To begin with, tell us the most important piece of advice you would give someone, that can act as a booster, as motivation?
Apostolos Tzelettas: I think that the most important piece advice is not to compare yourself to others. For example, you may train many people at the same time and a new one comes and compares themselves to the more advanced and this is so unfair. Everyone has to look at themselves individually and work out from scratch, without comparing themselves to others, that’s the most important part, I think.
What made you follow coaching?
A.Tz.: I was a kid born in sports, so I started from a very early age, then it was true what I said, that the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science was my only choice, I got 18/20 in my final national entrance exams, I could have been accepted in Faculty of Law, I rejected it, I turned down the Police Academy, I chose the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science. It was my destiny, I was meant to become a trainer, I am not supposed to do anything else in this life.
Have you ever had the fear that maybe this might not suit you?
Ap.Tz: You know what, if you love it, this may sound romantic, but if you really love it you do it well. You will search, you will do, I’ve been working on it, especially since the third year in the Faculty of Physical Education, what to do in this life, in this field, in order to do my best. And I started looking high and low in this field.
We have seen that the program focuses a lot on creating a customized program, so, first of all, how did you come up with the idea of doing this rather than opening a conventional gym, and what benefits can this later offer to anyone who will come to this fitness boutique?
Ap Tz.: In general, I think it’s the evolution of my career, I have been doing so many years top – level competitive sport and coaching, that it was an overload for me and I wanted to do something about fitness.
So okay, everything is good in top-level competitive sports, we did that as well, but I wanted a wider audience, I wanted something more and because, what I’ve answered you before, it’s unfair to compare, this is what I wanted to give and if we were a hundred people we would lose the point. So if we are just a few, it’s better. So there isn’t and shouldn’t be any comparisons and I try my best to see everybody individually and motivate them.
Are there days when you don’t want to work out at all and then how you deal with this?
A.Tz.: The truth is that there are days that I don’t really want to workout, but there are also days that I want to let off steam so I go running at 11 o’clock at night on the beach. This is my passion, going to the beach at night for jogging.
When you got the invitation to TEDxAUTH, what made you say yes?
A.Tz.: Look, I think Staikos and I were the first to accept, Electra told me that we were the fastest yes. Initially, Electra with whom we have been working out together for 7 years now and it was a huge opportunity. Okay, TEDx is a great thing, it’s a great honor to talk to a TEDx, I won’t hide it, it’s my pleasure.
Translation: Agni Gkoutziamani
Review: Niki Saridaki*
