Making Fitness Fit You
Everyone can benefit from having fitness in their life. But fitness doesn’t have to mean going to the gym five days a week or following whatever workout is currently trending online. There are so many ways to stay active, whether that’s strength training, Pilates, running, tennis, another sport, or simply finding a form of movement you genuinely enjoy.
For some people, finding what they enjoy comes naturally. For others, it takes a lot of trial and error. Either way, I don’t believe fitness should be something you have to force your life around. It should be something that can adapt to you, your goals, your lifestyle, and the stage of life you’re currently in.
This is something the fitness industry often gets wrong.
I’m sure you’ve come across programmes promising to “get you fit in eight weeks” or give you an “hourglass figure.” There are some fantastic trainers and educators out there, but there is also a lot of advice from people who either don’t fully understand what they’re teaching or are more interested in selling you something than in understanding what you actually need.
One of my biggest concerns in the fitness industry is how easy it can be to become certified, especially considering the role personal trainers can play in preventative health. Exercise and physical activity can have a huge impact on long-term health, which is why I don’t think learning should stop the moment you become qualified. If anything, that’s where it really begins. There is always more to learn, research, and question, especially when it comes to understanding how to apply that knowledge to the individual in front of you.
Since my husband is also a personal trainer and nutritionist, these are topics we often discuss.
Two of the biggest problems we see in gyms are poor technique and trainers who don’t take enough time to understand the person they’re training. You can have two people with exactly the same goal and still have plenty of reasons why their programmes shouldn’t look the same.
Your experience, schedule, preferences, strengths, limitations, lifestyle, and even how much time you realistically have available all matter. Your circumstances can also change. Pregnancy, postpartum, work, family life, injuries, or simply having less time than you used to doesn’t mean fitness suddenly has no place in your life. It may just mean the way you approach it needs to change.
That’s something I’ve had to learn myself. Fitness has been a big part of my life for a long time, but pregnancy and now motherhood have changed what fitting it into my life actually looks like. I still value training just as much, but I don’t always have the same time or opportunities I once did. Rather than seeing that as a reason to stop, I’m learning to adapt how I train to the life I have now.
If you’re just getting started, I think the most important thing is exactly that: start.
There’s nothing wrong with beginning with a good premade programme, particularly if you’re new to training, intimidated by the gym, need some structure, or simply don’t have the resources for ongoing personal training. You don’t need the most advanced or expensive option in order to begin moving.
At the same time, I think there comes a point where guidance can be incredibly valuable. We accept that learning a sport involves coaching, yet people regularly walk into a gym expecting themselves to automatically understand exercise technique, equipment, programming, progression, and how all of those things apply to their own body.
You don’t have to figure everything out alone.
For some people, a structured programme will be enough. Others may need something more personalised. And some will benefit from having a trainer there to teach, guide, adapt, and help them progress.
The gym itself also isn’t your only option. If you hate going to the gym, forcing yourself through workouts you dread probably won’t create a healthy relationship with fitness. Try different things. Find a sport you enjoy. Train at home. Take a class. Lift weights. Go running. Play tennis. Experiment until you find something that makes you want to keep moving.
Ultimately, I don’t think the goal should be to make your entire life fit around fitness.
The goal is to make fitness fit you.
Whether you’re completely new, trying to progress, pregnant, postpartum, or simply struggling to find something that works for you, my goal is to help you find a form of movement that gets you closer to where you want to be.