When we really pull back the covers, it is ASTOUNDING just how many personal trainers, and fitness professionals struggle with hidden issues with food and orthorexic behaviours around exercise.
Before I continue; and I feel I have to spell this out because some individuals like to make shit up or misinterpret what has been said; I am NOT saying all PTs. BUT it is quite shocking just how many do struggle.
I am contacted privately at least once a week by (usually female) trainers suffering a morality and integrity crisis. They REALLY want to help their clients, and they know a lot about training and nutrition. But they themselves are struggling with a disordered relationship with food, exercise, and their body.
Some of them may attribute this to feeling the pressure to be “fitness model” lean to “fit in”, others may have just believed the BS that you MUST track and count calories in order to get a body transformation, or just fallen into unhelpful behaviours and now feel trapped with nowhere to turn.
Now, let me clarify that this is NOT an attack on those struggling, quite the opposite… (Correction, it’s not an attack on 95% of those struggling!) The remaining 5% who struggle with binge eating, emotional eating, obsessive thoughts around food or fear and anxiety around food, who ALSO advertise that THEY HELP THEIR clients with these very issues can frankly do one! That’s a COMPLETE lack of integrity and your moral compass is way off!
This is a call out to the female personal trainers who love their clients and genuinely want to transform people’s lives, but who are failing to have the impact they want, and are struggling to drive their business forwards because they feel like an imposter.
First of all understand that you are not alone. Like I said it is astounding how common this is, it is often the elephant in the room when I speak with private clients who are female PTs and a dirty secret that carries so much shame, guilt and feelings of being trapped and a “shit trainer”. Like so many other trainers in your position, you’ve learnt all about the science of fitness and nutrition. You can regurgitate text books on calories, macronutrients, micronutrients, phytonutrients, gut health, and even “mitochondrial function.”
You’ve tried all manner of nutritional protocols – carb cycling, calorie cycling, intermittent fasting, different macronutrient ratios and so on.
But it seems like the more you learn, and the more precisely you try to control things, the more you lose control. You can be strict for short periods, but the cravings and the urges keep coming back time and time again.
Perhaps they’re even getting worse as you try to control things even more tightly and force yourself with even more willpower. Each time you have one of those “fuck it” moments you lose a little more confidence and little more faith in yourself.
Which only makes the “binges” even worse because now you’re thinking, “What’s the point? You know you’re gonna binge eventually so you might as well do it now!”
Your clients struggle with the same problems yet you are their ultimate cheerleader, give them a pep talk and support them – but who is supporting you?
If you’re a female trainer struggling with binge eating, emotional eating, or a disordered relationship with food, exercise, or your body…
… you can FULLY and PERMANENTLY overcome these issues, and I can prove it. (but YEAH it takes work!)
Just look at our track record at Chase Life. You’ll see countless examples of women who had been struggling with these issues for years, even decades. Many of whom felt like they’d tried everything!
They’d tried all the diets and nutritional protocols. They’d even tried counselling, therapy, hypnotherapy, CBT, mindfulness, and all manner of other approaches. But now they’re completely free from their struggles.
If you’re a sincere, hard working female trainer, who loves people and wants to make a real difference, then the fitness industry needs more people like you! There is a massive shortage of high quality female trainers who genuinely care about their clients!
But if you’re struggling with these issues yourself, then you will never have the impact that you deserve, or your clients deserve until you fix them.
You owe it to yourself, your clients, and your business to fix these issues once and for all. That’s exactly what we do and we have the proven track record to back it up.
If you’re sick and tired of feeling like an imposter, of doubting yourself and your ability to help your clients, then reach out. Hiding in shame, guilt and not feeling good enough is BURYING you and we can’t help you if you suffer in silence.
Send me a PM if you want help and we can discuss options. Confidential as always. Xx