Personal Training With Marios Blog
Health & Fitness, Life Style, all things Plant Based, Vegan

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More and more of my clients here in North London are on a "fat jab" - Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic, whatever your GP or private clinic has prescribed. I am here to offer personal trainer tips, considering what I've seen happen in the studio when someone starts one of these medications and what needs to change about your training for the result to last. The scale will drop but so does your muscle unless you work to change that. This is the one that is not spoken about enough. GLP

When I first became a personal trainer in my early-twenties, truthfully, subconsciously, I thought health & fitness was mainly about looking good. Everything else was a bonus. Now, 16 years later, as I approach my 40th birthday, I feel healthier today than I did at 23. I have more energy, a better relationship with food, fewer aches and pains, and a much clearer understanding of what truly matters. My priorities have shifted away from chasing perfection and towards building a

I deleted Instagram again. It's the seventh time. I'm not proud of the number, but I'm not ashamed of it either because every single time I've done it, I've found a freedom again, even if it's temporary. Also, each time I delete my profile, I am a little less willing to hand my attention over to an algorithm that, frankly, does not have my best interests at heart. In fact, I realise just how destructive these tech companies are but that's a story for another day. By the end o

A few days ago, I appeared in a BBC News feature about phone addiction / screen time compulsion and how it has been affecting my life, and what I am doing to tackle this. It's a strange and uncomfortable thing to see your name next to a statistic like "14 hours of screen time in one day" - (hmm that only happened once (or twice) but I get the need for the BBC for a catchy hook) It's stranger still to talk about it screen time compulsion publicly, given that I spend most of m

A simple 5-minute stretching routine from a personal trainer in North London — no gym, no equipment, no experience needed. It's perfect for beginners. Some of the best moments to move are the ones right before something else begins. Before your day properly starts. Before you settle in for a long drive. Before starting your workout. These five , beginner friendly stretches are built for exactly that, the getting started moments. As a personal trainer working with beginners ac

If you’re taking a weight loss injection (fat jab) - Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound - you’re not alone. Millions of people in the UK are now using GLP-1 medications as part of their weight loss journey. A growing number of them are asking this important question: “Should I be training? And if so, how?” The answer is, Yes - how you train is what makes all the difference. Here’s what I’ve noticed working with clients over 17 years as a personal trainer in North London: the

As a personal trainer, one of the saddest things I hear isn’t “I can’t lose weight” or “I don’t know how to exercise.” It’s when someone says, “I don’t think I’ll ever look like that.” Usually, they’re talking about somebody they’ve seen on Instagram. A fitness influencer or a fitness model or a personal trainer with hundreds of thousands of followers. Someone with a body that appears almost impossibly lean, muscular and polished. The strange thing is that many people know so

So you’re thinking about personal training but you’re not sure where to start. Maybe you're a total beginner and you’ve never set foot in a gym. Maybe you tried once, hated it, and quietly vowed never to return. Maybe you’ve Googled “personal trainer North London” at 11pm, closed the tab, and told yourself you’d do it properly next time. You’re not alone. The majority of people I’ve worked with over 17 years said exactly the same thing before their first session. They weren’t

Seventeen years of personal training people, watching bodies transform, building strength from scratch, and never have I touched anabolic steroids, HGH, SARMs, peptides, or any other performance-enhancing drug. I want to talk about why but more importantly, I want to talk about the culture that makes that feel like a confession rather than the norm. The Numbers Don’t Lie - Steroid Use Among Gym-Goers is High Let’s start with some honesty about the fitness industry, because mo

My personal trainer perspective, informed by client Jay currently taking the jab. Wegovy. Ozempic. Mounjaro.. What is actually happening inside the body of someone on these medications, and what does that mean for how they should train? I recently had that conversation with Jay. Jay has been on Wegovy and shared some very insightful feedback about his experience. This reframed a lot of my thinking around the jabs. What Are These Medications? Semaglutide-based medications like

