Can One Hour of Exercise Change How You Feel?
At the beginning of every Hour of Power fitness class, I ask my participants a simple question:
“On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you feeling right now?” One means feeling absolutely rubbish, and ten means feeling over the moon. Everyone gives me their number, and then we get moving! An hour later, after a challenging full-body workout, I ask exactly the same question. And here’s something I’ve noticed over the years: not once has anyone given me a lower number than they did at the beginning. Sometimes the improvement is small. Other times, it’s remarkable. Someone who arrived feeling exhausted, stressed or emotionally drained can leave feeling like a completely different person.
Why?
Because movement doesn’t just challenge our muscles. It can change how we feel, how we think and how we approach the rest of our day. During Hour of Power, there’s little time to dwell on the stresses of the day. We’re too busy concentrating on the exercises, enjoying the energy of the group and challenging ourselves in a supportive environment. It’s one of the reasons I love what I do.
My Journey Into Counselling
I’ve been working as a personal trainer for around 13 years, helping people become stronger, healthier and more confident. But my interest in the human mind, psychology and what influences our behaviour has always been there. About four years into my personal training career, I began looking for ways to expand my professional knowledge and services. Perhaps another fitness qualification? Nutrition? Something completely different? Then something unexpected happened. I bumped into a lady in a Tesco car park who used to attend one of my fitness classes. During our conversation, she mentioned that she was studying counselling. That chance encounter sparked my curiosity, and I decided to enrol in a 10-week introductory counselling course. What began as an opportunity to expand my professional knowledge became a fascinating journey of self-discovery. What I hadn’t fully appreciated before starting was just how much becoming a counsellor would involve looking inward. It wasn’t simply about learning theories or understanding other people’s emotions. It was also about exploring my own experiences, beliefs, reactions and relationships. And although some of the things I learned were already familiar to me, studying them from a professional perspective gave them greater depth and meaning.
Everyone Is on Their Own Journey
One of the most valuable insights my counselling training reinforced is that we are responsible for our own choices, whether we make them consciously or unconsciously. And while we can support and encourage others, meaningful change ultimately has to come from within.
Everyone has a different life story, different experiences and different levels of emotional awareness. We cannot expect someone to make changes they aren’t ready to make. As a personal trainer, I can provide guidance, encouragement, knowledge and support. As a person-centred counsellor, I offer a safe, non-judgemental space where individuals can explore their feelings and discover their own way forward.
The approaches are different, but they share something important. I can support someone’s journey, but I cannot walk it for them. That understanding has strengthened the way I approach both professions.
Showing Up Is Often the Hardest Part
We all experience days when motivation seems to disappear. Perhaps we’ve had a stressful day, we’re feeling overwhelmed or life simply feels a little heavier than usual. And on those days, putting on our trainers and exercise clothes can feel like the biggest challenge.
But here’s something I strongly believe:
The hardest part is often showing up. Getting dressed, leaving the house and committing to a workout can take real determination, particularly when we’re feeling low. Yet once we begin moving, something often shifts. Our attention changes, our energy can improve, and what initially felt like an effort becomes something we’re grateful we made time for. For me, movement is part of my lifestyle. It doesn’t depend entirely on how I feel that day. However, that doesn’t mean every workout needs to be intense. Some days I challenge myself with a demanding strength session. Other days, stretching, mobility exercises or a gentler workout are exactly what I need. The important thing is understanding our bodies, recognising our emotions and making choices that support our wellbeing.
Consistency is important, but so is recognising when to challenge ourselves and when to take a gentler approach.
Sometimes, having a class to attend, a supportive community or someone encouraging us can make all the difference in helping us stay consistent.
Emotional Wellbeing Isn’t About Having a Perfect Life
When we talk about emotional wellbeing, people sometimes imagine someone who is always happy, positive and free from problems. But that’s not how I see it. Being emotionally well doesn’t mean life is always sunshine and roses. We all experience difficulties, disappointments, uncertainty and emotional challenges. To me, emotional wellbeing is about developing self-awareness, understanding our emotions and having the mental flexibility to look at situations from different perspectives. It’s about recognising that there may be different ways of looking at the same situation, beyond our own immediate understanding.
The better we understand ourselves, the more capable we may become of understanding others.
My counselling training has deepened my appreciation of empathy and the importance of recognising that everyone experiences life differently. Emotional wellbeing also means having tools that help us navigate difficult moments. That might involve physical activity, talking to someone we trust, spending time with supportive people, allowing ourselves to rest or recognising when professional support would be helpful.
It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about knowing ourselves well enough to recognise when something isn’t quite right and understanding what might help.
Stronger Body, Stronger Mind
Over the years, my experience as both a personal trainer and a person-centred counsellor has reinforced something I believe deeply:
Our physical and emotional wellbeing are connected, and looking after one can positively influence the other.
Movement can help us manage stress, improve our mood and build confidence. Greater emotional awareness can help us understand our behaviour, recognise our needs and make more conscious choices about our health. Neither physical fitness nor emotional wellbeing is about perfection. They’re about developing awareness, building healthy habits, adapting to life’s challenges and recognising that lasting change takes time. We don’t all start from the same place, and we don’t all travel at the same pace. But every positive step matters. And sometimes, that first step is simply putting on our trainers and showing up.
Because a stronger body and a stronger mindset can help us build a healthier, more fulfilling life.