Today we continue our conversations with people that are the bright spots in fitness; that have come a long way to improve their health mentally and physically. Joining us for this episode is Kahlil, a long-time friend and colleague of Mauro. Together they discuss how COVID has changed the world of fitness, Kahlil’s journey to training and the importance of finding your motivation for change.
Kahlil grew up playing sports and has always had a keen interest in fitness. His first love was soccer, sometimes playing on 5 teams at one time. After high school, Kahlil found himself facing an identity crisis. Soccer hadn’t panned out and he was depressed.
After realizing something needed to change, and with a little push from his mom, he applied for a job at Goodlife and began his journey as a personal trainer. He had mistakenly applied for the personal training position, but he decided to roll with it when he got a phone call saying he was accepted. Kahill then talks about some of the things he did wrong in his early days and the problems with beating himself up about how he looked.
The approach that Kahill has taken to fitness was initially influenced greatly by his father, whom Kahill was worried about living up to the expectations of. Throughout life, he felt like there was constant pressure on him to perform well. Despite that being treacherous, Kahill proudly credits his motivation and work ethic to this upbringing.
When coaching, Kahlil wants his clients to create their own passion and path to their fitness goals. It’s important to know what motivates you and to not only work on the physical, but also the mental side of things. Don’t dive into the deep end – look at what patterns need to change and work on those first. Your fitness is a process, not an overnight fix.
Most of Kahill’s clients have been female, and one of his biggest successes is a woman who lost 110lbs under his guidance. She was coming from the same mental place as Kahill was when he began his job, finally realizing that enough is enough. We get to hear about how this physical transformation completely eased the client’s anxiety.
If you are looking to begin your own fitness journey and don’t know where to start, Kahlil has some advice. First of all, ask why it is important to you to make these changes. What motivates you? Secondly, don’t be afraid to ask for help or resources. Lean on your community for support.
Remember that health isn’t just physical. The mental aspect of it is crucial, especially during the times of a global pandemic. Take the time to invest in yourself and find what works for you. There are so many different avenues that you can go down to start improving your overall health today. Don’t beat yourself up for one misstep and take it one day at a time.
We end the episode by hearing some methods to improve your health that don’t involve any exercise equipment at all.