Small Talk with a Personal Trainer
Mingling with the group, making small-talk
Trainer in Disguise
At birthdays, weddings, and once, an actual wake, I have found myself pinned in a corner answering a myriad of questions about fitness and diet. Going to social events, I like to put on a suit and glasses – to make like Clark Kent and assiduously avoid looking like a personal trainer. My disguise may help for a while as I mingle with the group, a glass of wine in hand, but eventually someone will ask:
“What do you do for a living?”
From the moment I tell him I’m a personal trainer, I may as well have turned up in lycra cycling shorts.
“Do you train yourself?” he asks.
“I’m trying to lose weight, what do you suggest?” asks the woman standing to his left.
“I hurt my knee on the treadmill last week, does that happen often?” asks the man on my right.
“Why are you drinking wine, isn’t it fattening?” asks the hostess.
Seeking Reassurance
I used to think if I answered their questions as fully as possible, I would be giving advice they’d find valuable. But I always got a sense that my questioner wandered away faintly disappointed with me. I’ve come to realise that they’re not looking for magic answers. They just want to be reassured that their efforts to get fit are worthwhile.
Making a clean get-away
So now whenever I’m off-duty and feel the conversation topic veering towards fitness training, I swiftly hand over my business card, before making a clean break for it.
Finding Direction
There are a lot of people out there with good fitness intentions, I find. But they often lack direction and are confused by information overload, when it comes to healthy living.
About Jason Doggett
Check out my 60-second-interview at London Personal Trainer. Read about my discoveries and experiences in my personal trainer blog. Train with me by choosing a Training Plan.
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