So where to begin, I haven’t blogged in a long time and today -02/08/2016 I thought I would jump on the band wagon and post a ‘Transformation Tuesday’ picture with some thoughts I had, I didn’t realize on Instagram you’re limited to how much you can actually write so I was cut short on what I wanted to say, which got me thinking about blogging and how I have so much to say and talk about and Instagram won’t let me lol, plus I highly doubt everyone wants me clogging up their news feed so I decided to do a Blog.
I can’t actually remember when I last wrote a blog, I think I had started college and moved out, well WOW a lot has happened since then so I apologize in advance for chatting away and maybe getting side tracked from time to time.
Well, I’m finally a Qualified PT woohhhooo go me I passed all my exams first time with pretty high marks to which I’m over the moon about as I don’t think I have ever scored so highly on an exam in my life let alone ALL of them on the course, so I was pretty chuffed with myself to say the least. I got all my results and finished the course by July 15th which was good timing as we opened the gym on Monday 18th July – yes OPENED the gym, 5S Fitness is finally open and going so well.
So since qualifying I have managed to secure 2 Clients with a 3rd due to start next week which I think is really good going and I’m really enjoying it. I’m currently working long hours as working at the gym at 6am each morning then going to my current job working 8-4 then back to the gym till 9pm so long days BUT I finally handed my notice in and I leave at the end of August to go Full Time at 5S Fitness I won’t lie I am a little scared as it’s a HUGE step for me and such a big change of career BUT I didn’t work my bum of for nothing so I’m doing it, what’s the worst that can happen ?????….. I cannot get any clients, have no money to pay bills, get kicked out and live with my mum ……….JOKEEEEE ha ha I WILL NOT fail as you get out what you put in, my hard work and dedication will pay off and I will be one amazing PT because I have the faith and confidence I need (a huge heap of that has come from Jay drilling it into me almost daily which eventually you have no choice but start to believe it)
At the moment I am working the long days and going to and from jobs, which is the hard part, but if I put in the work now and the next few months / years then I will get the rewards in time. Once I leave my current job at HMS I will still be in the gym 6am – 9pm but I won’t have to travel to and from Macc – Wilmslow each day and I will get breaks in the day time when I do not have clients, classes or doing paperwork (yes unfortunately there is still an element of that but I’m quite happy as I do like a little bit)
All jokes aside it is a huge step and people may think it’s as simple as changing jobs but it’s not, when going from a monthly set income each month that you know you’re getting so you know all bills are paid, you know you can afford that dress or that nice meal at the weekend to going to no set income, it’s almost like leaving a job with no other job in place, I will be working longer hours and will be on my feet the majority of the day, I will have to push my skills and knowledge on social media in hope to get in the clients, and although its hard and a huge step it does not mean it cannot be done, it can, and you have to have the confidence in yourself to do it.
Once the clients are in and the money starts it does not mean the effort stops, I still have to continue to get in new clients for the following months because as we all know, not everyone continues with their personal trainer, some just have the block sessions and then off they go to train alone in a gym, which is good as it means you have taught them a lot and gave them confidence they may not of had before which is a huge sense of achievement, but I still have to work hard to get in the clients. I won’t know when I will get paid, I won’t know if I’ll get all the money I need and by the date I need it but that’s the chance you take and you strive with the beauty of the unknown.
As I put in my post earlier today, I will be working with other coaches which are all Males and all Ex-Army and have a huge background in strength and PT and the knowledge they have I almost envy, but I also have something’s they don’t, for starters I’m a girl but I also have my own knowledge, my own journey and my own battles. I have been the ‘bigger girl’ and I know exactly how it feels and the emotions that come with it, some people will never understand as they may not of been through it, I’m not saying that is a bad thing as its not but for me it’s what gives me my edge, it makes me stand out from others because I have struggled, I still do struggle, it does get easier and you learn how to control it and how to overcome it, relapses do happen and sometimes we fall of the wagon and have some naughty food and don’t train (generally over holidays, Christmas or special times of the year to us) but just because this does happen it does not mean we cannot carry on what we started, compare it to walking along a road, it’s not always going to be straight and you won’t always be able to see the end, there will be hills, there will be lows, there will be a few curves but it’s what we do to get back on the road and to see the end. In some cases, the end may move, you may change direction, it’s a ‘journey of a lifetime’ that we will forever change so don’t be down if the goal post changes from time to time we just alter our tactics and set up for that goal.
I have changed my pathway various times and I have hit a lot of hills some really big ones that come with an almighty low after so I know the feeling but it does not mean we stop and keep heading down hill, we just re-evaluate, you see what knocked you of course and you see what it is that you ‘want’ to do, that is the key, training can be a huge part in your life and does take up time so it’s essential that when your training you’re doing what you enjoy, not what you think you ‘HAVE’ to be doing, I have found that if you go out for a run or train doing something you don’t actually like then the chances are you will put in half the effort and eventually you will just stop. I will always say to try because you can’t comment unless you have tried, but if you try and don’t like it then find something you do enjoy, some people love to run some people hate it, it’s all down to what suits ‘you’ its ‘your’ body and its ‘your’ life and its only ‘you’ that is in control. If you train in a way that you enjoy you will put in double the effort and see greater results which will then only continue to motivate you.
