Mental Struggles Working in the Fitness Industry

Today’s post is geared more towards fitness professionals, however I do believe that it’s an important topic to talk about. And I think that it’s important for the general population to hear it from a fitness professionals perspective.

Working in the fitness industry is damn hard for so many reasons…the hours are all over the place, the job can be physically hard on your body but above all else working in the fitness industry is a mental game. And one hell of one at that. Fitness professionals push themselves to exhaustion trying to juggle a schedule that isn’t their own while still trying to maintain their own health and fitness because you have to practice what you preach right? So if you think working in the fitness industry is all rainbows and butterflies think again.

I want to focus here on the mental challenges that can come from working in the fitness industry and here’s the simplest way I can put it. Stop and think about any concern you’ve ever had with your how your body looks or your nutrition or your fitness and then multiply it by 10…that’s what a fitness professional feels. When you start off in the industry most fitness professionals are young and in the best shape of their lives (not always, but I would say relatively often). As you get older in the industry you may notice your body start to change and it can make you feel incredibly self-conscious. There is this unspoken pressure that fitness professionals put on themselves to walk the walk and talk the talk…however if your body is healthy and you are focusing on movement and overall health shouldn’t that be enough?!? Isn’t that what we tell our clients?!?!

For many clients in the fitness industry they look at a fitness professional as their own walking billboard, if you look the part they want to train with you…but here’s the thing…you know how a trainer will tell you that everyone is different, and healthy looks different for everyone (a good quality trainer should be telling you this…if they aren’t that’s a whole different level, but I digress)…well the same is true for trainers themselves. Fitness professionals are not super human, they are not above anyone else when it comes to a health and fitness journey. We struggle, we critique ourselves and we wonder…”what would our clients think if they knew ________”.

It can be an insane mind game…and it often leads fitness professionals to burn out, live unhealthy lives or change careers altogether. So what do we do about it?!?!

Just like our clients we need to be gentle with ourselves, we need to be patient and we need to set realistic goals based on our current life situation. These are the pieces that fitness professionals often forget about when it comes to their own health and fitness so what advice do I share. Well I’m no expert as this is something I still struggle with but here are the things that I place emphasis on, and the things that I’ve had to learn to let go

• Find a training style you enjoy, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. If it keeps you coming into the gym (or any other place) then you are winning. It also keeps you happier which allows you to serve your clients better
• Adjust your training to your lifestyle. If getting into the gym 6 days a week doesn’t work because your are working 12 hours days…then just don’t do it. Focus on getting consistent movement even if it’s only a couple days a week.
• Get your sleep. 7-9 hours of sleep a night is a non-negotiable as far as I’m concerned. If you aren’t sleeping then you can’t take full advantage of your training, you can’t serve your clients in the best way and you can’t enjoy all the parts of your life the same way. Most of the time I would say…if you have to give up sleep to train, then you need to re-evaluate what your training looks like
• Meal prep where you can. Again, something we preach to our clients to help keep them on track and it applies to fitness professionals as well, especially when you are working those long days
• Take the vacation. I know that often as a fitness professional if you aren’t working you aren’t making money…but you will be better at your job if you take some time to step away. You will be better for you and you will be better for your clients.
• Be patient with yourself. You will hit roadblocks along the way (just like your clients do) and when you do take a step back, re-evaluate and be patient as work your way back to where you want to be. It’s okay to take some time.

At the end of the day it’s important to remember that even fitness professionals struggle. So although you may not believe it, the battles that you are fighting, they are probably fighting too. Be kind to your fitness professionals and if they need it, lend an empathetic ear.