Personal trainer shares ‘secret’ to getting healthy – and it might surprise you

Sophie Allen is a certified people trainer from Melbourne and founder of the Train with Soph exercise and nutrition program.

After going through his own fitness journey, with all its ups and downs, Allen is now helping thousands of people achieve their health and fitness goals.

Here, she joins the 9Honey Coach series 5 fitness questions.

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1. We are always promised “the secret” to getting and staying healthy. What’s yours?

There’s more than one way to get and stay healthy, and that’s going to be different depending on the individual’s definition of health.

Whatever the key is for someone (whether it’s going for a walk every day, training five times a week, sleeping eight hours, meditating), the ‘secret’ is to create habits and a lifestyle that you really enjoy for the most part and remain constant over time. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as we think it is.

2. What is one thing you know about health now (be it training, eating, or general wellness) that you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself five or ten years ago?

I wish I had the right person to educate me on how to effectively set up a training and nutrition program to help me achieve my goals and do it in a way that fits my lifestyle.

The basics of it all: follow a considered program for four to six weeks to build muscle, proper technique, don’t diet too aggressively at first, and make the most of being a new trainer (accommodations as a new trainer are the best you’ll ever get with enough fuel and the right training program).

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3. What is your nutrition philosophy?

I don’t subscribe to strict rules, fad diets, or diet types. Nutrition should be considered on an individual basis, as we all have very different preferences and mindsets. Over the years I’ve gone from strictly following meal plans, IIFYM (if it fits your macros), yo-yo dieting, ‘cheat meals,’ keto and detoxes – it all works.

And what I’ve found works most effectively for me is using calorie counting as a tool when I have a specific goal (like losing fat) and filling those calories with mostly whole foods that make me feel good (to the extent possible). as possible). how are energy, gut, and brain health doing). I allow treats, requests and eating out without going overboard. Structured flexibility is a good way to put it.

“The ‘secret’ is to create habits and a lifestyle that you really enjoy.”

4. What is one area of ​​your own health, fitness, or wellness that you are working to improve? Is there a goal you’ve set for yourself or a skill you’re trying to master?

I am currently working on my cardiovascular condition. It’s something I neglected for a long time because I didn’t enjoy it and I knew that losing fat wasn’t as important as I thought (calories count the most). So I stopped doing it.

Then I revised my own definition of health, and cardiovascular health and longevity are part of that. I now find joy in pushing myself in a different way than the weight training I am used to and have fallen in love with boxing!

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5. What small, practical step would you take if a friend asked you for advice on something they could do to improve their health starting today?

Choosing a simple action to integrate into your schedule that you can do every day, like going for a walk in the morning or having a step goal to get your body moving, can make the biggest difference to your overall health.

Movement is something many people don’t get enough of, and walking is something most of us can do. From there, I would start creating a habit every week or two that aligns with your vision of what a healthy version of yourself means. It doesn’t need to be complicated.

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