Instructor Newsletter 23 June

Note from Rachel

Hi C2go’ers

I’ve been experimenting this week with Choreographytogo TV and putting some new video posts up (VLOGS) on my Blog, as well as fresh articles. These are designed to inspire and motivate you, and also give you a kick up the proverbial….. if you have been procrastinating latley! My aim is to help as many Instructors as I possibly can, with class content, cutting edge choreography plus business ideas to take you forward in your fitness career. Fitness is our life, Fitness is our passion, I know, I couldn’t possibly ever, see myself never teaching group exercise, I LOVE IT, I really really do, its in my DNA and I know its in yours too.

Teaching classes and Personal Training defines us, it makes us who we are. For 2011 its about harnessing that passion and helping more people lead healthier and happier lives, by using the internet, websites, blogs, webinars, podcasts, and downloads to keep spreading the message. On Choreographytogo we have a massive movement of community and club based Instructors who are all changing peoples lives every single day, every single class. Its pretty amazing when you think about it.

My manifesto for Choreographytogo is to help YOU with information, updates, guidance and a support system enabling you to help everyone that you touch. I am sure together we can make a massive difference.

Whats a BLOG

All this talk about Blogs and Blogging but what is a BLOG. A Blog is a website. But a much more flexible website that you can easily add content to, you can upload video and audio to. You can add your Facebook and make it super interactive AND you don’t need to use a web developer as you can pretty much do everything yourself.

Choreographytogo.com is a BLOG. A Blog can sell products, have a shop, have a booking system, a timetable in fact you can plug almost anything into a Blog and the best bit is…….BLOGS are FREE!

You can get a web developer to set one up for you if you are a bit techophobey, then you can unleash your business, your personality and your brand on your BLOG. Check out my Blog page on Choreographytogo for all my updates and videos.

F3 Fitness, Fatburning and Functional Bootcamp Workshop

Another weekend of brilliant workshops and great to meet lots of newly qualified Instructors in Bristol and Birmingham as well as tons of regulars. Next stop is Edinburgh on 2nd July followed by Guildford, Chelmsford, Oxford and Nottingham. If you would like to grab a place https://www.choreographytogo.com/workshop-booking/fitness-fatburning-functional-bootcamp/ .

Fitness Business Builder Workshop Days

I am now planning the Fitness Business Builder Days that I will be running from September – November around the UK. If you would like to get on the priority Fitness Business Builder list just add your email into https://www.choreographytogo.com/news/business-builder/#

90 Day Fitness Business Builder Coaching Course

I am launching my new online course including mentoring, webinars, mastermind groups and videos next week so if you are ready to grow yoour business and step up to the next level make sure you add your email to the Business Builder lists for the launch invites and opening offers next week.https://www.choreographytogo.com/news/business-builder/#

Ideas for Summer Classes by Rachel

Are you going to tone down your timetables for summer or offer some summer specials classes and courses?. I’ll be running 1 week Bikini Bootcamps, which will run every day from Monday to Friday for 1 week and also Fitness Pilates Bikini Bootcamp Intensive. I have written a 1 week nutritional detox and will be offering the plans during July and August.

Here are some more ideas you could think about offering:

1. Kids Bootcamps – If you have a kids qualifications how about holiday Fitness Bootcamps for Kids

2. Family workouts – If mums are struggling for baby sitters in the holidays what about family workout.

3. Outdoor Power Walking/Running/Jogging for beginners

4.1 – 2 week intensives – i.e. Bikini Bootcamps/Pilates courses/Body Tone Bootcamp/Beach Ready Bootcamp

Nutrition Plan for Bootcamps and Weightloss

Sally Ghafoor

The first rule when doing a Bootcamp or trying to get a client to lose weight is:

You cannot out-train a bad diet, no matter how many hours of working out you do if your diet is poor, you will not achieve the goals you desire.

In 2001 I ran the London marathon want to know how much weight I lost – none, my diet was bad, you cannot out train a bad diet.

To market yourself and your services – you need results to attract a buzz so everyone is talking about those fantastic results you get on the bootcamp. The only way to do this is to have a nutrition plan alongside your bootcamp.

What percentage would you give the need of nutrition when it comes to weightloss? Well the answer is 70%, this is why nutrition is so important; get the nutrition right and everything will fall into place.

