As someone who is heavily involved within the fitness industry I feel that it is my duty to practice what I preach when it comes to diet and exercise at least 90% of the time. My job is to help people improve their quality of life by teaching them how to become more active and fit. I don’t think my clients would take me seriously if I came in hungover after a night of binge drinking with the boys or walking into the gym with a Venti White Chocolate Mocha with extra whip to start my day. And I wouldn’t expect them to trust my knowledge and expertise when it comes to building muscle and losing fat if I had a big beer belly or couldn’t even demonstrate an exercises properly without breaking a sweat. Therefore when it comes to training hard and eating right for my own internal health, physical appearance and overall wellbeing – You’re damn right I take that shit seriously!

Running a Personal Training Company is not some kind of fad or gimmick to me. It’s not always fun and like anyone who owns a small business will tell you, there really is no such thing as “Days Off”. Our clients demand a lot from us, and they should. After all, our clients are our greatest assets, so why wouldn’t we want to ensure that they receive the absolute best care and quality customer service at all times. Every single one of our clients knows that if they email me with a question that I will get back to them within a 3 hour time period (and yes this includes weekends and holidays). I’m not telling you this to boast about how great our services and workouts are (although we do have a 90% retention rate with our clientele base, but who’s bragging? ;^)) I’m simply leading into why I don’t and why I won’t take days off.

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I like to use the hashtag #nodaysoff in the majority of my posts. I don’t use this hashtag to try and make people feel sorry for me or try to give myself a sense of admiration. I just use it because it’s true to form. I don’t take days off. I truly enjoy what I do and to me training clients on the floor or online doesn’t feel like work. I’m fortunate enough to be at a point in my career where if I have a difficult or negative client, I can choose not to work with that individual. Therefore I can honestly say that I like training and assisting all of our clients. Not because they feel that they have to train with us, but because they actually want to train with us. This makes me feel appreciated and respected which in turn makes me feel important and needed.

So What’s Up With the No Days Off?

I was lucky enough to grow up in a family of hard workers. Both my parents worked full time jobs and still managed to run a household. They taught my brother and I the value of hard work and responsibility from a very young age and had us running our own small newspaper business by the time I was 6 and my brother was 10. We were given a list of chores that we had to complete by the end of each day and if those chores were not finished by the time my mom would get home from her 14 hour work day, then there would be hell to pay. Even though we had a fairly strict upbringing, I’m extremely grateful for it, as my parents provided me with the tools needed to go out and become successful at anything I choose to do. They taught be to be disciplined, respectful, stern and yet fair – all qualities of which you need to have if you’re going to be successful within any industry.

I don’t take days off because I don’t feel I need to take days off. I don’t take days off because I don’t feel I deserve to take days off. I have a few goals of my own in which I have set and taking a day off does not fit into me achieving any of these goals. Sure, people tell me all the time that “You Need to Take a Day Off” but these are generally the same people who also say “You Need to Eat Breakfast” or that “You Need to Cut Your Carbs to Lose Body Fat”. I’ve never been one to listen to generic rules or advice. I don’t tell my clients that they “Need” to do anything. I listen to them and offer advice and suggestions only when asked. Part of my job is designing a strategy that works well for each individual client to allow them to achieve their health and fitness goals. This strategy does not include pursuing one size-fits-all facts or setting rules suited for the masses. In fact, as all of my clients will tell you, we are constantly breaking the rules and trying new ways to achieve their goals in the quickest and most efficient ways possible.

When it comes to my own work/life schedule, I’m no different. I like to try new ways to improve upon our business. If that means I have to wake up at 5am on a Sunday morning to go and train a group class, then that’s what I’ll do. If we have a client who needs to switch their regular time and day to a time that I’m usually not on the floor, I will do my absolute best to accommodate that client’s schedule and time, regardless if it’s an inconvenience to my social life. One of my goals is to have not just a successful business but the most successful business. And for me to continue to strive and achieve this goal, I don’t have time for “Days Off”. Hell, sometimes I don’t even have time for breakfast!

Do I recommend this kind of lifestyle to others? No.
Do I judge people who take days off or who prefer to work less then me? Definitely Not.
Do I preach the importance of consistent hard work for maximum results to our clients? Every Single Day.

Most of us our fortunate enough to live our lives as we please. But rather then attack or criticize one another for how we choose to live these lives, I think it’s more important for us to respect one another and focus primarily on our own goals, hopes, dreams and not worry as to what others are doing and/or saying with regards to their own lives.

“The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.”
Mack R. Douglas

When you commit yourself