The aphony started on sunny Wednesday afternoon. I train 3 awesome guys each Wednesday lunch time. We were chit-chatting (taking the piss out of each other) before getting on with the session.

It was a super hot day and I'd been sweating way more than I normally do so I decided to change my top as I was starting to get stinky.

"Wow, you got fat" one of them said

"Oh. Yeah I've put a few pounds recently" I replied

My client replied in shock with a.....

"Where's the six-pack gone"

"I wasn't feeling great having super low body fat so I've started eating more" I said shrugging it off

I went on to say "I feel so much better having slightly higher than normal body fat. I can train harder and my recovery has improved. I was picking up little niggles here and there when I had the 6-pack"

(Mr. Fox usually has around 5-10% body fat)

"Well you still look great. That's what I want. Just a little less on my belly and the muscle you have"

"I'm not fussed being as low as you were, plus I know how hard it is to maintain it" he said

Standing all proud I responded with "Cheers dude, I'm so much happier than I was. I can now relax a little with my food and you know what, I'm not really fussed that I don't have much of a 6-pack as I used to"

So This personal trainer doesn't have much of six-pack anymore.

It's taken me nearly 20 years to actually be comfortable with my body. The way it looks. The way it feels. Even though I don't have the Instagram abs anymore I'm still happy.

I always thought I had to look body beautiful for my job. I've been in the fitness trade for nearly 20 years now. It's expected that you look amazing all year round. No matter what the day. Peoples perceptions of a trainer are they look like fitness models you get in magazines or on social media.

Maintaining that sort of physique is super hard and it takes a toll on the body and mind. I know a few ex-bodybuilders, physique competitors etc. and they're fucked up in the head. Even they would admit that.

They don't compete but they still have body issues from it. They were the best of the best and they still look amazing but are haunted by being the best. You can look like the most awesome version of yourself but they'll always be someone looking better than you. Being on top of the food chain is hard.

The cost of looking good all year round is more than you think. You think it's easy. You can do it in 6 weeks like the magazines and books tell you. It takes years to look the way I do and others. It's hard goddam every day of the year.

PN have this awesome infographic about the cost of fitness. READ IT NOW!!!!!! It'll open your eyes. It's the truth you don't want to hear. Find it here.

When I had 5-10% body fat I had to be really anal with my food. If I did eat some higher calorie foods I starved myself through fasting to compensate. Yep even I do that not just you.

This is what I looked like that low. Just an ab shot. You may not think it but this PT hates photos of himself.

I said no to invitations to go out with friends. It didn't fit my Macros (what the fuck was I thinking? Seeing my friends made me happy not ensuring my fucking macros are right). I eat food not macros for Christ sake.

I had daily pressure to look a certain way. To behave a certain way. I get attention looking the way I look. It's expected of me. When you're a shy guy that attention is addictive. Its made me think if I didn't look the way I look nobody would like me, I'd lose the attention and I'd lose the respect of my clients.

I laugh at myself just thinking this now. I realised I'm more than my body. My body is just an element of me, it doesn't define who I am.

It helps me feel more confident and I feel awesome looking awesome but there's other things of my personality that just as important.

You can't define yourself by the way you look. There's more to you than that.

Now I'm not saying you should be a lazy bugger and eat a load of crap. But if you aren't a Instagram model it's ok. Can you be better than you are now, HELL YEAH you can! That's the main thing. You strive to be better than you are. Fuck everyone else and their opinions. You'll never please people. Your husband. Your wife. Your friends. The idiot at the gym. No one is ever happy with you.

You're damned if you do, You're damned if you don't.

You only need to care what you think of yourself, everyone else doesn't matter.

I'm the highest body fat I've been in years and you know what I'm actually the happiest I've been in years.

Me this afternoon. Ok, ok I'm not exactly fat and theres something of a six-pack, but compared to the earlier photo this is much higher body fat

I've got an amazing GF with her two boys and a crazy whippet. I FUCKING LOVE my job and love my clients even more. So what if I don't have a 6-pack!

Can I still own a Personal Training business being less than Instagram fit? HELL YEAH!

Am I still a kick-ass coach? HELL YEAH I am!

Can I motivate, educate and inspire my clients and other around me?

Give me another HELL YEAH!

My body shape doesn't define my happiness anymore. I define what makes me happy and you should to.

I don't have a six-pack anymore and I'm ok with it.