connada123

I understand the desire to help others, but I'll caution you against working with your roommate, particularly if you're passionate about doing so. If she's not begging for your advice, don't get involved. If she doesn't take your advice, you can't get all worked up about it. Stick only to the topics that she brings up, and when she brings them up. If she's suppose to eat X amount of calories per day, and you see she's clearly not, keep it to yourself unless she wants to talk about it. Don't make this about what you want, it has to be about what she wants, and what she's willing to do. Everybody wants to be healthy, but most don't feel it's worth the time and effort. That's their decision, regardless of how anyone else feels about it. I can think of few things worse than having someone I live with harp on me about healthy eating habits when I'm not exactly following "the plan". If she asks, give her the knowledge, but it's not your job to hold her accountable. The second you feel like you need to hold her accountable, take a second, step back, and realize that you're probably about to overstep your bounds. When you give her advice, make sure you can explain the "why". If you don't know the "why", do more research. If you can't explain the "why", you probably shouldn't be giving advice on it. Good luck to you, hope it all works out for you.

If all you want is to start training people at a local gym, it's pretty easy to get started. Find out what certifications they accept, and then get one of those certifications (NASM, ACSM, ISSA, ACE). Certs can run anywhere from $500 to $2k depending on how much prep you want for the exam. Depending on your educational background and available time, it'll probably take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks to study all the materials before you feel ready to take the exam. The exams aren't "easy" but they're not rocket science either. Any local gym will likely hire you as soon as you get your cert. You're another body to do sales for them, that's enough. Be aware that most trainers don't get paid very well. I know a few that do really great (six figures), but I know a lot more than don't make a third of that. My experience is limited to large metro areas, but I think most trainers around here make ~$45k/year (US). Also, most gyms will judge you not on how well you help your clients, but how many sessions you sell. You'll feel more like a sales person than a trainer a lot of the time. The most successful trainer I ever knew would train clients at their own house without a lot of equipment. She spent a lot of time studying rehabilitation, and would network with physical therapists. When a physical therapist was finished with a patient that maybe still needed some extra work to get from 75% to 100% (or the insurance stopped paying), the physical therapists would recommend this women. She would work directly with the physical therapist to develop a program for the patient/client (took her all of 5-10 minutes over the phone to find out what the patient could and couldn't do, and to get specific recommendations from the therapist). She would then charge a premium to the client (but less than paying cash for a physical therapist), and basically walk these clients through a basic physical therapist routine. Eventually she'd translate more to a typical strength program. She helped a lot of people and made very good money. Because of her specialty, she gained a great reputation, and was "the" trainer in the area, even for those without specific limitations or injuries. Honestly, outside the scope of her little niche, I never thought much of her as a trainer, but she was a great sales person, and knew her niche better than anyone I ever met.

I've only done paleo for two months (and a modified version of it, I still eat dairy), so take my advice with a grain of salt. Based on the meals you've discussed I think you should do a lot more research into paleo. Protein and fat need to make up a much larger portion of your diet. Leaving out the fat is a major flaw for this diet. You'll be eating less carbs, so fat is going to be your primary source of energy. If you eat too little of it, you're going to be tired and hungry, and if you're anything like me you won't stick with it. Yeah, you'll be eating a ton of veggies and fruit, but you may be surprised at how little carbs you get from these, you'll need the fat. Plus, the protein and fat will prevent you from getting hungry throughout the day. When I just cut calories by eat processed carbs, the diet works, but I'm hungry all day. When my diet focuses on cutting processed carbs and including much more fat (while watching calorie intake), my results are just as good, however I'm barely ever hungry. I will say that when you first start including fat, you should watch your calories. I was having a hard time losing weight when I first started paleo, but then counted my calories for a couple days and was surprised to realize I was eating ~1,000 calories of pecans and almonds per day. As soon as I cut back on pecans and almonds, the weight came off effortless. I know it's cliché for dieting, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you've got to go to bed 30 minutes earlier so you can wake up 30 minutes earlier and make yourself some eggs and bacon, then I would do that. Since going paleo I've started going to bed at 9pm and waking up at 5am so that I get enough sleep and have time in the morning to make a large breakfast. It's made a world of difference, and I'm seeing some really great results. I'd aim for at least 25% of your daily caloric intake at breakfast in high protein and fat sources. And honestly, 3 eggs with ham (use lunch meat torn into small pieces) and peppers/onions (buy diced and frozen so all you have to do is throw them in the pan), topped with cheese and salsa, only takes about 5 minutes to make, 5 minutes to eat, and a minute to clean up after. All of that is less than 450 calories, so you still get to eat a banana and have some half-and-half in your coffee.