"Getting Back On It"

Taking My Own Advice: When Being a Personal Trainer Isn’t the Same as Training for You

As a personal trainer and fitness instructor, people assume I’m always training, always motivated, always on it.

But here’s the truth…Coaching others isn’t the same as training for yourself.

And recently, I had to remind myself of that the hard way.

Here are five honest lessons from falling off track—and finding my way back.

1. Coaching Isn’t the Same as Training - Yes, I’m active all day. I demonstrate exercises, I coach, I support others. But that isn’t my workout. It’s focused on them, not me. And somewhere along the way, I stopped making time for my own training.

2. Running a Business Drains More Than Your Body. - When you run your own business, the physical side is only half of it. The constant decisions, planning, and responsibility take a mental toll. By the end of the day, my energy wasn’t just low physically—it was gone mentally too.

3. You Still Carry Everything at Home. - Then there’s home life. Food shopping, meal decisions, school clubs, schedules… the invisible load. When you’re always organising, planning, and giving, it’s easy to push your own needs to the bottom of the list.

4. Injuries and Life Stack Up Quickly. I managed an ankle injury and kept going. Then came a back injury on top. Add in rubbish weather, and suddenly it all felt harder. Bit by bit, I stopped doing the things I love, not because I wanted to, but because it all felt too much.

5. Getting Back to You Doesn’t Need to Be Big. On Sunday, I did something simple. I got on my bike,

first time this year. No pressure, no “session plan,” no expectations. Just movement, fresh air, and doing it for me.

And that was enough.

Boom. Back on it.

The Reality Check - Even as a trainer, you can lose motivation. Even as a coach, you can fall off track.

But the advice we give others? We need to take it ourselves too.

Start small. Do it for you. And remember—coaching others is not the same as showing up for yourself.