Confessions Of A Personal Trainer: My Battle With Body Image

Instagram, Fakebook and Snapchat.  I’ve never seen so many lies about body image and weight loss in one place. 

Never before has there been such a pressure to look a certain way or eat a certain food.  In this article, I'll share with you my battle with body image and the inner demons that plague the fitness industry.  I'll reveal the truth hidden behind the lies...

Vegan This, Clean Eating That...

Give it a rest, please.

​It seems like every personal trainer these days posts a topless picture on instagram showing off their abs or a female personal trainer posting a half naked selfie of her ass mid squat. 

Everyone's turning Vegan for no other reason than their idol on Instagram is doing it.

And yet we wonder why anxiety, depression and eating disorders are at an all time high. 

Hey, if I got $1 for every person who made the joke “you shouldn’t be eating that, you’re a personal trainer”, I’d have retired a year ago. 

The expectation these days as a personal trainer is to be completely shredded all year round and have this absolutely perfect lifestyle.

I actually promote the fact I eat chocolate on a daily basis and that I'm far from perfect with my training and eating.

Here's a shirt my client got me for Christmas. I must be doing something right ;).

Fakebook and Instagram is proof of this stigma.  Simply type in #fitness #personaltrainer #gym and look at the pictures that come up. 

If you’re not posting every meal consumed or every workout completed, are you really even a personal trainer?

I feel sorry for ANY personal trainer who thinks doing this brings them success because I’m sorry to tell you - you’re actually repelling clients. 

Look, I’ve been there.  

I’ve been completely shredded with every vein showing in every area of my body on multiple occasions.

Being this lean can create eating disorders and body image issues. It certainly did for me.

I even wrote an article about what it's REALLY like having a 6-pack (it's not what you think).
​
Did my client base grow as a result? 

Maybe it inspired a few people here and there.

But it wasn’t a deal breaker. 

If anything it’s actually made my battle with body image worse.  

You develop a warped sense of reality.  People expect you to be like your photos all the time.  

So when they see you 4-5kg heavier, they ask you what went wrong. 

They wonder why you don’t look like a road map any more and this makes you question yourself. 

Your self identity becomes based on a false image.  You begin to feel guilty if you gain the slightest bit of body fat. 

Every meal you eat, you scrutinise it.  You overthink it.  If you can’t control it, you freak out.  If you didn’t weigh that piece of chicken, you feel guilty for eating it.  

Even though you know it won’t kill you.

You’re forever pinching your sides to check body fat levels. 

If you feel the slightest squishy bit, you freak out, even though you know deep down it’s nothing to worry about.

All this sounds stupid, but it’s exactly what goes through the mind of someone who battles  with body image. 

Most personal trainers, fitness models and bodybuilders suffer in silence.  They’ll never admit they feel this way. 

In fact, the more half naked photos you see someone post of themselves, more often than not, the more insecure they are. 

How do I know this?

Because I’ve been there. 

If you look at my instagram now, you’ll have to scroll pretty far back before you find a topless picture of me. 

Unfortunately, battles with body image is very real in a LOT of people.

​(Not just personal trainers or fitness models either).

I’ve suffered, a lot, but being open and aware of it is the first step to beating it. 

If you need someone to chat to about battles with body image, please reach out to me at [email protected] or join our private Facebook group - The Body Transformation Academy Tribe.

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About The Author

Aidan D'Arcy helps busy professionals lose fat for the last time. 

Recently overcoming binge eating and losing 15kg, his goal is to help others take control of their health by tailoring programs to their lifestyle.

Aidan is an established Personal Trainer, Fitness Model & Online Coach for The Body Transformation Academy based in Belrose, Sydney.

​He inspires, motivates and educates ​his clients resulting in outstanding transformations.