Within my bootcamps I advise clients to remove the following from their diets:

Wheat and Gluten

Dairy

Alcohol

Sugar

Processed Foods

The idea behind this is to remove all toxins that are stored within the adipose fat cells, once these toxins are removed it then becomes easy to drop fat.

It is a good thing to remember that we eat to feed our cells, giving them the correct nutrition to grow and repair. Indulging in foods full of toxins and food that the body finds hard to digest, does not give our cells the nutrients needed so the body asks for more food in search of gaining the nutrients needed. Without the correct nutrients the body becomes diseased, many of today’s illnesses are manmade from our own indulgences in foods we should never be eating.

Let’s Start with:

Wheat and Gluten

Wheat has no nutritional value to your body; digestion of both wheat and gluten is exceptionally hard, the majority of people reading this will be intolerant to wheat and gluten and not even realise – bloating, headaches, tiredness, hayfever are just the tip of the iceberg of the reaction these two bad boys can have on the body. Now let me guess, “but I eat pasta to give me energy” Uh – wrong when you eat pasta, your body uses up so much energy trying to digest this food that afterwards you have NO energy left, so eating pasta to give you energy is indeed pointless.

Dairy

I am going to bring it up before you ask “but where will I get my calcium from” So I will ask you this Where do cows get their calcium from? Yep Grass. You can get all the calcium you need from green vegetables (the darker the better) and nuts – almonds are fantastic for this. We have been told forever by “experts” whom by the way normally are employed by the dairy industry that milk is good for you, we see the celebs with their “milk moustache” , well cow’s milk is good for you if you are a calf. During the pasteurisation process the valuable enzymes are destroyed, vitamins are diminished and it eradicates beneficial bacteria.

Did you know countries with the lowest rate of dairy consumption (Africa and Asia) have the lowest rate of osteoporosis, the countries that take in the biggest consumption of dairy (America and the UK) has the highest rate of osteoporosis. You would be better off ensuring you’re getting your daily intake of vit D to help those bones of yours.

Alcohol

Alcohol is purely a liquid sugar and has no nutritional value to the body, when the body has a big hit of sugar the pancreas releases insulin, this then tells your body there is a mass of energy available within the body, so the body stops burning fat and stores fat instead.

Sugar

Well I think I covered sugar in the alcohol section, but it contributes to an enormous amount of today’s illnesses, diabetes, adhd, weight gain. It has no place in the body and it is highly addictive, you want more and more and more, eradicate it and the cravings stop.

Processed Foods:

Processed foods have been processed within an inch of their life, they have no nutritional value in the slightest, they are packed full of toxins which are damaging to the body. The toxins wreak havoc within the body and end up being stored within the fat cells to keep them away from the important organs in the body. Why spend your life eating packaged processed frozen meals that actually do not give you any nutrients in the slightest.

Caffeine

Caffeine will make the body’s energy levels fluctuate, which in turn sends out the need for sugary foods, so steer clear.

Every instructor will do their plans differently, this is just a brief overview of how I run mine, but dont take it as gospel, go out investigate, decide for yourself, as you know what, if you just print this off and give it to a bunch of Bootcamp attendees, they will come back with questions and you need to know your stuff, you need to be able to give them concise answers because giving up all of the above is turning them against everything they have ever been brought up to believe.

Check out Sallys Blog http://gethealthsavvy.co.uk/

The greatest Bootcamp on earth by Paul Mort

http://bootcampking.com

With bootcamps popping up everywhere right now it’s time to step up to the plate and make your bootcamp ‘the greatest bootcamp on earth’

The first rule of success n your bootcamp business is that you MUST get BRILLIANT RESULTS. Not ‘good’ results, BRILLIANT results.

Good isn’t enough anymore. The bootcamp down the road is good.

I could go on and on about effective strategies but the second thing you need to provide is incredible VALUE and an amazing EXPERIENCE.

Not a ‘good’ experience. An AMAZING experience.

But how do you go about doing this?

Well, I’m gonna tell you what it ISN’T about first.

It’s not about a fancy logo and nice flyers.

It’s not about fancy kit or the latest bit of equipment.

It’s not about the latest music mix (although this does help)

It actually comes down to a few small things that can deliver BIG results but none of these count unless you have good P.E.K

What the hell is P.E.K Paul?

