We’re now on week nine of quarantine and it doesn’t look like there will be much certainty around when and how things will get back to some version of normal. Since this started, I have been participating in my gym’s online community which provides daily workouts and mobility classes, live sessions via Zoom and most importantly an accountability coach.
This week someone asked me, “Why would you pay to have someone send you a 5 minute video of a workout?” It’s a common question. And it represents the way most people think about their health and fitness.
There are two things to consider here:
- What is your health worth?
- Where is the real value in online training?
As for the first question, we can park that for another article. What I would like to share with you is the answer to the second question.
The punchline is that the real value in online training comes from two places: expert coaches that know WHAT you should be doing, and those same expert coaches holding you accountable for actually DOING the work.
People mistakenly assume the value comes from having information. Information is free. You can Google anything. That’s why there’s many free online workouts posted with so few people achieving the results they are looking for. The first part of the value is having the RIGHT information. Your coach knows your goals, limitations, habits and lifestyle. They can guide you and make recommendations that are personal to you.
People also overestimate their willpower and discipline. Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution that didn’t stick? Welcome to the club. We are human. We are flawed. We need systems and structure in place to keep us on track. The second piece is having a partner through this journey who will keep us ACCOUNTABLE to the plan. It is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of commitment. Professional athletes have coaches. Business executives have coaches. Why not you?
-Sonia
