“I can’t lift my arms” and other marketing jargon.

“I can’t lift my arms,” I texted Scott, my trainer.

“What a great feeling. Embrace it,” he shot back.

“I agree. And I would embrace it… if I could move my arms.”

Embrace it? I could barely text it. I just finished (barely) one of his grueling workouts. I was fried and I couldn’t feel better.

Scott’s a devil about developing a plan that includes cross-training and challenging you, changing it up and resting. Working on different parts of your body so that the different parts get stronger and support each other. He mixes in cardio so that you have endurance to make it through and keep getting in better shape.

Sometimes, it’s so tough that you wonder why you put yourself through it all… (I really hate burpees) until it all pays off with the results you wanted all along. The results even surprise and delight you as a client.

It sounds suspiciously like an integrated marketing plan to me. The goals sound great, even audacious. Next comes laying out the integrated plan. The plan takes expertise, creativity, and, well, planning.

Execution is next. Do it. Stick to it. No quitting.

Finally, it’s time to measure the results… for the moment. Really, there is no finish line. To stay in (marketing) shape, you have to keep pushing yourself to new and better things for your brand.

Just don’t tell Scott he’s a brand strategist. He has a big enough head already.