The Life Of A Fitness Trainer – An Interview With Sofie Jayne Fitness

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Sofie Jayne, a wonderfully bubbly fitness trainer from England who’s now living in Vancouver.

LOVED her answers! Honest, funny, and with a kick of energy!

Plus so many gems: From where she finds hidden fitness clothing treasures, to her quick go-to sauce for dinner, to dealing with an ACL tear, to how to make yourself excited about pilates (we know it can sometimes feel a bit monotonous), to her awesome FREE workout videos…so many goodies in this one!

Read below!

And be sure to check out her great youtube fitness videos included in the post.

Without further ado, the interview…

 

Tell me a bit about yourself (& your work!) in 2-4 sentences (add any page/social media links you have!)

About me… Well, I guess my friends would say I’m pretty giggly, positive and determined. I agree with them to most parts, however, I sometimes feel I’m a little too serious behind closed doors, especially when I’m in work mode.

I’m originally from England but moved to Vancouver 4.5 years ago. I fell in love with the city and its ‘fit’ lifestyle, which meant I was able to open my own fitness business; where I personal train, offer meal guidance, teach fitness classes, and most recently provide short online workouts on YouTube. I’m loving it!

Here are my links:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SOFIEJAYNEFITNESS?sub_confirmation=1

Website: http://sofiejaynefitness.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1631484163570575/?ref=bookmarks

Instagram: @sofiejaynefitness

 

I noticed (among other things) that you’re an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist! What did you need to do in order to get this certification? How intense & long was it?

Ha…well noted Amanda. It was a few years ago now, but I recall it taking around 9-10 months, I studied whilst I was working full time, so I spent many weekends and evenings with my head in my books.

In order to get the certification you already had to be an ACE Certified Personal Trainer or hold another qualification with the American Council of Exercise.

It was a very interesting and factual course, as well as a pretty intense certification and even though it is out of my scope or practise to say ‘eat this…eat that’ I can offer advice and meal suggestions with confidence and knowledge.

 

What classes are you offering right now? 

As of now my main focus is to build my online YouTube workouts, all of which are free. However come June, I will be running outdoor bootcamp! Details will follow online.

You can also find me on the Equinox Vancouver schedule 7 x week, teaching a mixture of Main studio, Cycle, True Barre and Trilogy Barre.

 

That’s awesome you’re providing free videos. Do you have any new events coming up?

Aaaah thank you. The weekly videos are short, 10 minutes each, but the idea is for you to do a video on your busy days when you can just fit in 10 minutes of exercise.

I recently collaborated with The Practise Studio and Project You for a Women’s Empowerment event and I will be participating in an outdoor event at Lower Lonsdale this August.

Keep your eyes peeled.

 

We definitely will!

You’re obviously a fan of pilates. I like how effective it is, but definitely find it a bit more boring than other types of exercise (like dance, or hiking, where you get to look around at least!) What do you suggest for people to stay motivated when doing pilates?

Remember that pilates is a mind/body exercise and that your practice in pilates will prepare the body for more rigorous and energetic sports. In pilates, you really get to understand what your body is doing and how your muscles are working, there is usually an ‘aha’ moment when you feel muscles you never knew you had…. When you get to that point, it becomes exciting as you’re discovering new things about your body, and getting in tune with your body.

 

That’s a great way to look at it. I’ll definitely keep that in mind at my next pilates session.

 

What is challenging about teaching fitness?

One of the biggest challenges is making sure I get time to look after my own body and do the workouts and stretches that I need. There was a point when I dedicated so much time to teaching others that I rarely had time to look after my own body. I have now learnt to schedule my workouts into my diary at the start of each week, and treat them as important appointments that I must show up for.

The other thing would be showing up with a smile on your face and being full of energy (especially after having a drink)…. It’s true, fitness Instructors go out from time to time too! As I’m naturally energetic and positive, I rarely struggle day in day out turning up with energy, but there have been some Saturday mornings where I would rather be in bed sleeping it off.

