A little bit about my background before I dive into the fun stuff.
I am a personal trainer, professional Irish Dancer, business owner, yoga enthusiast & long-time lover of all things travel & animal related. I have a Master’s Degree in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology, hence, the obsession with all things mind related when it comes to Health & Fitness.
Dance has played a huge part in my life and heavily influences the approach I take to fitness – It should be FUN! There needs to be some sort of element that you enjoy so as to adhere to any exercise regime.
YOU NEED TO ENJOY THE PROCESS!
I got asked a while back by someone - ‘How long do you reckon it would take me to get a 6 pack?’
My response - ‘Well, why do you want one?’
Not the response you would expect from a Personal Trainer but stay with me here…
There is so much talk around the importance of goal setting and all the different types of goals people set – short term, long term, outcome, process, SMART. All of which are SO important! But something that is often overlooked when people are setting goals whether they are related to fitness, life, relationships, etc. is they don’t associate the goals with the all-important ‘WHY’?
So many people want to lose weight, get stronger, get fitter, etc., which are all great goals to have but I think it is so important to ask yourself when you are setting a goal, why do you want to achieve this goal?
We all live such busy lives and when it comes to achieving any goal in life it does take time and some degree of effort! Everyone struggles with days where motivation is low but the difference between someone overcoming that and someone giving up/giving in to the alternative is simply their association with the why they are doing this.
Think of the difference simply between someone saying: ‘I want to lose half a stone/4kg’ vs ‘I want to be in better shape so I can play with my kids’, the WHY is tied to a greater emotion in the second example! There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose ‘weight’ (FAT, your weight is a number on a scales and can fluctuate SO much depending on so many factors) but tie it to something that means something to you.
That leads me on to ‘Six Packs’ (I’m being dramatic saying 6-pack, but you get my point) In my opinion, if the correct approach is taken to training, nutrition & lifestyle, OF COURSE you can get into fantastic shape and still have a life while actually enjoying the process! It is about small, sustainable changes.
We have been absolutely DESTROYED by diet culture.
Low Carb/No Carb/Low Fat/Sin Free/FUN FREE/LIFE FREE.
We need to step away from this ‘all or nothing’ mentality when it comes to training & nutrition. Starving yourself Monday – Friday, BINGING Saturday & Sunday and wondering WHY you are either gaining weight or NOT LOOSING IT.
I help my clients to see that by just becoming more aware of your body, it’s needs, training in a way that you actually enjoy the process and generally just living a more active life is a SUSTAINABLE and ENJOYABLE way of living, generating self-love & self-confidence while still LIVING YOUR LIFE & ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
