Personal trainers are not perfect

Personal trainers are not perfect.

This is shocking news right? Personal trainers, fitness professionals, strength coaches......whatever you want to call em, are far from perfect.

Everyone assumes that as someone who works in the industry my diet must be picture perfect, my body a temple blah blah blah.

Let me let you into a little secret, I eat ice cream, I drink alcohol and chocolate, well don't even get me started and yes I get hangovers.

Now, I don't drink everyday, nore do I have ice cream after every meal and I certainly wont polish off a whole slab of chocolate on a daily basis. However I will consume these things every now and again as a treat simply because I want to, because I like them. And so should you.

I find it very frustrating when someone who is clearly over weight tells me "your a personal trainer, you shouldn't be eating that", should my response be well your fat so you shouldn't be eating at all!

Life is about balance and the truth is most of us get it wrong, including personal trainers. Gasp

Another cracker I hear is "well you work in a gym so eating a healthy diet is easy for you", they are absolutely right, my gym cooks me 6 small meals everyday, provides me with 3liters of filtered water and they have the area heavily policed just in case I decide to sink my teeth in to a chocolate eclair. Dont talk shite!

So, the reason I am writing this is to let you all know that as a personal trainer, I don't get as much sleep as I would like, I don't live on grass and freshly caught chicken, I don't eat a bland and unenjoyable diet. I like to eat well, I enjoy what I eat safe in the knowledge that it is healthy as well as being tasty.

You know what you like and you also have a good idea of what is healthy. So simply find healthier ways to cook your favourite meals. Chicken fajitas, chilli con carne, burgers, English breakfasts. These are all on my weekly menu, the difference being I find healthier ways to make them. Grill don't fry, use coconut not vegetable oil, use organic not highly sprayed veg etc. Simple changes that make a big difference.

Also, think structure. If you went out on the piss on Saturday, avoid crappy food on the Sunday. If you had a greasy fry up on Friday morning, don't have a cake after lunch. Add structure to your treats, plan ahead and improvise. That way you won't go overboard and you will appreciate them a lot more.

Much love, grilled chicken and green teas,

Matt