Richie Foster-Swan has worked in the fitness industry for 25 years
Personal trainer Richie Swan(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
A celebrity personal trainer has shared his top tips to keep people on track with their new year fitness goals. Richie Foster-Swan has worked in the fitness industry for 25 years, and became a personal trainer 10 years ago. The ECHO previously reported his celebrity clientele included Emma Bunton, Melanie B, and Alexandra Burke.
The 46-year-old, who is from Maghull, works as a freelance spin instructor at Rise Fitness Studios, which has two sites across L15. Richie also has his own online fitness programme, Sort Your Fit Out, which started over lockdown after he began streaming live classes.
The classes eventually welcomed hundreds of people, motivating Richie to launch a subscription service and an app. The fitness and fat loss programme teaches people how to change their habits to achieve their goals, keep the weight off and get fit and healthy.
Many of us will use January as a way to reset, heading into the new year with goals which we want to achieve. However, as the weeks roll on some may struggle to keep on track without quick fixes.
Richie told the ECHO: “I say you need to really give it a good six to eight weeks being consistent. That’s when you’ll start to see. At the beginning, it’s more feel. You feel different, you feel more energized and you sleep better. It’s all the feels.
“Then it’s probably about six to eight weeks in that someone will go, ‘oh, you look great. What are you doing?’ That’s where the motivation picks you back up again. But I’d say literally you’ve got to be consistent and it’s not just consistent with exercise or consistent with food. It’s consistent with both. So moving, and eating healthy.
“One burger doesn’t mean you’re going to be unhealthy. One workout doesn’t mean you’re going to be an athlete. So it’s just being consistent with what you do and giving it time.”
As January comes to an end, the fitness expert has shared his top tips if you’re hoping to stay on track with your new year fitness journey.
1. Plan your week
Richie recommends planning your week and being realistic with what you set out to achieve. He said: “Rather than going, ‘right, I’m going to train seven times a week and I’m going to go to the gym twice a day’, it’s going ‘what can fit into my lifestyle’. Some people, it might be saying, let’s train three times a week at a class and commit to a 30-minute brisk walk a day.
“That way, it’s a goal or plan that’s realistic and you can fit into your life. It means you’re more likely to achieve it which then means you’re more motivated to do it.”
2. Buddy up system
Richie suggests getting a friend involved if you’re starting to feel unmotivated. He said: “The best way to stick to anything and be consistent with anything is to get a mate involved in what you’re doing. That way you can hold each other accountable.
“You’re giving each other tips on recipes that you’re having to eat healthy, you go into classes together and in the world where we are always with our heads in our phone, you’re interacting in person with your friends and catching up which is really good for mental health as well.
“I’d say that’s a really good tip if you can get someone involved with you to be on the journey to do it.”
3. Aim for 2l to 3l of water
Drinking plenty of water “will keep you hydrated, enhance energy levels, and helps with muscle recovery”. Richie added: “It just makes the recovery process quicker and it keeps you fuller for longer. So if you are looking to lose weight, it can curb the hunger cravings that you get.”
4. Dry January
Dry January will soon come to an end. If you’re planning on having a drink in a few weeks time or around pay day, Richie recommends having a glass of water alongside an alcoholic drink. He also suggests going out with an idea of what you plan to drink to help keep you on track.
He said: “I do this myself, if I have a drink, have a glass of water after it. That way it slows down how quick you’re drinking. So you’re not getting wrecked as quick, are you? And your hangover isn’t as intense the next day because you managed to get a load of water in.
“That way, it just helps you keep in control without feeling like having a drink will make you fail.”
5. Be kind to yourself
Richie said: “If you do have a day where it doesn’t go to plan, rather than give up and go to square one and go ‘f**k it I’ll start again next January,’ just dust yourself off, revisit your goals and why you want to achieve them. Have a connection to what it is you want.
“So whether it’s to keep up with the grandkids, whether it’s you want to be able to carry your shop when you’re a pensioner, just revisit why you’re doing what you’re doing, rather than wait until next January. I’ll just finish with a little saying, where consistency is key and then success isn’t about greatness, but it’s about consistent, daily, small steps that will lead to great results.”