The other day I had a fellow Independent Trainer ask me if he could take me out for lunch to pick my brain and offer him some advice and guidance that would allow him to grow his own Personal Training Company. I have to admit that at first I was taken back that someone actually wanted business advice from me. I mean, I don't even have a business degree, nor have I ever even taken a business course. After getting over my initial shock, I explained to this person that I have no background in business whatsoever, so didn't feel I would be of much use to him. Regardless, he insisted that I let him take me out for lunch so that we could discuss my concepts and theories when it comes to owning and operating a successful fitness company in an extremely competitive market and constantly revolving industry. Not being one to turn down a free meal, I graciously accepted and a meeting was set in place. Little did I know at the time, that I would in fact be learning more about myself and my company from this meeting then I would have ever imagined......

Without a doubt one of the most common questions that I receive from people on a regular basis is how to lose weight. I've always been perplexed as to why this topic is so confusing for so many people given that the answer is fairly simple - Burn more calories than you consume each day and you will put your body into a caloric deficit which will ultimately lead to a reduction in weight. See, simple. To be honest, losing weight is not as complex as some nutritional gurus or online training coaches will have you believe. You don't need to starve yourself and you don't need to do endless hours of cardio to lower your body fat percentage. Yes, you do need to clean up your diet, and yes, you do need to perform cardiovascular workouts, but not to the extent where you become a prisoner in your own body. You do not need to avoid social gatherings or family functions in fear that you might "cheat" on your diet. You don't need to time out your meals perfectly throughout the day and drop your carbs as you get closer to night. And you don't need to take copious amounts of fat burners and stimulants to try and "boost" or "speed up" your metabolism, just to give yourself that extra edge. What you have to do is be smart, logical, practical, determined and most of all, have a little common sense.

I have a feeling that this week's blog is going to cause a bit of an uproar with some people and will most definitely open myself up to some nasty social media tongue lashing and criticism from others who do not share my same thoughts and beliefs on the following subject. And quite frankly, I think that's great. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I believe that disagreements are important to have, as we would never learn anything if we only spoke to (or listened to) people who already think just like we do. Ofcourse as adults, we hope that we can be somewhat respectful of one another when engaging in conversation and expressing our opposing views, however unfortunately this is not always the case with some people whether they are arguing with you in person or from behind a computer. Regardless, whether you like or dislike my blogs, I have to respect your opinion and therefore I can only hope that you can respect mine.

As someone who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, I have to admit that I am still fairly ignorant to the usage of social media as a tool for business marketing. Even though I try my absolute best to stay up to date with all the latest apps and technology that is now at our disposal, I find myself overwhelmed at times to remain consistent and relevant with our content that we provide through our social media platforms. As a personal trainer who works within the fitness industry, I can understand the importance of social media, especially when it comes to attracting a younger demographic base. As a business owner I can understand the marketing power that social media can bring to a business if done correctly. And as a company that promotes health and fitness by offering our services, I can understand the importance of portraying a positive and motivational image that will hopefully inspire others to become more active and fit.......