There is a wall that's built up that leads us to believe we can't move at work, but that's not the case. We need to find those pockets of time where we can take care of ourselves.
The first thing I tell clients is get off the couch! Just start making some small lifestyle changes such as walking to work instead of driving or taking the stairs instead of the lift. The small things you can change all add up.
Most of us understand what healthy food is - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that vegetables are good for you and that sugar is bad. So you need to use the things you do know and follow them.
It's easy to motivate a client when they are sitting on a bench right in front of you, but the real challenge for a trainer is to have that motivation exist even when you are not around.
I've realized that no problem is as hopeless as it first may seem, I've learned how to live day to day and show others how to do the same, and most of all, I've learned how to just be.
I think a lot of us think we've failed when we've put the weight back on, but when this happens. you have to pay attention because you can actually learn something. You didn't fail. You just need to stay conscious and know where you went wrong and try again.
I like a character that goes on a journey. A character that has had it all, lost it all, and is trying to get back to just being OK. I love the agony of defeat just as much as I love the thrill of victory.
I initially became a trainer in 2002 to help people shape their bodies, to help them look the way they wanted to look. This would reflect the way I was living. I was focusing on the exterior. Then in 2003/4, I had a paradigm shift. I started a business for bariatric patients, pre- and post-gastric bypass.
I tell my clients to feel powerful - you and only you own your power. You are the one who can make yourself eat right, work out and not touch the biscuits.
People are starting to recognize me, and it can be hard because I'm a really nice person, and people will ask me uncomfortable questions like they know me, and I'm just like, 'Umm... can I walk away now?'
I think a lot of trainers are forgetting to take care of themselves and focusing only on their clients. You see it with doctors, nurses, and caretakers. If you put too much effort into only helping others, you are neglecting yourself, and your health is the only thing that makes it possible for you to help others.
My journey through life has led me through both light and dark places, and it's because of those experiences that I have learned how to work through my character defects and to help others do the same.
