Lois Dawes Personal Trainer
Lois is a personal trainer who found her passion for the gym while at college and now shares that passion with others. She talks to Sundried about running marathons and her goals for the future.
Please tell us about sporting events you have taken part in or have coming up.
This year I took part in my first marathon. I was never really a fan of running, but after watching the Brighton Marathon in 2018, emotions were high and before I knew it, I’d signed up.
I joined a running club to help motivate me and when the 3 hour Sunday runs came along, I was so happy to have the club running alongside me. Especially when there was torrential rain and wind!
As the weeks went on my love for running grew, I’d be excited for the gruelling 45-minute hill sprint sessions and the long runs including marathon pace on Sundays. And I also completed my first half marathon as part of my training.
When marathon day came the week of tapering and carb loading before paid off as I felt strong and confident. I stuck to my set pace and enjoyed every step of the race and finished under the time I’d set myself. This was a proud moment!
Tell us about your journey to fitness? Where did it all start?
My fitness journey started at the age of 3 when I joined my first ballet class. Through the next 10 years this progressed to a mixture of ballet, tap and modern.
In college I joined my first gym, this is where I found my passion. My love for weightlifting grew more and more after each session in the gym.
So I decided to turn my passion in to my career and become a personal trainer. Now I can help people get that same sense of achievement and enjoyment from each session that I do.
What are your training goals now?
My current training goals are to work on strength and conditioning. I think it’s always good to have a goal you’re working towards so until the end of the year this is mine. I’ve set mini goals inside this to help me track and measure my goals.
Then in January I can apply for a place in the Jungfrau Marathon (mountain marathon in the Swiss Alps), and start the exciting training for this!
Tell us one unusual fact we wouldn’t know about you:
I’m not a fan of heights. The reason this is so unusual is that fact I’ve done 2 skydives, 3 bungee jumps and the worlds largest canyon swing. I just feel if it frightens the life out of you.. you should do it!
What advice do you wish you'd been given when you first started out?
Plan and prepare your goals!
When I first started I didn’t have any set goals. I’d just go to gym and follow my plan. However if you have a seat goal you’re working towards, you can track your progress and set steps to help you get there. So no session is a wasted session.
Do you follow a specific nutrition plan? If so, what/when do you eat?
I don’t follow a specific nutrition plan however I count my calories and stick to my macros. This works best for me so I can still mix my feel up and keep it exciting, whilst working towards my goals. I always make sure I hit 1g of protein per 1lb of body weight!
What do you do to keep your clients motivated? Do you have any top tips to keep motivated?
So in every session I make sure my clients are motivated by my high energy and positivity. Making sure there’s lots of smiles and laughs as well as hard work, as you need to enjoy your sessions to get the most out of them. We check progress monthly or weekly depending on the individual to keep on track of their progress.
Talk us through your training regime.
So I train 5/6 times each week. Always warming up on a cardio machine, followed by some dynamic stretches.
Then each day I’ll focus on different muscles for my resistance training. Starting off with some big movements going heavy and then finishing with a HIIT circuit or Tabata.
I also include 1-2 runs each week and finish each session with a stretch.
How do you keep your fitness knowledge up to date?
I read various different books, listen to podcasts and look at various videos on YouTube or instagram. As if you stop learning you stop progressing and it’s important to keep your knowledge high so you can pass this on to your clients.
What are your top 3 trainer tips?
Prepare- fail to prepare then prepare to fail. Each week I plan my training, not just the training itself but also when I’m going to workout on each day. I also meal prep in advance to keep on top of my nutrition.
Enjoy- do the type of exercise you enjoy. You don’t want your workout to be a chore, you want to look forward to it and also give it 100% you can help enjoy your workouts by creating a buzzing playlist. Fill it with your favourite workout songs!
Consistent- consistency is key. Make sure you stay consistent with you nutrition and training as you don’t want t o be super good in the week. Then have a blow out at the weekend, eating junk and not working out as you’ll just sabotage your results and ruin all your hard work from the week.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmmm that’s a tough one! Probably eggs, as you can cook these in a variety of ways and every way is delicious!
What do you like about Sundried and what's your favourite bit of our kit?
I love the face Sundried isn’t just helping your workouts with their fantastic gym attire but it’s also helping the planet at the same time!
We don’t have a planet B so we should be doing everything we can to help save it!
Favourite piece of kit would be:
Sundried Ruinette 2.0 Women's Leggings
Favourite fitness quote:
Don’t wish for it, work for it!