Its A Lifestyle Personal Training - Essex

As a Personal Trainer /Online coach I am usually bombarding you like the rest of my industry in January with coaching offers, new groups to join or ways to stick to your 'New Year's resolutions but this year I decided to take a different approach.

Why?

Because I listened to you.

The last 3 years with covid, lockdowns and financially now life being pretty stressful I decided to put into practise what I already knew.

Firstly, January is a tough month financially. We as coaches advertise New Year New You programmes when most people are skint and don't get paid until the end of January.

Secondly, there are a lot more mental health issues to deal with in this current post lockdown and current economic climate.

I am not mental health expert but I do know the signs of anxiety/depression and that is why this year I have included extra mental health questions in my client health and fitness questionnaire.

This post is for anyone that wants to work with me but may not be in the right place financially or emotionally at the moment to start.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2023 😊

MOVE MORE....EAT LESS

These 4 words cause a lot of emotion in the Fitness Industry............

"Fat Loss is so much more complicated than Move More, Eat Less Zoe"

Well they do have a point but here is the thing......the majority of beginners are already confused because there is so much conflicting information out there.......For example :

"Don't eat carbs after 6"
"Don't eat sugar"
"Don't eat fat"
"Do Intermittent Fasting"
"Eat breakfast to kickstart your metabolism"
"Eat speed foods to lose weight" (WTF!)

All of them a load of BS !

The basis of this post was due to a member of a weight loss group telling another member to "Give up exercise so they have time to prep food".

Years ago this would have sent me into a rant but I am a lot more patient these days because it really is not her fault.

We, as the fitness industry are failing when sh****ng diet clubs are relaying this kind of information to their members.

We (the good ones, you know who you are if you are reading this :)) need to make sure that our clients understand the foundations of fat loss and for the majority a starting point so they do not feel overwhelmed is MOVE MORE, EAT LESS.

There is nothing wrong with promoting the basics and when I work with a new fat loss client we always discuss the BIG 3

STEPS
WORKOUTS
CALORIES (Syns and WW points are Calories whether you like it or not :)

Getting the basics in place means you understand the process and feel more in control...even when the journey is not perfect.

Zoe x

Working With Me As A Client Or Returning After A Break

Ok let'e be honest, contacting a coach can sometimes be a little bit nerve racking but I know I speak for the majority of coaches/PT's with integrity when I say :

1) YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE FIT TO WORK WITH A ME

It sounds silly saying this but would you go to a make up artist with your make up done or to a hairdressers after doing your own hair? Of course not!
Please do not use being unfit as a reason not to contact me. It is my job to help you whatever your level of fitness.

2) YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE SUPER MOTIVATED

No one is motivated all the time and that is where a good coach can help. Sometimes just getting through a workout is mentally tough if you have had a stressful day etc. Being accountable to someone makes you less likely to miss workouts/sessions.

3) YOU DO NOT NEED TO LIVE NEARBY

As a coach I offer 1 to 1 and ONLINE coaching so if you are not in the essex area, you can work with me online too - no excuses :)

4) YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MILLIONAIRE

Investment in your health is always money well spent and I offer different packages to cover all clients Training/Nutrition requirements.

The only thing you DO need is to message me :)

Just something to think about when you start the same diet every January😉.

As a coach I am here every day of every month....not just to take advantage of your vulnerability in January when you feel like you have over eaten etc in the festive period 😎👍.

For more information about sustainable lifestyle changes and how to avoid yoyo dieting DM me or click link in bio.

This is one of my 'Online Nutrition Only' clients Carlie Richardson .

We have only been working together a couple of months but I'm so proud of her.

I am going to be honest here...when I first started Online Coaching, I wasn't convinced it would work for me as I like 121 coaching but I'm so pleased I took the plunge as I really enjoy it and the results speak for themselves.

I am not one to 'blow my own trumpet' but I genuinely get so much out of seeing my clients progress, not just externally but internally too.

Watching their confidence grow and seeing them feeling more content makes me well up everytime.

I maybe tattooed and pierced on the outside but I'm a soft soul and paying it forward either in my job or just generally day to day will always be my top priority ❤.

Ps I am not Carlies lovely husband Pauls coach but I like to think some of the good habits she has put into place have rubbed off on him 😉

If I had a pound every time someone said this to me, I would be a very rich coach!

I am not trying to "reinvent the wheel" with this post but this subject that needs some explanation.

Let's start with the basics

1) ALL FOOD CONTAINS CALORIES

2) HEALTHY FOOD CONTAINS NUTRIENTS (THUMBS UP) BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE SPECIAL FAT LOSS POWERS (SORRY!)

3) IF YOU EAT A SURPLUS OF ANY CALORIES, HEALTHY OR OTHERWISE YOU WILL PUT ON WEIGHT

4) IF YOU EAT IN A CALORIE DEFICIT, HEALTHY OR OTHERWISE YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT

If you are eating mostly "healthy food" that is great as you will be consuming lots of nutrients but if you have a fat loss goal and are not making any progress you may need to calorie count for a SHORT period of time until you understand your bodies energy requirements.

