Hey,
I’m Simon, a personal trainer in Leicester. And I wanted to give you a look behind the curtain to my life. As over the past decade, I’ve changed a lot.
I lost nearly 40kg—going from an obese 100kg down to a lean 63.
I kicked a cannabis habit that had become a daily crutch.
I reined in a chronic workaholic tendency and finally created a work/life balance that lets me breathe.
And I even battled my way out of relentless insomnia that made everything in my life feel ten times harder.
But despite all that progress, there’s one thing I’ve never quite nailed: focused, regular training.
Now don’t get me wrong—my job keeps me moving. I’m lucky in that regard. It keeps me on my feet, allowing me to remain active, strong and decently fit by most people’s standards. But that’s not enough for me. I don’t just want “good enough.” I want great. Not just for vanity’s sake (although I won’t lie—that plays a part), but for confidence and longevity.
So why, after overcoming so many difficult things, has consistent training still felt like the missing piece?
The Underlying Problem: It Wasn’t Just Laziness
For a long time, I beat myself up about it.
I told myself I lacked discipline. That I should “just do it.” That if I was serious, I wouldn’t keep skipping workouts. And when I was being harsh to myself like this, it would sometimes force me into doing some good sessions.
But this framing never lead me to consistently working out. Because the truth is more nuanced. The inconsistency wasn’t about laziness. It was about everything else that was stealing my time, energy and mental space.
When I was sleep-deprived, the last thing I wanted to do was push my body harder.
When I was juggling twenty tasks, workouts became another thing on a never-ending “have toos” to-do list.
I’d tell myself, “I’ll train after I get this admin done.” But the admin never ended. So neither did the excuse.
Additional Reading: Learn more about why you don’t stick to your planned behaviour changes here: How to Stick to Your Long-Term Weight Loss Goals: Understanding Why You’re Not Following Through
What I’ve Learned
Getting consistent with training wasn’t about magically becoming more motivated—it was about removing the obstacles that were draining my capacity to do it.
That meant going back and working through the foundational stuff.
Step One: Fixing My Sleep
There’s no way around it: when your sleep is broken, everything is harder.
For me, the turning point was setting a structure. I now stick to a bedtime of 10pm on work nights and 11pm if I have the next day off. I get up at 7am, or 6:45am on early-client days.
Simple, right? But surprisingly powerful. That structure gave my body a rhythm again. It knew when to release hormones to help me sleep and it knew when to start waking me up.
The second part of fixing my sleep was addressing the racing thoughts. You know the ones—“Did I reply to that message?” “Should I change that client’s programme?” “What if I forget to…”
To quiet that mental chaos, I started using Headspace before bed. A few minutes of guided wind-down was enough to slow the momentum in my brain and give me a fighting chance at proper rest.
Step Two: Creating Real Work-Life Balance
For years, I told myself I had to work seven days a week to keep everything running. In reality, it was wearing me down and making it harder to be effective in anything.
So, I made a decision post-covid: I was going to switch to four workdays a week.
Of course, there was a catch. I’d stopped seeing admin as work, so on my “days off” I’d still sneak in emails, marketing, planning sessions… you name it. Meaning in reality, I had just shifted my work around, without really reducing it. So I had to set even clearer boundaries.
Now, I have two key rules:
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No admin on off days.
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No work at all outside of defined work hours on work days.
The impact? Huge. I suddenly had time and energy for the things I actually wanted to do.
Whether that’s going for a walk, hitting the gym, or geeking out on nerdy hobbies (yes, I’m a full-grown adult who still has love for most things involving wizards or dragons), I finally had breathing space.
And the training? It no longer felt like yet another chore stealing time from my downtime. Because I actually had enough downtime now to do training and all the other things I wanted to do.
Additional Reading: Learn more about why balance in life is so important here: The Real Key To Long-Term Health & Fitness: Balance (And Why We Forgot It Ourselves)
What You Can Take from My Journey
If you’re struggling to get your workouts done consistently, it probably isn’t because of laziness or a lack of willpower. And telling yourself to “just try harder” might be doing more harm than good.
Here’s what I’d suggest instead:
💡 5 Actionable Steps You Can Take Today
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Audit your obstacles.
Instead of telling yourself, “I should be doing more,” ask, “What’s getting in my way—and how can I make it easier to succeed?” So what actually gets in the way of your training? Be brutally honest. Is it fatigue, time, self-doubt, disorganisation? Naming it is the first step to changing it. -
Create set plans to overcome these sticking points.
You don’t need perfection—but start by creating a plan on how you will improve upon the things that are holding you back. -
Choose structure over motivation.
Don’t rely on feeling motivated. Build a plan that tells you what to do and when. That way, you don’t have to decide—you just have to follow through.
Consistency isn’t just about grinding harder. Sometimes, it’s about clearing the path—removing the resistance that’s making everything feel like a battle.
You don’t need to overhaul everything in one go. Start small. Start smart. But most importantly, start in the right place.
📌 Want more support with making sustainable changes that actually last?
Well if you’re based in Leicester or Leicestershire, I provide one-to-one and couples personal training sessions. Find out more here:
One-To-One Personal Training: https://bodydevelopmentcentre.co.uk/personal-training-plans/
Couples Personal Training: https://bodydevelopmentcentre.co.uk/couples-personal-coaching-fitness-training/
If you’re not based in Leicester then you can check out my wife (Demi) and I’s online personal training program here:
👉 https://lifestyler.coach/
You can also follow me on social media for tips, tools, and (sometimes nerdy) inspiration:
📷 Instagram | 👍 Facebook
Best wishes,
Simon
Personal Trainer
Body Development Centre
Leicester