This was one of those weeks where the subject of priorities seemed to come up several times each day, whether it was a new client, an old client coming back or an existing client who was getting off track. At the end of the day, being healthy is all about priorities.

As with any job, someone looking from the outside rarely sees all aspects of that job. This is no different in the fitness world. From the outside it may look all peachy. We help people look great, feel great and improve their lives. This is the reason most of us get into the field. There are few better feelings than helping someone really improve the quality of their life. Unfortunately, it’s rarely this straightforward.

Helping people who can just turn it on and make all the changes is easy. The real work starts when someone is not doing what they need to. This is where personal trainers earn their money.

In these situations, exercise is the easy part. The good trainers address these issues with clients and are not afraid to make someone uncomfortable. Others just go through the motions with their clients because they don’t want any conflict.

People get started with the best of intentions. Normally after a few weeks the real world slaps them in the face: family, work commitments, being tired after work and every reason that got them to where they are. A clear realization of these obstacles is a critical part of long-term fitness success. This is part of setting realistic expectations and goals.

It’s critical for you to know that you will get off track and that this journey will not be an easy one. There will be numerous times when exercise is the last thing you want to do. The more you can overcome this obstacle, the more likely you will make exercise a priority.

When you are struggling to stick with your program, remember the reason you’re doing this. Why do you want to lose weight and get healthy?

Everyone gets off track. We expect this. As former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell once said: “Success is the result of hard work, preparation and learning from failure.”

You will fail at exercise at some point. How will you react when it occurs?