Confessions of a Lazy Fitness Coach: Why I Don’t Work Out Every Day (And You Don’t Need To Either)

Introducing...The Confessions of a Lazy Fitness Coach

I’m Anne Jones—a fitness coach, life coach, and recovering perfectionist who used to think “more” was always better.

For years, I thought discipline meant punishing workouts, strict diets, and zero room for mistakes. But that mindset only left me exhausted, anxious, and stuck in a cycle of “starting over.”

Now? I’ve learned that the “lazy” approach (and by lazy I really mean easy) is what actually creates lasting results. I've been practicing this approach personally for almost 15 years and used it to help hundreds of women double their strength, feel free around food, and lose body fat with ease.

So naturally, as a former journalist and trained writer, I decided to share the real, behind-the-scenes facts and truths I wish someone had told me sooner. The messy bits. The shortcuts. The mindset shifts that have saved my sanity and my health.

These are the Confessions of a Lazy Fitness Coach.

Let’s start with Confession #1: I Don’t Work Out Every Day… And Neither Should You.

There. I said it.

I’m a fitness coach. I have been a certified fitness professional since 2009, so, 16 years at the time of writing this post. And I absolutely don’t work out every day. Not even five or six times a week. And I have zero guilt about it.

Back in university—or even several years ago, when teaching fitness was my full-time identity—that would’ve sounded like blasphemy.

But the truth is, that’s not how your body—or your mind—actually works.

Why Working Out Every Day Can Backfire

Your muscles don’t grow while you’re working out. They grow while you’re resting.

If you’re constantly grinding without rest days, you’re not getting stronger. You’re just getting tired, inflamed, and mentally burned out.

And you know what else suffers when you’re exhausted?

• Your brain

• Your hormones

• Your cravings

• Your consistency

  
  

The bigger problem isn’t missing a day. It’s believing you “have to start over” because you missed one.

Lazy Doesn’t Mean Careless

I call myself a lazy fitness coach because I have discovered the secret to making fitness, nutrition, and honestly, life, feel easy. I am all about ease. And the way I experience ease, both in my body, in my life, and teach my clients to do the same is by doing the minimum effective dose.

Not because I’m careless (or actually lazy!). But because I’m strategic.

Three or four solid workouts a week, done consistently for months, (and years!) will transform your body far more than seven half-hearted or tired workouts driven by guilt.

The Real Flex

I used to think discipline meant waking up at 5 a.m. and never skipping a day.

Now I know real discipline means:

• Resting when I’m exhausted

• Skipping workouts when life demands it

• Trusting that I won’t “fall off” just because I took a break

  
  

This mindset shift has kept me fit, strong, and injury-free for over a decade—and it’s the same mindset I teach my clients.

Because the goal isn’t endless workouts. The goal is a life you love living.

Ready to be “lazy” like me—and still look and feel hot and strong as hell?

→ [Learn more about Muscles & Mindset 1:1 Coaching and how it works. [Click here.]

This is just the first of many truths I’ll be sharing in my new series, Confessions of a Lazy Fitness Coach.

Stick around, because next week, I’m spilling the tea on why I don’t track my calories, and why I’m leaner than ever at age 37.