Achieving amazing health requires a certain level of self-education, otherwise we are victims of corporate agendas and philosophies that may not suit our evolution as individuals who want to live healthy and happy lives.

You don’t need to be special to recognise this.

Luckily in this day and age, we have access to amazing resources online, so getting educated doesn’t mean you have to go to university or college and get a masters degree – those things are expensive! We can access information for free, and this information can change our lives for the better.

So you can hire a professional, or engage in someones online content (which is like hiring a professional for free), but there are a few things I want you to look out for in your search;

1. They’re qualified in the area you are seeking help in
2. They have experience in the area you are seeking help in, 
3. They have social proof, in the form of testimonials or client wins, and 
4. You can hire them directly. 

When it comes to health and body, an online program can give you guidance, but not having direct access to the leader of that program means you will not be able to be educated. It also increases the likelihood that you could be misled. 

Don’t underestimate people’s capacity to withhold information from you in order to make a profit. These people are everywhere and with social media has made this more possible than ever. 

One of the best examples of this is Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s) in the Women’s health and fitness community. They’re everywhere, but collectively it is denied as they know the public opinion around this is negative, and that it may lead a woman to believe that she can’t achieve the same results as their influencer has achieved (which is realistic, because, you actually can’t). 

They also sell themselves as having amazing health, but taking drugs and health are mutually exclusive.

By hiring a one-on-one coach, you can ensure you have access to this professional and you can further make sure that this professional is happy to explain to you what is realistic for you, the kind of time-frame it would take, and what would be involved in achieving the outcome you desire. They will tell you when something you want is not possible for you, and they will tell you why it is not possible. I do this daily in my coaching business. 

I also created an online space – the Women’s Health Academy – for Women seeking amazing health and wellbeing, which I put together for this exact reason – it’s a low-ticked offering for women who are sick of being mislead and failing in their attempts to transform, time and time again.

Additionally, there are quite a few educational accounts out there, and I would suggest seeking them out and following them.

Here are a few more things to look out for when deciphering between a legitimate health and fitness business, from an influencer business; 

• The business will be based on clients results 
• They likely won’t have 1 million followers
• You will be able to find educational content by the professional, which makes sense when you listen to it. This will extend beyond ‘I-track-my-macros-and-became-the-world-champion’, because becoming a world champion takes much more than that. They will be able to speak about the women they coach, and they will likely mention how hard it is to coach women, as we are all so different. 
• It is unlikely their account is full of highly-sexualised pictures, because they are relying more so on their expertise and client results to sustain the business. 
• They will have some kind of qualification 
• If their suggestions sound too good to be true, they probably are. 
• If they’re a WBFF or IFBB pro, they’re likely on drugs. These Federations don’t drug test, and to get to that level it’s hard to believe you could be natural. 

I hope you find these tips helpful! Education is key! It helps you to decipher fact from fiction, set realistic goals and it also helps you to become more self-sufficient.

I always strive to educate my clients, so that they won’t need me in the long term. I also feel it’s important to help women be realistic about what they can achieve, as sometimes we hang our hopes and dreams on things that aren’t actually possible for us. So I help them achieve amazing health but I absolutely do not mislead them.

Another thing I want to highlight is, I would not have healed had I not self-educated. The traditional pathway wanted me on drugs, numbing my symptoms until the day I die. They wanted me as a customer. But I self-educated, and I saved myself from a miserable existence.

Regardless of what is not possible, always remember that setting about a body or health transformation improves the following; 

• Mental health
• Physical health
• Confidence in self
• Body composition (if this is what you want)
• Ability to set boundaries, as these are needed in order to transform
• Your relationship with your appearance, and 
• Your general well being improves 

You often learn skills you can take with you for life, and this is priceless. 

And lastly, if you do hire a professional, ensure that you are educated along the way. If they aren’t educating you, do some of your own research, and when you have your frequent catchups ask them questions. My clients question me constantly and I encourage it. 

I have had so many professionals guide my journey, but not one has given me all the answers. I used my sessions to gain wisdom from them, yes, but I also dove into that world myself and each time I had an appointment, I would clarify that I understood what we were doing. So in the end I reached my own goals, but they guided me. They did not reach them for me, though. 

So, education ladies! This is KEY to amazing health.

Jen x