 

Thanks for the honesty! I feel you. And that’s such a good idea to schedule in your own workouts, it seems so many people forget to do that and end up neglecting their exercise.

How do you find workout inspiration?

Ooooh… Everywhere:

My favourite is to go to other instructors’ classes, there is always one new move I’ve never tried before.

Online …. Pinterest, YouTube, Google… it’s all there.

Through Education – attending seminars and workshops.

 

You mentioned on your website that you got injured while skiing in March of 2016, tearing your ACL & partially tearing your MCL & LCL while skiing. You said that you did a ton of pilates training during rehab. What were the main exercises (pilates & other) that you did to rehabilitate your body?

Yes that’s right, it was just when I had opened my business that I did it. I was distraught but with some great physio and pilates practise I got there.

I began with very basic exercises, firing up my core and mobilising my lower body.

From there I was able to progress onto different exercises, like toe taps, chest lifts, hip bridges, and single leg bridges (these were awesome for gaining strength and stability on the injured side).

(Photo courtesy of Sofie Jayne, when she injured herself skiing)

 

How do you generally avoid injury?

Hmmm… I have been prone to a few injuries, several of which (apart from the knee) happened when I was really fatigued.

When I was younger I had the mentality of pushing through…but now if I am tired I take a break from workouts. So far, this has worked for injury prevention.

I also make sure to do different workouts in the week…E.g one HIIT workout, one strength, one barre, one run and one pilates or yoga… and at least one rest day. The variation helps reduce the risk of overtrain injuries and the rest day is crucial as it is during rest when our bodies repair themselves.

 

Is there anyone specific you’d recommend seeing (for physio)?

The guys at CitySport Physio are amazing.

 

Do you have a favourite(s) clothing brand you wear all the time? (just curious, especially if you have sponsorship!)

Haha… I wish I had sponsorship but I don’t… (yet)

Nor do I have a favourite clothing brand… when I first moved to Vancouver I had never even heard of LuluLemon! My fitness wardrobe consists of a variety of brands. I do have some staples though; I like the tights from Nike, Lulu and Lorna Jane as I feel they all offer good support. For tops however, I like a little search through Winners, there can be some hidden gems in there!

 

Right?! It’s hit and miss, but I totally agree.

Do you take protein powders? If so, which ones do you like?

My go to would be the Vanilla Isolate Protein Powder from Body Energy Club.

When I was back in the UK last month, I also picked up a few mini packs of ‘functional food’ protein powders from Aldi (they’re little collection is awesome). So in my cupboards right now, I also have hemp protein and rice protein which I love adding to my smoothies.

 

I’ve never tried rice protein, I’ll have to get some!

Do you avoid any specific food/ingredients (ex gluten, dairy, sugar, meat)? Why or why not?

I don’t avoid anything specific and eat most things in moderation. Saying that, I rarely eat lamb or pork and tend to stick to leaner meats like chicken breast or turkey. I have red meat a couple of times a month in chilli or I enjoy a steak from time to time (as in maybe 2 times a year). I love fish and all seafood, I could easily eliminate meat from my diet and not miss it, but fish on the other hand, I adore! I also like to choose foods with a lower GI index, which helps us avoid sugar spikes and crashes.

 

What are your favourite healthy snacks?

Chia puddings, hummus and veggies, and energy bites made from almonds and dates.

I saw your peach protein muffin recipe – so keen to try that! What else are your go-to healthy meals?

I like to keep it quick and easy in the week, so a quick go to dinner for me would be a stir fry with either shrimp, tofu or turkey, and a tonne of veggies (carrots, zucchini, sprouts, green beans etc.) I then create a quick sauce from tamari, lime juice, honey and ginger.

 

Good call on the sauce…What’s your take on yoga & stretching? If you do them, how often?

