Personal Trainers You Need to Read This.  

Hello to all the personal trainers out there, I need to tell you something.

Quite frankly a lot of you are making a massive mistake and doing your customers a disservice.

I am guessing you do this job because you want to help people get fitter, feel healthier and happier, right?

All of that stuff?

I have seen quite a few blogs and posts recently from different trainers advising how to incorporate alcohol into your fitness programme.  I mean seriously, come on.

Just read that sentence. Yes, Personal Trainers and Fitness Experts teaching their customers how to still drink alcohol and achieve their fitness goals.  I wonder if they would say its ok to eat a cream cake everyday if you want to lose weight?

Personal trainers listen up.  There is nothing in alcohol that has any use for us.

I know you have heard about the anti-oxidants in the red wine and you have been telling your customers its ok to drink red wine because of this.

Let’s get this straight. For you to gain the benefits of the anti-oxidants in the red wine you would need to drink a barn full and that would kill you.

Yes, you can find bits of evidence that say champagne improves our memory. It doesn’t and if you look closer at those studies they are usually a small number of people, so they don’t really tell us anything.

You spend so much time working with your clients, on their diet and exercise encouraging them.  And none of us expect people to be perfect.  I teach women how to live without alcohol, but I don’t expect them all to stop forever, I just want them to be able to live their life on their terms and have the facts.  So yes, you are going to have clients that drink at the weekend or have the odd glass of wine, its ok.  But as a health professional surely its better if you give people the facts?  Then they make an informed choice.

Here are a few facts for you:

·       Alcohol is a toxin, a poison.

·       It’s empty calories.

·       There is nothing of any use in an alcoholic drink whatsoever.

·       It’s a drug and one of our most harmful, up there with cocaine and heroin.

·       It effects all areas of our body. Our physical health, our hearts, skin, teeth, brain, stomach and every part of our body.

·       It is a depressant and can affect our emotional health, adding to anxiety, depression and stress.

·       It effects our sleep and when we are training we need our sleep for our muscles to repair.

These are just a few to get you started.  I could go on, in fact I could write a book on the harmful effects of alcohol.

I get it, for a lot of people expecting them to be alcohol free whilst doing a fitness programme is maybe a bit much.  But the point is give them the correct info, then it’s up to them. I am sure they have a chocolate bar, it’s just you are not teaching them how to build that into their fitness programme.

No one ever told me that when they drank they were fitter, in fact that’s one of the benefits that people tell me is that they are fitter and healthier than ever.  Running without a hangover is a bonus as well.

If you want to be a better trainer and get better results for your customers invest some time in training. I would be more than happy to oblige.

Or check out www.drinkaware.co.uk

My favourite quote from a personal trainer so far is this one: “Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and lead to weight gain.  However moderate drinking can help protect the heart in men and women over 40 who have gone through menopause”.  Poppycock.

Stephanie Chivers is a habit, addiction specialist, teaching women how to change their relationship with alcohol.

Personal trainers if you want some training contact me via  www.ichange21.com.