I remember the days when Thanksgiving meant enjoying time spent with family and friends, watching football and a few movies, enjoying food, and just kicking back relaxing because we were "thankful" for the great lives that we have. The key word in that sentence being "remember", it doesn't seem to be that way anymore.
Instead it is gorge ourselves with food and then run off the malls to get the deals on Thanksgiving night. That is if you are one of the lucky ones who is fortunate enough to being running off to shop and not running off to work. Black Friday madness is ruining Thanksgiving and changing it from a day of enjoyment to a day of stress, whether is fighting to get that last stupid gadget or because you need to cook a meal for your family and then head off to your job that provides for them.
It doesn't have to be this way. All we have to do is refuse to go shopping until 9 or 10 a.m. on Friday and showing respect for people and their families who have don't have the luxury of being off from work. Do you really need that deal? Are you really saving money? Because you probably impulse buy at least 10 other things that you don't need and would not have bought otherwise.
So stay home this Thanksgiving, enjoy the holiday, and reflect on all that you are thankful for having in your life. The "deals" can wait. BTW they are also online so you can still get that door-buster deal, but never leave your house and online shopping doesn't affect anyone else's lives who might rather be with their family.
If you need some ideas to get your juices flowing on what you are thankful for read this article
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/60-things-thankful-for-life.html
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Tip Sheets
Tip Sheets are a great way to educate your members and provide extra value. Post these on your social media, on your blog, and hand them out in your club. We like to create them based around the time of the year - Holiday Survival Tips, New Year New You, Summer Shape Up, Back to School Back Fitness are just a few examples. You can also use topics, such as - Nutrition, Benefits of Kettlebell Training, Progress Made Through Recovery, etc.
Provide 5-10+ tips for each topic and then get them in front of your members and prospective members. If you provide value and advice free of charge people become more willing to pay for your services.
Here is a sample of our "Holiday Survival Tips" that we are currently using at PNF:
We are approaching the holiday season once again, for many this time of year is full of enjoyment, family get togethers, Christmas Parties, and holiday shopping. But, this is also known as the official "Weight Gaining" season. It's common for many people to say they are going to lose weight in the New Year, maybe you've even said this, but unfortunately they gain 5-10 pounds in this 2 month period before even starting. So now when January 2nd rolls around, because let's be honest you really aren't going to start on January 1st, you have 5-10 pounds worth of more work to do. But, this is different and this won't happen to you because you'll have these "Holiday Survival" tips to keep you on track.
1 Start Now. Even though you are busy, starting a weight loss program now a couple times a week will prevent that extra weight gain. It only takes exercising 2x per week for 45 minutes per week to maintain you weight when paired with good eating.
2 Go Easy On The Booze. With 2 or 3 Christmas parties a week it is very easy to pack on a few additional pounds from alcohol alone in a month. Not to mention all the junk food you will crave next day due to your hangover. This doesn't mean you have to be a "Tea Totaller" because after all that's not fun. But, there are a few things you can do to cut down your consumption
◦ Eat before you have your first drink. (Salad does not count as eating before you drink BTW.) Protein and something a little higher in fat content are the best choices.
◦ Drink one glass of water between each drink. This will slow you down.
◦ Order your drinks straight up on the rocks. This will prevent you from consuming the extra sugar calories from the mixers.
◦ Get a goodnights sleep. This means 7-8 hours, not 4-5 because you where out to 3 in the morning trying to pick-up that new hottie from the office. She/He now thinks you're an obnoxious loser and you also have a massive hangover that is going to cause you to skip your workout, sleep all day and eat a bunch of junk because that is what you are craving. Nothing good came out of that night.
◦ Drink what you enjoy. The difference between beer, hard liquor, and wine is minimal and if you're going to drink, drink what you enjoy.
◦ Pick which parties you really want to indulge in and which ones you just are going to attend. Party it up at the indulgence parties, but the rest keep it a drink or two.
◦ Offer to be the DD, or just make the new guy in the office do this while you enjoy yourself.
3 Eat Before You Hit The Party. If your stomach is full when you get to the party you will be less tempted to eat all of the junk food that is there.
4 Eat Smart. There’s nothing like Thanksgiving dinner, except maybe Christmas dinner. While we all love turkey, gravy, pumpkin pie, and mom’s sweet potato pie, we don’t need to eat it like we are never going to see food again. Having a little of everything is ok, but don’t stuff yourself so full that you end up feeling like one of the balloons in a Macy’s parade.
5 Workout Effectively. Time is an issue more than ever during the holidays so you need to get the most bang for your buck when working out. Research has shown that over a 12-week period weight training resulted in 6 pounds more fat loss that aerobic training. So hit the weights for 30-45 minutes 2-3 times a week and you'll be leaner buy New Year's.
Provide 5-10+ tips for each topic and then get them in front of your members and prospective members. If you provide value and advice free of charge people become more willing to pay for your services.
Here is a sample of our "Holiday Survival Tips" that we are currently using at PNF:
We are approaching the holiday season once again, for many this time of year is full of enjoyment, family get togethers, Christmas Parties, and holiday shopping. But, this is also known as the official "Weight Gaining" season. It's common for many people to say they are going to lose weight in the New Year, maybe you've even said this, but unfortunately they gain 5-10 pounds in this 2 month period before even starting. So now when January 2nd rolls around, because let's be honest you really aren't going to start on January 1st, you have 5-10 pounds worth of more work to do. But, this is different and this won't happen to you because you'll have these "Holiday Survival" tips to keep you on track.