Vegan Low Carb Diets Are This Personal Trainers Recommendation for 2026 A Vegan low-carb diet may sound restrictive, and in many ways it is - but its worth it. The results I've got from following a Vegan low carb (edging onto an almost ketogenic diet) have been pretty incredible. My clients are also getting really great results (of course!) and this is why I want to share some tips with you too. Though it's restrictive, fortunately, in 2026, it’s more doable than ever—thanks

A few weeks ago, I decided to try something new — a vegan keto diet. I’ve been fully plant-based for a while now, almost 10 years, but I was curious about whether I could experience the often and keenly discussed benefits of ketosis — steady energy, reduced cravings, fat loss — while staying true to my vegan values. At first, I wasn’t sure it would work. Keto, after all, has a reputation for being centered around bacon, butter, and cheese. But the more I researched, the more

Why I Choose Pea Protein Every Day: A Vegan Personal Trainer's Top Protein Recommendation I’ve been using protein powders for years, both for strength training and for everyday nutrition. When I became Vegan 10 years ago, I made a deliberate switch from whey to pea protein. Believe me, no pea protein company is paying me any commission, I simply want you to benefit from this switch too. I used to use whey protein powder because (I would guess like most people), it was the mos

We raised ~£1000 (including gift-aid) for a variety of charities in 2024. For every personal training session you booked with me, whether online or in person, £1 was donated to charity. This included a range of different types of charities. Vegan charities, animal sanctuaries, charities supporting LGBT+ causes and Emergency Charity Appeals. Checkout the donations page here to find out where the money was directed The good news doesn't stop there. We will continue raising more

About Bats and How We Can Help Them, by Guest Writer, Bat Specialist, Malachy Donnelly

Phone addiction - A destructive behavioural pattern on loop, sabotaging your health and wellbeing Once again, I took that app off my phone, put my phone in grey-scale mode to make it less attractive to me, and created a new set of (not so new) rules around my phone usage and screen time. I have been through this process again (and again) and I berate myself about it regularly. I harshly tell myself that 'If I am supporting my personal training clients with making sustainable

In a world where the pace of life can be overwhelming, the choices we make about what we eat have a profound impact not only on our health but also on the environment. Organic food has been gaining popularity due to its numerous benefits for both our bodies and the planet. Let's delve into the realm of organic farming, wildlife conservation, and the interconnectedness between our dietary choices and environmental well-being. The Rise of Organic Farming in the UK Organic farmi

Easy Vegan Meal Prep Tips Welcome to a journey of culinary creativity and mindfulness as we delve into the realm of easy vegan / plant-based meal prep. In this guide, we will explore the myriad benefits of veganism, the art of mindful meal preparation, and provide you with three very simple and tasty meal examples along with their recipes to kickstart your plant-based culinary adventure. The Joy of Vegan Living Before we dive into the world of plant-based meal prep, let's tak

I once had the luck to come across a hedgehog one morning in my garden. My initial excitement turned to concern as I knew that seeing a hedgehog out and about in broad daylight was often not a good thing and it was true in this case - this particular hedgehog was not doing so well. It looked to have been unwell and subsequently pecked by a bird, who had spotted it was vulnerable. I called a wildlife charity, they gave me a reference number, and I took the hedgehog to the vets

The gym isn't for everyone, not even for a personal trainer like myself, but I sometimes wonder if it's worth trying to make it work out.

We need to donate more money to support farmed animals. They are a largely ignored recipient in the charity sector.

There are several things we can all do to save animals. Here are some big and powerful ways we can make a real difference to animals.

Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle is a meaningful step toward a more compassionate and healthier way of living. Here are several easy...

If you're training hard, eating what you think is "healthy," and still not seeing the energy, body composition, or progress you expect, added sugar is very often the reason. Not fat and not carbs in general. Added sugar, specifically, hiding in places you'd never think to look. As a personal trainer this is one of the first things I look at with almost every new client. Sugar is one of the biggest levers you can pull for better energy, better training sessions, better sleep,