Things My Busy Clients Do For Their Health

They all lift weights (at home!)- Yes every single one of them! It's too important for too many reasons and it's the part of their fitness they need the most help with. I deliver the most value teaching them how to lift well and achieve some awesome goals along the way.

They understand progressive overload and try to increase either the reps or the weight they lift, sometimes both. They see progress, it helps motivate them to keep going and they keep moving closer to their goal.

They do a form of cardio they enjoy, walking, running, swimming. This is the bit most people can do alone or with someone other than me. Unless they have a performance goal I don't look at the mechanics of how they do their cardio, unless they have concerns. My runners and triathletes all have an initial assessment just to make sure their isn't anything that might cause an issue down the line.

They tell me how much time they realistically have to fit everything in and we make it work. They also know that I won't be shouting and screaming if they don't do everything one week!

They focus on their goals and the challenges they set themselves and do not obsess about the number on the scale. We find at least two or three goals for them to work on, doing 10 full press ups, building up to running 5k, prioritising sleep, hitting a minimum number of workouts per week, a step count challenge etc. 

They are patient and understand that changing habits takes time and changing your body shape, takes even longer! I've spoken about delayed gratification with all of them and thankfully they get it!

They take progress photos every month. To see real change does take time and I personally think it's a great way to reinforce delayed gratification. Do the work every week and then let's see how you have changed in a month. When my clients see the changes, it's very empowering and they just keep going!

None of them are currently in a calorie deficit. It's not because I am against people dieting it's because for most people (whose health is not at risk) it should be a tiny portion of time in a year. My clients eat at maintenance or just above (like 100-200 calories) which gives them tons of energy for life and workouts and they also aren't food obsessed because they eat enough!

They aim to eat at least 80g protein but most are closer to or just over 100g. If you want to see more muscle and definition, you have to build it and your body has to repair and for that you need protein. Many processes in our body require protein not only building muscle, enzyme production, hormone production, bones, hair, skin, transport of molecules around the body and Immune function.

They understand food has no moral compass, food is just food. Calling food good or bad is inherently problematic. Just because a food is lower in nutrients does not mean you have to cut it out completely. Of course we want to have a diet high in nutrients but food with a lower nutritional content has it's place too.

They can eat out without anxiety. They learn how to enjoy time with friends/family first and food/drinks second is a muscle that needs to be worked. Making choices that align with your goals and values makes eating out a whole lot easier. Sometimes you might choose a huge salad and sometimes it will be the steak and fries. My clients always keep in the forefront of their mind that no one cares about their food choices (as long as those around you get what they want!)

Living a healthy life doesn't mean living a boring life, it means finding what is important to you and what is not and making time for the things that you believe are worth doing x