Yup, I believe stretching and silence is super important for our bodies, and I do make sure to stretch my body. I am guilty of attending yoga only about once a month (shame on me). However, I always do a few stretches and foam rolling post workout.

 

I love your youtube fitness videos, how do you find the youtube market? What have you found people want to know about the most?

Aaah thank you 🙂

I started on YouTube last summer (on and off) but it was only in February of this year that I decided I wanted to make something of it so I am still relatively new and on a learning process here. I have taken a couple of courses and learnt that consistency is key!

 

What’s your favourite book right now (one that you’d share to someone else)?

I read “Pretty Happy” by Kate Hudson over Christmas as I received it as a gift and I have actually leant it to one of my clients. It’s a great book which reminded me that there are more parts to our health than just exercise and nutrition. After reading Pretty Happy I have started meditating and I have learnt to handle stress a little better. I would definitely recommend it to all 🙂

 

Good to know! I’ll be sure to check it out 🙂

What’s your favourite purchase you’ve made for work/fitness/etc?

Ooooh… that’s a tough one. But I will go with my New Balance Zante shoes. I wear them day in day out and they are incredibly comfortable and offer great support for running as well as other forms of training.

 

Do you have a morning routine? If so, what is it? (ex. coffee, meditation 5 mins, journaling 20 mins, exercise, chilling, etc)

I’m working on one right now! I’ve recently learnt the importance of morning meditation but I don’t yet do it each day (shame on me). I’m often out the house early and fortunately I’m a very good riser, so as soon as my alarm is off I am up, I rarely hit snooze. I’m then straight into the shower, I have my hot water and lemon as I’m getting ready (I lay all my clothes out and have my bag packed the night before), breakfast then out the door. I journal in the evenings rather than the mornings, however this question has prompted me to meditate each morning!

 

That’s awesome! I wish I were as good as you at getting moving so quickly in the morning! I need a bit more time…lol

What’s something people don’t know about you!?

Haha… funny you should ask this as I just started an Introduction Friday on my Instagram last week to share a few things. So in addition to those…I’m a sucker for cheesy music and wedding dance floors. Be it any wedding, I’ll be one of the first on the dancefloor and I know pretty much all the words to the songs from before I was born.

 

I love getting out on the dancefloor too! We should do a class together at iDance Vancouver by the way!

What does your typical day/week look like?

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I am out the house from 7-7 (Friday’s I get home a little earlier!). I do a mixture of personal training, teaching classes, and family meal planning during these hours. I usually have 8 contact hours – either classes or clients each day, then in the spaces I will do my own workouts and work on building my online business. I tend to have my laptop with me so wherever I may be I can stop at a cafe to work! Wednesday’s are for admin, YouTube and the re-launch of Sofie Jayne Fitness Online!

At the moment, with the launch of an Online business I am working from home on the weekends, but I minimize this to a few hours so I can spend time with my boyfriend, friends and nature.

 

I love that you have specific days for admin, I’m going to try that!

What would your perfect day look like to you?

To start I would be in the French or Italian Alps during the summer. Rise around 7:30 – 8am (a dream). Drink my lemon and water then make a smoothie which can be enjoyed on the balcony overlooking the stunning view. Head out for a 3-4 hour bike ride with my boyfriend stopping at a cute little deli for lunch. Once arriving home we’d each have a few hours to chill, I would take my journal and lay in the sun for a few hours.

In the evening we could invite friends and family over (as of course, they would be there in my perfect day) and enjoy a barbecue of tuna steaks, calamari and a tonne of grilled veggies with a few glasses of wine and many giggles to wash it down! Bed by 11:30-12 at the latest!

 

Love it! Mmmm calamari and wine…and France and Italy are on my bucketlist!

Anything else you want to add? 🙂

I think I have pretty much covered it all, but this Amanda was Amazing and thank you for taking the time to interview me. If you enjoyed the interview I’d love for you to say hi @sofieJayneFitness.

 

Thanks so much Sofie!!! Your responses were amazing! 🙂