The Fitness Burnout: Interview with Reid Eichelberger

Jayel Lewis sits down and asks AMRAP (As Many Responses As Possible) in 60 seconds or less with Reid Eichelberger

Who is Reid Eichelberger?

I’m a fun-loving, passionate, genuinely decent human. I grew up surrounded by sports, exercise, and the love of movement and performance. I learned a lot from those experiences and they have shaped who I am……
I love people. And I’m a dog guy. Mostly I’m just a big kid who sometimes pretends to be an adult. And there is something about changing seasons that keeps me coming back to New England.

Talk to me about what the fitness burnout is, and how you’d best define it?

There’s a saying (found it on Instagram, imagine that…). “Good people are like candles. They burn themselves up to give others light”. It’s supposedly a Turkish proverb. The best way I can define the burnout of being a “fit pro” is that you never see it coming. You love what you do. And you have fun doing it. Then all of a sudden, you wake up one day and you’ve hit a wall. HARD.  And you realize you haven’t taken a day off in months, and you have become unhealthy (physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationships, etc).

Do you think there’s a large majority of fit-pros that suffer from burnout, and if so, how did they get there?

It’s not even close. It’s a LARGE majority. I honestly wouldn’t believe someone if they said otherwise. If you’re a fit-pro and you tell me you haven’t suffered from burnout, you’re either lying, you’re too part-time, you just started, or you don’t care enough to put your heart and soul into it like the rest of us.

What top three things would you recommend for fit-pros that are feeling like they’re on the verge of burning out?

1. Shut it down – get a sub. Take a few days off; completely off. And practice some self-care and compassion. FILL YOUR CUP.
2. Don’t compromise w/ your time or your word – Schedule your downtime. And protect it at all costs. And don’t cancel. That only makes it worse.
3. Keep it fresh – Change it up. Learn something new and apply it.  Workout somehow and somewhere new with different people. Break the cycle.

Something you wish you knew when you started; one piece of advice you’d give to a fitness professional that is new in the industry?

Man, just one thing? Your heart has to be in it. You have to be doing it for the right reasons. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time, other people’s time, and maybe even worse.

How do you make time for yourself?

Oh this one’s easy. I burn out.

Where can we find you?

Well, you can find me opening gyms in MA and beyond. Insta handle is @reideichelberger

Anything else you’d like the people to know?

Get to know people. Know their names. Notice them and recognize their existence fully.  Always treat them kindly and with respect. Look up the Zulu terms “Sawubona” and “Sikhona”. It’s an incredible concept. Life-changing really.