Why Trust Us
Disclosure
If you’re frustrated with your desk job and looking for something more active and rewarding as a career, read on to find out how Haydn Elliot, head trainer and co-owner of F45 Oxford Circus, left a 9-5 office job to make his passion his profession…
Career background
“I worked for a theatre group as a client relations manager but I knew my job wasn’t for me. I never wanted to be in that industry and I hated having a 9-5 office job, sitting in front of a computer the whole time. Once I realised that, I started looking for a way to get into personal training and fitness. I had done a personal training course after university so already had the qualification. In 2017, I came across F45, short for functional 45, with my friend Tristan Smith. It’s a high-intensity circuit-based workout class and we franchised it to Oxford Circus a year ago.”
Why personal training was the right career path
“I love interacting with people and helping people become the best version of themselves, which is why I think I was initially so drawn to personal training. Health and fitness has been part of my life since I was 14 and I wanted to do something I ultimately enjoyed. As a trainer, you have the ability to have an hour of somebody’s time, and no matter what’s going on in their lives, you can help them transcend into a better place. It’s the ability to better someone else through exercise and creating that endorphin rush that I love.”
On finances
“Alongside Tristan, we own the F45 Oxford Circus franchise, and I train people there too. In the long run I will be making much more money than I am now or was doing, but initially, it was definitely a risk.”
On not looking back
“I don’t miss the corporate world at all, it’s just not my bag. Actually, I think it’s a dying breed. Really, I think the world is becoming much more informal and I never really understood the protocols with the corporate world.”
On the best bit of the job
“I love everything about my job. Not only do I love health and fitness but I love being part of an environment where people are pushing themselves every day. We treat every single member like a friend. People leave here with more confidence and a spring in their step. They’re more comfortable in their own skin; something which is quite rare and which I had never seen before.”
On advice
“If you’re looking to move into the world of wellness as a career, you need to do it for the right reasons. Don’t just do it because it’s a cash money-making scheme. Trust me, you have to love what you do. Waking up at 4:30am and going to bed at 10:30pm is something which a lot of people couldn’t do unless they absolutely love it.”
By Charlotte
Charlotte is a London girl through and through. She sweats through spin and puffs through Pilates to justify trying the latest restaurants and devouring copious amounts of sweet potato fries, burrata and bread – preferably on holiday. Her favourite destinations include Italy, the Maldives and anywhere where the sun’s shining and there’s a strong breakfast buffet. She’s obsessed with walking, visiting farmers’ markets and reading. She’s also learning to cook. Wish her (and her husband) luck.
