Empower Fitness

Someone replied to my story saying:

“This is why being lean will never be my goal…I can’t resist food”

I completely understand why people feel that way.

I love food too.

But somewhere along the line we’ve been taught that getting lean means saying no all of the time.

No cake,
No meals out,
No holidays,
No desserts.

I don’t feel that’s a sustainable way to live.

My goal as a coach isn’t to help people become better at resisting food.

It’s to help them build habits where the food they enjoy alongside their goals.

A lean physique doesn’t require a miserable lifestyle.

Because fitness should improve your life, not consume it.

Firstly, a PT shouldn’t be prescribing a meal plan.

But, if coaching was just telling people to move more and eat less, Google would have replaced PT’s years ago or even now Chat GPT.

Most people know vegetables are good for them,

They know protein is important,

They know exercise is healthy.

The difficult part isn’t knowing.

It’s knowing what to do when:
• You’re running late,
• You’re on holiday,
• You’re eating out,
• You’ve had a stressful day,
• You’re exhausted.

That’s what coaching is…

Not giving people answers.

But, helping them build the confidence to make supportive decisions when life doesn’t go to plan.

A big misconception in fitness is that people who achieve their goals are more motivated.

They’re not.

They have systems.

They have routines.

They have habits that carry them through the days motivation disappears.

Motivation gets you started.

Your habits keep you going.

That’s why I don’t coach people to rely on motivation.

I coach them to build a lifestyle that still works on:
• Busy work days
• Holidays
• Low energy days
• Winter evenings
• Stressful weeks

Because, motivation comes and goes.

Your habits are what move you forward.

I took a double take when I stood on the scales after my holiday.

+3.35kg

An old version of me would have immediately thought:

“I’ve ruined my progress”

But, I stopped and looked at the week I just had.

I climbed 2 mountains,
Walked over 72,000 steps,
Ate more because I was genuinely hungry,
Enjoyed coffee on the mountains,
Had an Indian to celebrate getting home,
Had another Indian with my friends to celebrate their new home.

My body wasn’t telling me I’d gained 3.35kg of fat.

It was telling me I had a pretty heavy week and was still recovering.

So, I did exactly what I encourage my clients to do.

I didn’t punish myself,
I didn’t skip meals,
I didn’t add extra cardio.

I just went back to my normal routine.

The weight has already started coming back down.

Sometimes being consistent looks boring.

And that’s exactly why it works.

🙋🏻‍♂️ What is one thing you’ve learned about the scales that you wish you’d known sooner?

Underfuelling is something I see and discuss a lot.

People do what they’re told…

Eat less. Move more.

Burning the most energy while consuming the least energy is worn like a badge of honour.

“I only had a banana before my run”

“I didn’t eat before my gym session/class”

“I’ve only eaten 1,500 calories today”

“I’m trying not to eat back what I burned”

They wonder why:
• They’re constantly hungry.
• Recover poorly.
• Training feels hard.
• They get sick and injured more often.
• They think about food all day.
• They overeat Friday to Sunday.
• They start again on Monday.

More training doesn’t always mean eating less.

If you’re asking your body to do more, it needs more fuel to support it.

Food isn’t the enemy of progress.

It’s one of the things that makes progress possible.

Something I hear a lot is:

“I’ve ruined it over the weekend”

Usually because they:
• Went out for a meal
• Had a takeaway
• Enjoyed a birthday
• Missed a gym session
• Drank a few beers

Then they restart on Monday.

In most cases, the problem isn’t the weekend.

It’s believing you’ve “failed”, throwing away the whole week and waiting until Monday to “be good” again.

Progress isn’t built upon perfection.

It’s built by consistency. By returning to your normal routine…again and again.

One meal won’t make your progress.

One weekend won’t ruin your progress.

The next normal meal is where progress continues.

Something I ask clients is:

“Apart from the scales…how do we know this is working?”

Because if your weight is the only thing changing, are you actually becoming healthier?

These are some of the things I monitor alongside bodyweight:
• Sleep duration & quality
• Resting heart rate
• VO2 max and fitness
• Daily movement

As well as:
• Energy levels throughout the day
• Gym performance
• Running performance
• Relationship with food
• Mood
• Recovery

Bodyweight can matter.

But it’s only one piece of the puzzle.

I’d rather help people become healthier than simply help them become lighter.

I try not to use the phrase “cheat meal” and I encourage my friends and my clients to do the same.

Not because it’s offensive or bad

But, I don’t feel it’s particularly helpful.

I’ve seen people feel guilty for enjoying food.

They feel like they’ve “failed”.

They feel like they need to skip their next meal.

They feel like they need to redeem themselves.

All because they “cheated”.

I’d much rather someone enjoy a meal…

enjoy a dessert…

or enjoy a snack…

…and then carry on with their normal routine.

No punishment.

Not earning it back.

No guilt.

Just the next normal meal.

Because food doesn’t require punishment.

It doesn’t need to be earned.

It doesn’t have a moral value.

It’s just food.

Cape Town Marathon 2027 🇿🇦🏃‍♂️

On 23rd May 2027, I’ll be running my first marathon, my first Marathon abroad and my first World Marathon Major.

2027 is also the first year that Cape Town is hosting an Abbott World Marathon Major, making it Africa’s first World Major Marathon!

2027 is the year I turn 25…So why not kick off my 1/4 life crisis with a race 6,000 miles away 🤣

Supporting Macmillan Cancer Support felt like the right charity for this journey and I’d be incredibly grateful for any support, whether that’s donating or simply sharing the fundraiser.

I’ll add the fundraising link to the “CTM ‘27” Highlight on my Instagram profile. If you’d prefer, drop me a DM and I’ll happily send you the link.

I also still have the support group from my 100km Race to the Stones in 2024.

If you’d like to follow the journey, watch the training unfold and be a part of my cheer squad on race day, comment “Go Jack!” and I’ll add you!

Finally, I’ll be taking on this challenge alongside my running co-pilot, Ｊｏｅ ✈️ Who I’m looking forward to sharing countless miles, long runs and probably a fair amount of suffering with over the winter and into spring.

Thanks for reading! Here’s to my next adventure! 🇿🇦💚

Snap Fitness Warminster

14 lbs weight loss is amazing…but it isn’t the thing I’m most proud of.

When people see coaching - especially results and testimonials, they expect dramatic before and after pictures.

While 14lbs weight loss is something to celebrate, the scale only tells you a small part of the story.

Over 12 weeks, this client experienced:

✔️ An improvement in their sleep habits. Going from sleeping until early afternoon to getting up early consistently and doing things that bring them joy

✔️ Building confidence within the gym to train independently with intention, rather than feeling lost and just doing the machines with no structure.

✔️ Changing the way they viewed weight loss. Shifting from something they felt they had to do to being on a journey they genuinely want to be on

The piece of feedback that really stood out to me was:

“You’ve helped me see that going to the gym and losing weight isn’t a punishment for my past mistakes, it’s a journey to a new beginning”

That meant so much more to me than any number on the scale.

Because my goal isn’t just to help people just lose weight.

My passion is to help people build healthier relationships with food, training and themselves, so they can continue making progress after coaching ends.

If you’re thinking about getting started but you’re unsure where to start, drop me a DM. I’m always happy to chat 🤝