Female personal trainer Jacqueline Hawkins has received hundreds of requests asking for customized fitness and nutrition plans to help Tampa residents combat the Quarantine 15.

The Quarantine 15.

You know, the sneaky little weight gain of a pound here or there that comes with comfort food (and let’s be honest, VERY COMFORTABLE stretchy pants) that has crept up on many of us during the isolation measures we’ve had to endure since COVID-19 changed our “normal”. Personal trainers and nutritionists have been inundated with requests to “send me a fitness plan” or “just create a menu for me” for isolated individuals. They think that turnkey exercise calendars and one-size-fits-all diet plans will help them achieve their fitness and wellness goals while they’re apart from their routines.

Sounds like a good stopgap measure, right?

It could be… maybe…

…with the right approach. You need to plan for long-term wellness, not just the Quarantine 15 to be lost.

Overall fitness and wellness is a lofty goal under the best of circumstances. It can be difficult to achieve and maintain with the hustle and bustle of daily “normal” life, and restricting those daily activities adds another layer of difficulty.

You just need a solid diet, right?

Wrong.

Diets don’t work. Here’s what happens:

• You get bored, you’re in lockdown with your guilty-pleasure foods, and you lose willpower.
• You feel like you’re being deprived, you stay away from the temptations for a while, and then binge.
• You are the model of willpower and healthy eating during quarantine. And then the world starts to open up again. You revisit all the restaurants and pleasure foods that you’d managed to avoid during isolation. And you revisit them to excess.
• You do all the “right” things with your nutrition, but don’t exercise. You lose muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, and your bone density and immune system can suffer.

So how do you start and stick with a fitness and nutrition plan?

The good news is that with small changes, you can create a healthy lifestyle while you isolate. (We’ll share more about some great, easy small changes to make in our next blog.)

The even BETTER news?

You can MAINTAIN that healthy lifestyle by starting those small changes RIGHT NOW. Follow those same easy-to-live-with-because-they’re-your-lifestyle-choices-and-not-a-short-term-diet-fix rules that you put into place, even when your favorite places open again!

So how do you start?

The first thing that you need to do- WHICH CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH- is TALK TO A PROFESSIONAL.

If you had a toothache, would you go to “that lady on Instagram who is always posting pictures of teeth and seems to know a LOT about teeth, and has a free book that she’ll send me”?

Um, no. Of course not. You’d go to the DENTIST, a PROFESSIONAL, and get their assessment of the problem. You’d ask for their solution (which, we hope, isn’t too painful and doesn’t require a lot of drilling.)

Why should your fitness and nutrition be any different? If you want to make real, lasting changes to not only drop the Quarantine 15, but to start your long-term lifestyle change, you NEED TO TALK TO A PRO.

You should ALWAYS consult a personal trainer for specific guidance for your health and well-being.

How do you know WHERE to start with finding one of those, though?

How to search for the RIGHT personal trainer for you?

Begin by asking yourself the following questions:

• Do you prefer a female personal trainer or a male personal trainer?
• Do you want in-person one-on-one intensive training, or just an accountability partner to guide you in the right direction via a FaceTime or Zoom call?
• Do you want ready-made meals delivered right to your door, or do you want the ingredients to make your own healthy meals?
• Do you need a short-term plan to kickstart you, or are you looking to build a relationship with a trainer or nutritionist to keep you on track?
• What type of diet fits best in your lifestyle? Would you be able to follow a low-carb or keto diet, or would you do better with more-balanced plan with caloric restrictions and a broader choice of macronutrients?

There are a LOT of considerations that go into choosing the right professional to help you reinvigorate your eating and exercise habits under these strange conditions. There are even more elements to weigh to find the right personal trainer and nutritionist for YOU, so that you can create a maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Need help in finding your perfect match to help you drop that Quarantine 15?

Jacqueline Hawkins can help you melt that March muffin top and slide in beach bod-readiness. Jacqueline specializes in creating customized fitness and wellness plans to fit you and your needs. She takes the time work with her clients and learn what their priorities are. She then creates a plan that helps them achieve their short-term and long-term wellness goals.

Jacqueline is a certified female personal trainer in Tampa. She can also direct you to other local, regional, and national trainers, medical professionals, nutritionists, and meal services to meet all of your fitness and wellness needs.

Who do you know that would most benefit from the help of a professional personal trainer? Whether you or someone you care about, Jacqueline is offering FREE consults to help you determine the right path forward.

Contact Jacqueline today via email or by calling (813) 230-4014 for a free consultation.