Being in the business of fitness is no easy task. As personal trainers, we need to balance creating custom training programs for clients, teaching clients, and managing personal business. It’s no wonder that we often forget to spend time on ourselves.
Sometimes we can feel and see the gradual decline of our health and fitness. We mustn’t forget that being a positive role model for our clients is a part of our job, and it’s essential to remedy this decline if it happens.
Here are a few guidelines to keep your body in shape as a personal trainer:
Be wary of your food intake
Nutrition courses for personal trainers are an essential part of the training syllabus you teach to your clients. But sometimes, even as professional trainers ourselves, we get carried away. After all, eating after a long day of work and training feels heavenly. Obsessively weighing your food and counting your macros every moment isn’t always necessary. Being aware of your body’s needs and how many calories you burn is the key to staying with your dream body. Always remember to:
- Count your calories
- Eat more meals with the “right” kind of fats and antioxidants.
- Consume more vitamin K, vitamin C, and Omega 3.
Expand your training regimen
To get your body’s needed workout, we suggest adding these training to your daily routine:
Suspension training
Suspension training is similar to resistance training, except that it forces all parts of your body to work and move in perfect synchrony. To do suspension training, all you need are suspension trainers, which are relatively cheap and portable.
Outdoor training
Outdoor fitness not only constitutes calisthenics in your local park, but it also includes running with your dog, hiking with your friends, or even swimming at your nearest beach. The key to outdoor training is using the time you’re going to spend with others to benefit your body too. Keep in mind that going outdoors at press time needs a couple of precautions like masks and rubbing alcohol. Don’t forget to wear sunblock also!
Leave time for rest
We all know how great the feeling of working out is. Pushing yourself to the limit, doing multiple max rep lifts, or trying out heavier than usual weights are all fine; consecutive exercises like this, however, are poor workout habits. Especially as personal trainers, it’s easy for us to overwork ourselves and ignore that we’re overtraining our bodies.
When we over-train our bodies, we often experience extreme fatigue and sore muscles, all of which can contribute to workplace injuries. This would set you back a couple of days or even weeks. Giving yourself a day of recovery every week is enough for you to nurture and heal your body. Remember, we prioritise self-care for clients; it’s about time we make time for our daily self-care routine.
Being readily available at all times to clients isn’t always a good thing, too. It’s crucial to protect your personal time. Your free time can be used for socialising with friends and family, resting, playing games, focusing on your hobbies, or spending time with your families. Be open to your clients on what hours you can be contacted and what days you aren’t available. Giving time for yourself will allow you to relax, heal, and replenish yourself.
Final thoughts
While training and being calorie conscious is a part of your job, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to get fun while doing it. Heck, you don’t even need to include suspension training, climbing, and outdoor training. The essential part is that you should include physical activities that you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy any of your training sessions, you won’t be the best possible version of yourself. This contributes to what you can pass on to your clients. Whatever you choose to do, make sure to have fun while keeping yourself and your clients fit.