From being in the fitness industry (the little time I have been) and going to college I have seen so many different characters, so many different ways in which people eat and train, down to the time they train how often they eat, do they carb deplete? Do they have high fat diets? And each of them do it because they have found what suits them. At first I was very, this is right… this is wrong, but that is not the case, each and every person is made up of entirely different genetics which means each and everybody will react to different nutrients, different training methods, which in turn means that just because the way someone eats suits them it does not mean it suits you, it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ its ‘tailored’ to you as an individual so unlike I have done before don’t sit and scroll through Instagram or Facebook and think that person is in amazing shape and to look like that I must eat the same, this is not true. It can be a lot of trial and error but consistency is the key and finding what your body needs and what suits you can be a little difficult but it can also be so much fun. I guess what I’m trying to say is when you’re looking to train and eat well, don’t follow the crowd or the phase that is currently out at the time but stand out, make you own choices based on you own opinions and most of all have fun with it.
I have been out of college now around 3 weeks and had no studying but time to relax a little and start enjoying my own training. However, I do miss learning and I’m eager to learn more, mainly in nutrition so I have signed up to another course which is a day workshop in ‘Advanced Nutrition in Weight Management’ I’m actually really excited and can’t wait to get down there and see what it’s all about and what I can learn. I love the nutrition side as much as the PT side of things and I’m now qualified in PT its now just learning the ropes as I’m going along almost like when you pass your driving test, you know how it works but you don’t actually learn until you’re out there driving alone which is what I’m now doing with the PT. However, with the Nutrition side you can’t just ‘wing it’ and really learn to do it alone, it’s a lot more in depth and there is so much more to learn, I’m going to see how I get on with the course I have booked onto and I will then go from there but my intentions are to continue with my study in Nutrition and become a qualified nutritionist based mainly around weight loss, eat to perform and obesity and diabetes which all link within each other but are also such huge sectors alone.
So more personal stuff which we all love (I hope) I guess it’s more the truth, everyone sees the highs of everything but no one sees behind closed doors and the stressful times, college was hard and took a lot of my time up and while also studying and attending college and my full time job and helping to get 5S up and running and I little or no time left for anyone else including myself. It was a long 6 months and I was lucky to have Jay there, we would have times where we would fall out or argue due to not seeing each other – which may sound daft as we love together but at one point it was almost like yes we lived in the same house but we would get in, eat and sleep, hardly speak due to how tired we were and how stressed we got, we got the odd Friday night where we could go for a meal and enjoy some time together but by 10pm my eyes would be shutting and then it would be back to the grind.
Not only that but I don’t see many of my friends or my family, I used to be a big drinker and I would go out every weekend with my girls partying and having fun, but soon I guess ‘life’ hit me in the face and I had to grow up at some point, and that hit me when I started college and you see that it’s not high school, you don’t just show up to class and sit giggling with your friends at the back but you actually show with your head screwed on, A LOT of coffee and you sit eagerly at the front trying to take in everything the tutor is saying because you know this is your future and to pass this course you have to listen and learn and pass and reality really hits you. I soon didn’t have time to see any of my friends or family and I basically stopped drinking, I still enjoy the odd glass of prosecco or G&T but my whole lifestyle changed and not because it had to for training reasons but because I actually found that I was enjoying studying and learning and I knew I had to get my head in the game to make my life what I wanted it to be.
When your parents tell you when your younger that after high school you will enjoy your life but the hard work will soon start and your life will one day change, for some people life changes when they have a baby and sometimes the people in your life change as well this does not happen for bad reasons but because you lifestyle has changed that you meet new people.
I guess for me, my life has changed and not due to babies but It’s changed because my mind-set is different. I used to love getting all dressed up and hitting the town with my girls and don’t get me wrong we all need our friends and we all need to relax and enjoy ourselves but I guess the way in which we do does change and it’s all part of growing up and becoming yourself.
I still like to put on a nice dress, have my hair done and make-up and feel like a women, especially as I’m usually in gym clothes with my hair scraped on my head and no make-up ha ha, but I do enjoy looking all nice and going out for a nice meal with just a few drinks, I guess I’m more of a foodie now and I do love to go out for nice meals, probably because I will actually try more foods than I used to
I guess I’m saying that don’t be scared to change your career or your lifestyle if it’s what you want, yes the people in your life may change, the way you do things may change but if you’re doing it to better yourself and to do what makes you happy then it’s a good thing and you should jump in with two feet (if that’s even the correct saying but just go full throttle)
I’ve probably chewed you ear off now and I’m sure I can still sit here and write and talk to myself all day long – maybe I should think about writing some kind of ‘Book’ lol.
Well I hope you all enjoyed my ‘Blog’ and if you have anything to ask or any advice you think will help me then please do shout up.
Love Lashes AKA Personal Trainer (yes I can say that now ha ha)
P.S now you can see why Instagram cut me off as I would be clogging up everyone’s news feed ha ha
xxxx