Accountability Partners, by Matthew Romans

In order to achieve great things, one must have accountability to perfect the process or system and stay on track. As James Clear says in the book Atomic Habits, "Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress." If you work every day to optimize your system, the results will take care of themselves. One's system should have a means of accountability built into it; this helps to keep you honest and under no illusions about how you are doing. Honest self-assessment is a sign of maturity and perspective; however, it's not always easy to do. Some people criticize themselves too harshly, while others give themselves too much slack. What if there were a way to get honest feedback that isn't overly critical but also acknowledges positive behaviors and accomplishments? Such a thing exists - it's called an accountability partner.

I first learned about the term accountability partner from my friend, colleague, and Total Results client Dave Jones. An accountability partner is someone you can trust who can objectively give feedback, offer suggestions, and is someone you look toward for guidance. Dave and his wife Pam have been two of the most successful realtors in the Washington DC area for many years, yet they still have a network of realtors across the country that they regularly check in with to discuss ideas and get feedback. Dave does this every week, and says it is a big factor in their company's success. People in a wide range of occupations have some form of an accountability partner: authors have proofreaders and editors, elite athletes have coaches, and musicians have producers and songwriting partners. Whether you meet in person, talk on the phone, or communicate via email and/or text, just having someone that you trust to bounce ideas off of and to provide feedback can make a big difference.

A Total Results instructor is your accountability partner for all things exercise, health, and nutrition. We are with you on every exercise of every workout, providing clear and concise instructions, giving immediate feedback, and motivating you to give your best effort every time out. Our workouts are incredibly challenging, but we help clients to understand that the discomfort that they are experiencing during a session is temporary and is simply part of the larger picture.

Just having a session scheduled can be a motivating factor. Many clients over the years have said that they probably would not regularly exercise if it weren't for having an appointment. Intuitively, most people don't want to let another person down, and having an appointment scheduled with an instructor provides additional motivation (and accountability). It can also act as a deterrent; if they know they have an early morning workout scheduled, most people will be less likely to stay up too late the night before. This is also a reason why we schedule weekly weigh-ins for clients that have a goal of achieving fat loss. If you know that you have a weigh-in scheduled in two days, you're less likely to overeat or consume the wrong foods.

While one's success is largely determined by their own actions, having an accountability partner can help you break through plateaus and inspire you to see things in a different light. In my opinion, if there is a spirit of accountability one is more likely to do what is necessary to achieve the end result. This is simply another way to improve the system that you are using. At Total Results, our passion is to educate people about proper exercise and help them to achieve things they did not think they could. We are constantly working to improve our system in order to help you improve yours. Call or email us to schedule a consultation and get started on your journey today.