And just like that...I've been a fitness professional for 10 years!
And just like that…I’ve been a professional in the fitness industry for 10 years! Wow! It is hard to believe so much time has gone by. It feels like just yesterday I took my first fitness course, the Zumba certification, and yet I feel like I have gained so much experience throughout the past several years. I am sending a massive thank you to my family, friends, and clients within the DY community. Without your support and interest in moving your bodies with me, I would not be where I am today.
I figured, since a lot has happened in the last 10 years within my professional and personal fitness experiences, I’d share 10 lessons I’ve learned with you today. The lessons I’ve learned are now solid pillars that I build my business off of and continue to practice and integrate into my personal fitness beliefs, views, and practices.
Listening to your body does not mean you don’t try hard in your workouts. Listening to your body is a philosophy I encourage my clients to follow. All that really means is check in where you are at on any given day prior to your workout and adjust accordingly. Working out and training is only one hour (sometimes less) of your day, which means there are a lot of factors impacting how you’ll feel on any day. When you’re feeling energized, up the intensity and push your pace. On a day when you’ve experienced high stress or less sleep, ease off where necessary.
The best workout is the one you come back to. We all have our personal favourite movement modalities and ones that we just aren’t as into but, the ultimate goal is to get people moving. That means that people need to find what they like and do more of it. Fitness can also include a level of fun and joy and is probably more likely to get accomplished when you’re actually looking forward to it. Leave your ego or opinion at the door as a professional, and help your client find what works for them. The best workout is the one you actually do!
The fitness industry NEEDS more diversity. As a young (for at least a few more years haha), thin, white woman, I hold extreme privilege in the fitness and wellness space. It definitely does not go unnoticed on my end. I am continuing to have conversations with friends to learn more, because even if I take small positive actions, it does not add up to the years of people feeling like they are not valued, seen, heard, or represented in studios, amongst certain athletic brands, and in our wellness spaces. We have a long way to go.
You do NOT need to post your body to sell or promote your business online. Stemming slightly from the point above, although I may seem to look a certain way to some, there is absolutely no need for me to flaunt my body in order to sell my business. If you wish to do that, I feel like a personal page is more appropriate. Regardless of how others may argue it, you ultimately are saying “Look at me! Our bodies are the most important thing about us. Love your body…but smaller is better and I’m going to angle my body accordingly to make myself appear that way”. I have no space to see the other side on this one.
People are looking up to you so remember the impact you can have on others. And once again, feeding off the point above, when we post our bodies in a certain way, it impacts how others perceive it and in turn feel about themselves. Always think intent versus impact. No matter what your intentions are, if the impact results in someone feeling poorly about themselves, we’ve done them a disservice. That is why I continue to spread the reminder that we are more than our bodies. Focus on how you feel versus how you look. And things like “what I eat in a day posts” followed by “but remember everyone is an individual so don’t follow this exactly”, have got to go. We all know that no matter what we say, someone is going to take that and follow it and wonder why they don’t look like you after eating the same. We can do better and I feel that we all have influence on others regardless of follower accounts when we choose to post and share things on social media.
You don’t know everything because the fitness industry is ever-changing and evolving. I love so many fitness and movement modalities and I love learning new things. The fitness world is always changing and we can learn a lot from each other. The best thing I try to do is understand and appreciate a different perspective. From there, you can take your experiences, and the new education you’re obtaining, to come up with a new enhanced approach. It is so important in any industry to continue to learn and grow. The moment you get stuck in thinking you know best, is the moment where our ego may get in the way of us helping our clients experience the most success.
Your go-to workout may not work for every single one of your clients. You may love to move your body in a certain way, but it may not be interesting to your client or fit in with their lifestyle. Working out should enhance the way you can enjoy life and not feel like a chore. Help your clients find something that works for them, even if it isn’t what you would do for yourself. Remember, we are typically in this industry because we love to move our bodies. It may not be the same for our clients and we need to help them discover what it is they enjoy.
The other pillars of health will affect how you feel and ultimately how well you perform in your workouts. Sleep, nutrition, stress management, work load, family responsibilities and rest are important. You cannot expect to feel your best if you don’t take care of the rest. You cannot out-train poor habits within these other pillars of health.
There are more than enough people in the world to go around. I used to be bothered or wonder why certain types of people didn’t take my classes. Then I realized that they are simply not my people. I appreciate now more than ever, the wonderful community of clients Discover You has within it. Such supportive people, lacking egos, there to support one another, and feel good. There are unlimited amounts of people looking to work out and unlimited professionals and communities they can choose from. As a fitness pro, all I can do is continue to share my fitness philosophies and build & nurture the relationships of my community.
Education, personal experience, and execution of that knowledge are integral to success as a fitness professional. I strongly believe we need to have a little bit of all of this to succeed. Fitness professionals must be more educated and creditable than just having a large IG following and a simply weekend course. Professionals should also have personal experience to complement that. For me, I’ve got a Kinesiology degree, played varsity field hockey at the University of Toronto and have been a lifelong mover and athlete. Most importantly, is being able to take all of the personal and professional experience and share it in a way that is well received. Egos need to be left at the door because the moment you become the leader in the room, it stops being about you and becomes all about the clients, participants, and athletes in front of you.
*BONUS 11. Fitness needs to become a necessity and not feel like a luxury. As much as I enjoy wearing nice workout clothes, especially since I am in them all day, we don’t need that. We don’t need $30 workout classes plus a $10 smoothie afterwards. I have been working hard to be able to run a successful business but feel like I am still able to offer services at an attainable rate. Movement feels so good for our bodies and minds and it is important for overall health. It should never feel like it is only for the elite.
Gee, I feel like I have so much more to say, but will leave it at these 11 points for today. Perhaps a 2.0 post for a future day?
What are things you’ve learned throughout your time in the fitness industry, either as a professional or a fitness enthusiast?
Yours in self-discovery,
Rachel