Vertex Health And Fitness

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!”


If you’ve ever given a health and fitness goal a proper crack, you definitely would have heard this phrase come out of someone’s mouth at some point. Great advice, but a more accurate statement would be to go a bit further and say ‘you are what you absorb.’


The microflora in the gastrointestinal tract is home to at least 500 different microbial species which are estimated to be in excess of 300 trillion microbes... quite a lot!


These microflora play a crucial role in synthesising amino acids and vitamins, metabolisation of carbohydrates and alcohol, stimulating immune system to respond to antigens and functions as a communication system between the gut and brain to integrate neural, hormonal and immunological responses to external stimuli.


Stress, eating excessive amounts of processed food, alcohol and exposure to pharmaceutical or recreational drugs can lead to an imbalance in this gut flora which can lead to allergies, intolerances anxiety, stress and in worst cases progress to things like IBS, IBD, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases if left unchecked.


With the a goal of optimal health in mind, your nutrition choices should be those that foster the growth and balance of the good bacteria in your gut and the more specific goals like body composition and weight loss tend to be a by-product when this is the case.

To follow on from the last point on nutrition about tracking everything and some of the pros and cons about that approach, there is another method that will be far more likely to succeed with the majority of clients long term, and that is to take more of a behavioural approach. We are humans, not robots after all.



Firstly, you need to get a pretty solid idea of what a client is currently eating which can be done with a 24 - 72 hour food diary, and then you can begin to dissect and make small changes based on that. Some clients will be super honest, some will tell a few fibs, so best to make sure you’re tracking their body composition weekly or at most fortnightly so you can see if the results reflect what they’re saying.


As simple as it sounds, you will be able to get amazing results with some clients by only making as little as 1 change to their nutrition per week. Maybe it’s eat more protein, eat out 2 x a week instead of 4, eating bigger or smaller meals, drinking less coffee, or reducing intake of sugar or inflammatory foods. Again, the smaller the changes are to their current habits and lifestyle, the easier it will be for them to get results. The reality is, most gen pop clients really just want to be able to go out and have a nice meal and a few drinks on the weekend with their mates and family and still be able to fit into the clothes that make them feel happy. So although it can be slower to get results than tracking everything, it is most of the time much more effective, at least in the beginning.



Understanding nutrition is the science, and understanding people is the art, and a great coach will be a blend of science and art 🤓

In a world where everyone wants everything yesterday, there’s no denying that the fastest results will come from counting and measuring everything that goes into your gob.


Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure to get your baseline amount of calories, work out where your current calories are and then set the % below or above baseline depending on goals and then BANG, you’re away! Sounds simple right?


Wrong!


If it were that simple we would all be running around naked and happy belting out the chorus to Dance Monkey and not be faced with a large scale obesity epidemic, crippling mental health issues and and an overwhelming dependence on pharmaceutical drugs to numb the pain of our mere existence.


For some, tracking works long term, (Accountants, engineers), but for most, it will only be short term and focusing on the behavioural component of nutrition will yield far better results long term.


Start with educating your clients and empowering them to make better decisions themselves. Creating better habits takes time and is done most effectively with minimal change to their current routine, so it’s your job as a coach to determine those small changes that will yield greatest results.


Trust me, this will be far more effective long term than continuously spitting out different caloric amounts each week for your clients to hit in MyFitnessPal.

As a coach, it is a culmination of all those little extra things that you do that’s ultimately going to show your clients that you actually CARE, which is one of (if not) the most important factors for their success while they’re working with you.


The follow up text, the attention to detail on every rep, the coffee catch up, the free extra session to get them back on track, the birthday card, the remembering to ask if their partner or family is ok, and the extra phone call to make sure that they understand everything about their new program, just to name a few.


Building a reputation of going above and beyond for your clients will not only bring greater results and more business to you, but allow you to have far deeper connections with your clients than you ever thought possible which will enable you to have a much more profound impact on their quality of life.


And that my friends, is what being a Personal Trainer is all about 😊

Shoutout to my legendary client Sasha who’s been with me for around 5 months now. Just over 8kgs difference between photos and looking fantastic!

Outstanding work Sasha 🥳

Vertex client Jaz’s unreal leg progress since the beginning of August this year 🍑


Lots of heavy squatting, lots of isolation work for the glutes and hammies, but most importantly LOTS of eating. Jaz was consistently 2800 calories with the last program and managed to maintain a lean physique in the process. If you want to grow, you gotta EAT 🥩🍗🍳🍠🥔🥦


Looking forward to seeing her jump on stage in feb next year 💪

When it comes to nutrition or training, it shouldn’t be complicated.



Minimal changes bring about maximum results 💪