How far does being a fitness professional go?
Like most people in the industry, I decided to get involved in the fitness industry to pursue a passion. Something that I love and live by and certainly a way of life. Strangely though, for me it wasn't something that I've always wanted to do and naturally stepped towards through education. I studied something completely different at University and then spent 6 years in the armed forces as an Arabic Interpreter. However, I've always lived by the notion that to excel, you must live by and be a shining example of your profession.
As a fitness professional, your primary aim is to support people through positive change into adopting a healthy lifestyle. Effectively this is a leadership responsibility and if you want to lead people well then proving a good example is a good starting point. This doesn't mean that you have to be superfit, have rippling abs, a meditarranean tan or become an idol, it simply means that you practise what you preach. This really is a privileged position and so often abused.
One common habit that fitness professionals have to steer clients away from is compulsion of some description. Be it over eating, drinking or party lifestyles that leave peoples state of health very poor, helping people adopt a more balanced approach is often the biggest challenge. My question is, if this is situation that you're trying to pull a client away from, is living a party lifestyle yourself going to back your proposition with credibility?
Having spent a good few years now in the industry, delivering courses and training people to become personal trainers, I've seen a vast spectrum in how coaches and fitness professionals carry and present themselves. There is no one right or wrong way to be as a coach. The bottom line is, we all carry a different and unique message and therefore, it's not about following a set path. The golden rule is projecting your message. If you can look in the mirror (not just visually) and answer yes to that question then you're certainly doing something right.
The fact is that in the industry of selling your knowledge, expertise and experience, you are your brand and whilst it would be nice to think that people don't judge a book by it's cover, it does happen because this is often the very first impression people have to start getting to know you.
Here are my top 3 values that translate not just for guiding your clients towards making real step changes but also incorporating into your life:
As a fitness professional, your primary aim is to support people through positive change into adopting a healthy lifestyle. Effectively this is a leadership responsibility and if you want to lead people well then proving a good example is a good starting point. This doesn't mean that you have to be superfit, have rippling abs, a meditarranean tan or become an idol, it simply means that you practise what you preach. This really is a privileged position and so often abused.
One common habit that fitness professionals have to steer clients away from is compulsion of some description. Be it over eating, drinking or party lifestyles that leave peoples state of health very poor, helping people adopt a more balanced approach is often the biggest challenge. My question is, if this is situation that you're trying to pull a client away from, is living a party lifestyle yourself going to back your proposition with credibility?
Having spent a good few years now in the industry, delivering courses and training people to become personal trainers, I've seen a vast spectrum in how coaches and fitness professionals carry and present themselves. There is no one right or wrong way to be as a coach. The bottom line is, we all carry a different and unique message and therefore, it's not about following a set path. The golden rule is projecting your message. If you can look in the mirror (not just visually) and answer yes to that question then you're certainly doing something right.
The fact is that in the industry of selling your knowledge, expertise and experience, you are your brand and whilst it would be nice to think that people don't judge a book by it's cover, it does happen because this is often the very first impression people have to start getting to know you.
Here are my top 3 values that translate not just for guiding your clients towards making real step changes but also incorporating into your life:
- Education - Constantly learning keeps your mind active, helps maintain focus and supports how well you stay committed to achieving. Education is a constant journey and no one on the face of this planet is in a position to say "right, I've learnt everything I need to know". Quite often, the daunting prospect seems to be that the more you learn, the more you realise how little you know but this is quite exciting don't you think??!!
- Challenge - Whilst constantly being challenged could be quite exhausting and consuming, ongoing challenges, targets and achievement maintain a momemtum that keeps us moving forwards. A challenge is merely a simple question of "can I?". It is not about anyone else but oneself and it is only when asking this question that people realise just how much better the reality is than self perception would have us believe. There is big caveat on this though, positioning the standard too high or making the ideal almost unobtainable will only result in the polar opposite of the intended.
- Enjoyment - This is so key and often in fitness, it's really lacking. Fortunately, for most of us, we don't have a daily battle for our own survival or our next meal. As professionals, this should be a priority. People make decisions based upon emotion and feeling. If you leave people with a smile on their face, above all else they will be much more likely to return and stay committed. This applies for us as trainers too. Quite often, I see trainers who work so hard on putting together fantastic programmes for clients, so hard that they neglect their own and the enjoyment factor of it. A costly mistake!
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