1 Start Now. Even though you are busy, starting a weight loss program now a couple times a week will prevent that extra weight gain. It only takes exercising 2x per week for 45 minutes per week to maintain you weight when paired with good eating.
2 Go Easy On The Booze. With 2 or 3 Christmas parties a week it is very easy to pack on a few additional pounds from alcohol alone in a month. Not to mention all the junk food you will crave next day due to your hangover. This doesn't mean you have to be a "Tea Totaller" because after all that's not fun. But, there are a few things you can do to cut down your consumption
◦ Eat before you have your first drink. (Salad does not count as eating before you drink BTW.) Protein and something a little higher in fat content are the best choices.
◦ Drink one glass of water between each drink. This will slow you down.
◦ Order your drinks straight up on the rocks. This will prevent you from consuming the extra sugar calories from the mixers.
◦ Get a goodnights sleep. This means 7-8 hours, not 4-5 because you where out to 3 in the morning trying to pick-up that new hottie from the office. She/He now thinks you're an obnoxious loser and you also have a massive hangover that is going to cause you to skip your workout, sleep all day and eat a bunch of junk because that is what you are craving. Nothing good came out of that night.
◦ Drink what you enjoy. The difference between beer, hard liquor, and wine is minimal and if you're going to drink, drink what you enjoy.
◦ Pick which parties you really want to indulge in and which ones you just are going to attend. Party it up at the indulgence parties, but the rest keep it a drink or two.
◦ Offer to be the DD, or just make the new guy in the office do this while you enjoy yourself.
3 Eat Before You Hit The Party. If your stomach is full when you get to the party you will be less tempted to eat all of the junk food that is there.
4 Eat Smart. There’s nothing like Thanksgiving dinner, except maybe Christmas dinner. While we all love turkey, gravy, pumpkin pie, and mom’s sweet potato pie, we don’t need to eat it like we are never going to see food again. Having a little of everything is ok, but don’t stuff yourself so full that you end up feeling like one of the balloons in a Macy’s parade.
5 Workout Effectively. Time is an issue more than ever during the holidays so you need to get the most bang for your buck when working out. Research has shown that over a 12-week period weight training resulted in 6 pounds more fat loss that aerobic training. So hit the weights for 30-45 minutes 2-3 times a week and you'll be leaner buy New Year's.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
One Skill Needed To Be A Great Fitness Coach
There is one skill that will ultimately determine how great of a coach your are. You can read all the books, attend all the workshops, and attain the highest levels of education, but without this one skill you will never be a great coach.
This skill is: The ability to focus on your client.
This means that when you walk onto the training floor you are 100% focused on the clients in your session. Not what you are doing later, not what is going one at home, nothing about your life matters when you are on that floor with the clients. It's all about them and your focus needs to be completely on them.
This means being prepared before your session starts, starting on time, and knowing what you are going to have each client do in that session. Nothing is random, everything is planned.
This may sound easy, but it's a huge area of struggle for many coaches. They are too focused on themselves and sharing their lives that they aren't giving the client what they are paying for. Yes, the clients will ask about your life, this is fine. You should share what is going on in your life WHEN THEY ASK, not because you think that they might be interested. If they don't ask they aren't interested - they are only acting interested because they are too nice to tell you to shut up and focus on them. And when they do ask answer, but then get the conversation back to being about them. Most people ask to be nice, not because they really care. And even if they do truly care no one wants to hear you going on and on about your life when they are paying you to help them.
Body language goes along with this. Even if you are focused on them, poor body language can make you seem disengaged. Do you smile and greet them each by name when they come in? Do you look bored when working with them? Do you stand with your arms crossed and lean on the equipment? I don't care how focused you may be on them your body language suggests that you aren't and that you are just going through the motions.
Learn to focus on your client and put your life on the shelf and you will become a great coach.
This skill is: The ability to focus on your client.
This means that when you walk onto the training floor you are 100% focused on the clients in your session. Not what you are doing later, not what is going one at home, nothing about your life matters when you are on that floor with the clients. It's all about them and your focus needs to be completely on them.
This means being prepared before your session starts, starting on time, and knowing what you are going to have each client do in that session. Nothing is random, everything is planned.
This may sound easy, but it's a huge area of struggle for many coaches. They are too focused on themselves and sharing their lives that they aren't giving the client what they are paying for. Yes, the clients will ask about your life, this is fine. You should share what is going on in your life WHEN THEY ASK, not because you think that they might be interested. If they don't ask they aren't interested - they are only acting interested because they are too nice to tell you to shut up and focus on them. And when they do ask answer, but then get the conversation back to being about them. Most people ask to be nice, not because they really care. And even if they do truly care no one wants to hear you going on and on about your life when they are paying you to help them.
Body language goes along with this. Even if you are focused on them, poor body language can make you seem disengaged. Do you smile and greet them each by name when they come in? Do you look bored when working with them? Do you stand with your arms crossed and lean on the equipment? I don't care how focused you may be on them your body language suggests that you aren't and that you are just going through the motions.
Learn to focus on your client and put your life on the shelf and you will become a great coach.
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