BUSINESS

Spinning plates for the

Commonwealth Games

REPs Ambassador Louise Hazel tells us

how she is combining life as a personal trainer with

retaining her status as a

Commonwealth champion.

February, I made a retirement U-turn and I am now back in to training to defend my Commonwealth title in Glasgow in July. This time however, life has been very different.

T

I am now working full time and I have to fit training around my busy workday, which can be really challenging but it has made me realise the importance of adjusting training goals and training plans accordingly and of course being super-organised. However, what I will say is that this has made me a better personal trainer as I can now understand what my clients feel like either at the end of or at the beginning of a busy day, with 10,000 things going through their minds.

I try to make sure that for that hour session, their mind is away from the office and away from their daily stress. When I am training, my focus is on the job in hand and I often drift to this far away place where anything is possible.

As a heptathlete the challenge of overcoming huge obstacles excites me so I wanted to give you some of my top tips for keeping those plates spinning.

Have one diary and take it everywhere It doesn’t matter how big or small the event always write down appointments or meetings and consultations and try not to over-

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alk about spinning plates! Since my retirement in September, I have set up my own business and have continued to build my public profile as well as manage my personal training clients. In

commit yourself on any given day. There is nothing worse than missing a meeting or having to let someone down.

Write a daily list Everyday I will write a list of things I need to do; my target is to cross everything off before I go to sleep. This has made my life manageable.

Perform Whether it’s training, personal training or a television or radio appearance, when I walk into a room I make sure I leave my problems at the door; my aim is to leave people feeling better than they did before we met.

Follow up There is nothing worse than a missed opportunity, follow up any meetings or conversations the following day whilst they are still fresh in your mind and always arrange to catch up with clients, friends or contacts over coffee. (I always end up having peppermint tea!)

Rest Rest when you are weary, even if it’s only 15 minutes in between clients. I am used to working six days per week but I always make sure I take at least one full day off… sometimes it’s a Sunday, sometimes it’s a Wednesday. Just make it happen.

If you’re a busy PT who struggles to combine everything or you have any tips I’d love to hear from you @louisehazel on Twitter!

The REPs Journal 2014;30(summer):24