The health and fitness industry has not been the same since personal trainer James Smith stepped on the scene. His no BS approach has shaken the status quo of what the public believes about health and fitness, slamming fads, fake influencers and myths we all have believed. Often thought of as controversial, James Smith’s approach has been followed by thousands and has led him to conduct TED Talks and speaking tours around the world.
Smith has been busy with his online personal training site James Smith Academy for his legion of fans. He has also released the book Not a Diet Book in January 2020 and is set to release another book titled Not A Life Coach on 26 November this year as well. We’ve taken a deep dive into his world to bring you four important lessons we’ve learnt.
- Get the right facts on food
If you can learn anything from James Smith, it’s being responsible about dieting and where you get your information about food. It is so easy to follow trends on social media and fall prey to fad diets advertised on news sites. Smith wants to break down the negative stigma around dieting claiming that “people get drawn to unsustainable ones”. It is as simple as eating what you like in moderation and not forcing yourself to eat foods you hate because of results you think you will achieve. This principle is known as being in a calorie deficit which is about knowing how many calories to consume in a day and making sure to eat just under that amount. Smith also draws on the different considerations men and women have to take during this journey.
- Gym doesn’t have to consume your life
While some people like to put all their energy into working out at the gym, James Smith is adamant that you can lose weight and be fit without even stepping foot in there. While the gym is great for building strength (and works for many individuals), Smith finds great benefit in everyday movements like walking and climbing upstairs. In conjunction with eating the right way, finding time to get up and move will yield results in the same way as going to the gym would.
- Set realistic goals and track progress
In a society that can often feel dominated by the need to be perfect, it can be easy to set goals that are over-ambitious and unrealistic to your body. Smith encourages his followers to be realistic about fitness milestones and sensible about the timeframe in which you can achieve them. In addition to this, Smith finds merit in documenting change over time with progress images of your body. This provides a visual comparison that is more tangible that measurements or body fat percentage.
- Get your sleep and friendships right
While food and movement make up the core of these lessons, Smith reminds us of the importance that sleep has in recovery and repair. Having a solid sleep routine in conjunction with food and exercise is the way to go. While you’re getting all these elements sorted, we are taught not to neglect the importance of having like-minded people around you. Your friends can either help or hinder your journey depending on if they share similar goals.
We have only scratched the surface of the world of James Smith, so if you’re curious to learn more you can catch him live during his Not A Life Coach speaking tour in February 2021. He takes aim at toxic myths within our current ways of thinking and dismantles everything we think we know about the path to feeling fulfilled, being happy and going after success.
He will be visiting Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.
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