhere. Different locations motivate people in different ways. Some people might find the general tranquility at Urbanfitt for independent workouts demotivating. Some people hate being stared at by meat heads and couldn't imagine going to a big gym. Different strokes for different folks. But reality is if you don't like the environment you plan on working out in, you're less likely to go. We like repeating things that make us feel good and we like feeling like we belong somewhere. For some people their gym is their community. For other people, they don't want to be bothered or see anyone they know.

Nowadays, there are so many different fitness environments to choose from: big chain gyms, boutique personal training studios, yoga or pilates studios, spin gyms, circus schools etc. You name it. There's the right type of environment for everyone and certainly no lack of selection.

So to tap into your location motivation here are some questions to ask yourself:

1) Do I feel good about myself when I leave?
2) Am I annoyed by the type of clientele around me?
3) Do I like the music?
4) Do I feel like I've found "my people"?
5) Does this environment align with who I am as a person and my values?
6) Would I feel confident recommended this space to a friend?


Sometimes going to the wrong environment to save cash will be like throwing your money down the drain. It's better to spend money on something you're going to use even if you have to find other areas to cut spending.