I am an advocate of calorie counting/macro counting especially with clients that are confused about how fat loss actually occurs.

For FAT LOSS to occur your body does NOT care about the QUALITY of the food but it does care about the QUANTITY (Number of calories you consume).

All the info in this post is based on actual research.....years of it (and no I do not mean YOU TUBE VIDEOS:))

:)

Are you going to eat that Zoe ?

As a coach I get this quite a lot because we are supposed to live on chicken and brocoli right?

And

Are you going to drink that diet coke it has sweetener in it?

Are you going to eat that cake?...(carrot cake to be precise).

Are you going to drink that glass of red wine?

Firstly I don't want you to think I spend all day eating cake and drinking wine but I do want you to understand that eating food you enjoy in moderation means you are much more likely to stick to your goals/program/nutrition plan.

I could spend all day discussing nutrition myths but let's keep this one simple.

One piece of cake doesn't have super powers to make you put on weight....the same way eating bucket loads of brocoli won't make you slim.

If you want to learn how to build a better relationship food and stay on track without feeling like you are being tortured....CLICK THE LINK IN THE BIO .

How often honestly do you do this?

Take me for example :

I have a Resting Bitch Face ( It is genetic, not intentional :))

I have a lot of Tattoos and Piercings

I am quite loud ( ok probably more than a bit loud :))

BUT

Somethings you probably do not know about me are :

I work for AGE UK

I do a fair bit of voluntary work

I am the woman that if I go into a room and someone is sitting at a table by themselves, I will check if they actually want to be alone.

I will tell a person I do not know they look nice for no reason.

I am not telling you any of this because I want you to like me ( well maybe a little bit........we all want to be liked right?)

It is just to let you know a little bit more about me.

I used to work in London many years ago behind a desk and now I get to Coach lots of lovely people and I get to be me.

The Tattooed RBF with tattoos and a big heart.

It is 100% ok to be just be yourself......especially with me.

This is not a work post but it is one of my favourite pics of us and it makes me smile so I wanted to put it permanently where I can see it every day

This one is the reason I am :

* A little bit softer around the edges
* Smiling a lot more

Thank you for being you ....everyday (and for annoying the s**t out of me at times with your untidiness 🤣) ❤

Ps you made it to the grid baby 🤣😘

Consistency Not Perfection

Pays off everytime

Proud coach 😁❤

Today I had cake for breakfast.

Costa Banana Loaf to be precise.

It wasn't a treat, I was not emotional eating, it is not "my time of the month" - I just wanted a piece of cake with my morning coffee ( and I am in a calorie deficit/dieting at the moment ).

Here is the thing , as a fitpro ( I hate that bloody term but just using it for context) I am supposed to tell you I always had my s**t together in regards to food/nutrition but the truth of it is.... no I didn't.

Not even close to perfect - in fact my relationship with food was pretty s**t until my mid 30's when I learnt a few things (science stuff not made up BS to get more followers or sell a crappy supplement) about food.

1) If you have a fat loss goal - your body does NOT care if you eat cake or carrots - it only cares about the TOTAL amount of calories you eat not the QUALITY of the calories.

2) Cake, crisps, chocolate etc do not turn to fat as soon as you eat them - this sounds a silly thing to say but I get a lot of messages about guilt related to eating "bad foods" and having ruined a diet/eating plan.

3) Foods do not have "special powers". Some foods are more nutritionally dense (contain vitamins and minerals) than others but they re not super foods" that help you lose weight or balance your hormones !

4) Try not label foods good and bad ( and do not use the word syns !) . As soon as you do, your relationship with food will start to suffer.

MY advice?

Whether you are dieting or not - try to use the 80/20 principle.

80% Nutrition Dense foods - Lean Meats, Pulses, Fruit, Vegetables and Dairy.

20% Cake , crisps, burgers, sweets, alcohol etc .

You can diet and eat foods you like.

You really can have YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT.

If you want more info about building a better relationship with food - click the link below and get in touch.
https://zoe324.typeform.com/to/bcPyrrgi

Before all you SW and WW dieters slide into my DM's with angry responses to this post, hear me out for a moment

Firstly as a coach I am not pro or anti any diet.... what I am is anti bulls**t.

Let's dispel a myth first, SW and WW did not re-invent the wheel when using marketing terms like SYNS and POINTS.

A SYN = 20 Calories
A POINT = 55 Calories

If you do not believe me go to your cupboard or fridge right now and look a the Nutrition Info on the packet (or look at the infographic I have posted.....aren't I helpful today :))

If Counting Calories was a company I would be getting legal advice on copyright infringement...naughty SW and WW.

This post is not about having a go at diet companies ( well maybe a little), it is information so you can understand that all main stream diets are about Counting Calories/Creating a Calorie Deficit, whether they tell you they are not.

I have clients that come to me on various diets including SW and WW.

I do not tell them to stop following their particular diet but what I do is educate them why they do or do not work on a personal level.

If you are struggling to lose weight or are constantly YOYO dieting, then drop me a DM and I promise my response will be as BS free and unbiased as possible 😊.