[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]I’m a personal trainer and have been one for five years. However, there are many myths and misconceptions about the healthy lifestyles we lead as personal trainers. I obviously eat protein and greens all day every day and workout twice a day. And there is nothing better than an hour of lifting weights and sweating! Right? WRONG!

Maybe I shouldn’t admit to this, but personal trainers are regular people. My mindset yesterday was “right let’s get this workout out of the way”.

I try to go to the gym 5-6 times a week, but recently I’ve found it hard for two reasons.

Firstly, time is always a factor. Driving to and from client’s homes and not being able to eat at the right times often means that gym sessions are squeezed in to small gaps in the day or late at night. I often get told that I must be fit because of my job, but travelling in the car and training a client does not mean I am exercising myself and I’m often worn out after my day. Most trainers’ days start at 5:30am (that’s often a 4am wakeup) and can end at 10pm that’s enough to leave anyone ready for bed.

Secondly, I get bored of the routine of training and this can be the case for most personal trainers. We often fall out of love with the gym and exercising. We keep training because that is what is expected of a personal trainer. This in turn can reduce our own motivation and exercising can often become a chore. I’ve found that finding new workouts (yes variety) to train often helps. Also finding someone to work out with can really help boost your mood and enthusiasm.[/cs_text][x_image type=”none” src=”https://pgpt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/nikki-with-client.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][cs_text]Now onto my eating habits. Yes, I have been known to eat nothing but chicken and broccoli and porridge and protein shakes all day. My life is very busy and recently I moved home, sometimes it’s just not sustainable. Eating cold food out of plastic containers is not feasible when you’re driving (this then leads to skipping meals or a quick banana on the go) sometimes you just need to improvise.

Most trainers do eat a healthy diet. We also eat the same foods that our families like to eat for convenience and this is often not chicken and rice. I also love sweets and chocolates. The key is not to feel bad about what we have just eaten. Draw a line under it, call it a treat for the generally disciplined approach you take and get back on the wagon.

I’m not asking for sympathy. I LOVE my job! I just want you to realise that personal trainers are human too! We have cheat meals and binges, we get bored at the gym and fall out of love with exercise. We do reinvent our routines and ideas though. When getting tired of one thing make tweaks to the programme to try something else.

I understand what you’re going through. Getting fit and healthy or losing weight is not easy. We can however be more empathetic than you think. Not only can we deliver you a gruelling workout, but we can support you mentally and offer you advice about food and keep you accountable on your journey. All I can say speaking from a personal experience is that it’s challenging work with plenty of ups and downs. If you don’t have a support system around you it will be difficult. Surround yourself with people that want to see you change. Without exercise, the right mindset and healthy eating, I would probably still be a stone overweight and two dress sizes bigger.
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