As a school teacher I know we encourage the students to consider the pathway they will pursue after they leave school in order to gain the qualifications that they will need to achieve whatever it is they dream to be. Whether that be a nurse, engineer, hairdresser, vet or pilot. Every career pathway determines a specific skill set and qualification list. We all KNOW this. We all take for granted that the mechanic looking after our family car is qualified to change the break discs. We assume the doctor we saw who prescribed us antibiotics for a viral infection that made us feel shocking and unable to get out of bed is qualified to know what will make us better. We’d never dream of leaving our beloved pet dog, Alfie with an unqualified groomer to snip, shave and blow dry his nuts away would we? Yet when it comes to personal training and nutrition we are all out for the quickest, cheapest solution and often turn to cranks who haven’t the required qualification or experience in order to train or give advice. But what do we care? They have a huge photo album of their ass and abs on Instagram to prove they’re a proper fitness professional right? WRONG! This is the human body, the same body you wouldn’t trust an unqualified doctor to make a judgement about in order to medicate…
With the rise of the ‘PT’ in the fitness industry every other page on Instagram is filled with so called success stories of Clients this or that PT has whipped into shape. The Body Coach has inspired millions to jump on the ‘lean in (however long it takes but I’m still spending money to some PT)’ bandwagon. Now every other Tom, Dick and Harry working on the gym floor with a level 2 qualifications (gym instructor) now posts about nutrition, training and claims to be an ‘Insta fitness model’. The public fall for this sucked in by the filtered to the max, tensed up washboard image of a six pack and picture of an almost bare bottom in a cheese string and not much else. Do they check their qualifications? Do they ensure that that person they put their life, wellbeing and safety into their hands is insured? No. So now we have ‘ten a penny’ PTs and ‘Nutrition Advisors’. We also have a rising number of court cases from people who feel they have been exploited, harmed or injured by misleading, unqualified practitioners who have no insurance to cover themselves.
My advice here? The price of a PT doesn’t reflect that persons ability nor qualification. You need to ask for proof of that. Reputable gyms will only employ qualified and insured staff. Do some research and don’t put yourself at risk.
To those practitioners, in a world full of ‘Louise’ from MIC be Joe Wicks. Get the right training, qualification, insurance and then dish out the advice to make money spin. Don’t be a fraud, don’t rip people off with your ‘copies and pasted’ diet plans from bodybuilding.co.uk and don’t prey on the vulnerable. That’s on a par with the slimming world ‘experts’ of this world and we have enough of those. Peace. ✌️
Health, Fitness and Nutrition 