P= PASSION. People can tell if you love what you do, people will be attracted to your bootcamp and classes like a MAGNET. Stay passionate by learning constantly and PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH and do your own training and nutrition protocol (NB- teaching other classes isn’t your training)

E= ENERGY. You MUST bring the energy to EVERY single session you teach. People should be BLOWN AWAY by your seemingly endless energy and ask what drugs you’re taking. DO NOT show up to class with face like a smacked arse. Clients don’t want to hear about your bad day. Yes, we all have them but suck it up, put on your war face and PERFORM. If the room lights up when you walk out, I suggest a different career.

K- KNOWLEDGE. Every day should be a school day. You should be CONSTANTLY growing as a fitness expert. You should be reading EVERY day, mainly on the subject of nutrition. If you still think low fat/low calorie diets and aerobic exercise works for fat loss then you’re gonna get left behind.

Now that you’ve shown your P.E.K’s lets get into some of the smaller things that can EXPLODE your business and have people raving about your bootcamp

1- This is a slogan that we adhere to 100% “ we are THE BEST part of our members day, EVERY DAY’

2- Name EVERY workout you teach. 1 reason- it creates a buzz around your sessions and has been a MASSIVE part of my success. I posted a status update about my new ‘DAVE’ workout and got 42 comments on it… my clients mention workout names such as ‘4play’ and ‘poker face’ and the buzz is huge.

3- Learn EVERY MEMBER’S name. Not just your favorites. You know this one Clients love it when you call them by their name and remember it. Even better though….

4- Come up with a nickname for them. This is incredible for building rapport with the client and they LOVE it. You’ll even see them signing off texts and email with their new nickname! Make sure their personality and your personality fir with it though. For example I can get away with ‘randy Mandy’ but you might not be able to.

5- Back on the energy thing- HIGH 5 people. Yup, as tacky as it sounds either high 5, fist bump or shake hands with people. Once you conquer the ‘3 inch rule’ as in you get closer than 3 inches to them then that again creates rapport which is crucial to your future success

6- Do not teach station-based circuits. I mention this ALL of the time but why would someone pay 100 quid a month for something they get free at the gym?

7- The ‘no-body-gets-left-behind’ rule. I HATE seeing this and it’s a HUGE mistake BMF are making if you ask me (they put people on coloured vests depending on level on fitness)

Asking people to do things for distance is creating a massive hole for yourself.

John hasn’t exercised for 5 years, it’s his second class and you ask him to run a lap of the area you’re teaching at. Julie however is super fit and is on her second bootcamp. She finishes WAY AHEAD of John and is now bored waiting for John to finish. John is exhausted; Julie is bored and now cold. Both of them feel uncomfortable and wont come back much longer.

8- The in-class testimonial.

Ask one of your high-achievers what results they’ve had this month in the middle of the class and what they’re number one ‘secret’ is. There answer should be ‘I followed the plan to the letter’ this will fire people up like there’s no tomorrow.

9- Take no sh*t! Get on people’s case when they skip workouts. Ask them for food diaries. Make them accountable. You want results? Then you gotta toughen up! Why? Because when they don’t get results due to there crap attendance- they’ll blame YOU despite it not being your fault at all. Kick em off if they p*ss about!

I have lots more of these to share with you but I gotta dash.. I have a bootcamp to teach!

Paul Mort is the UK’s leading fat loss expert and bootcamp business builder. He’s regarded as ‘the bootcamp king’ as promises to get fitpro’s to a 6-figure business faster than anyone else in the industry. To get more NO BS hints, tips and ideas to explode your fitness business check out http://bootcampking.com

Are you creating a Job or a Business Part 3

I ‘ve had loads of emails from C2go’ers talking about pay as you go versus monthly subs BUT as I said some classes work brilliantly as pay as you go and always will but if you want to grow a business long term, that you can leave, go on holiday, employ others etc then here are some ways think about regarding the the subscriptions model.

Here’s my Lucy Johnsons 5 top tips to move you from a pay as you go fitness business model over to a monthly subscription business model

1 Find out what your clients/class members goals are. Odds are they or you will have forgotten. You both need to be focused on their goals to make them understand how important it is they commit to regular exercise throughout the month and make you understand exactly what it is you need to do to get them the results they want and not just deliver the session you want to teach.

2 Completely and utterly remove from your head the notion that our customers like flexibility and won’t want to commit to a monthly payment for your fitness services. You are a prescriber of health. A doctor doesn’t give you a choice of which antibiotics you might like to take. A surgeon doesn’t say “Would you like me to remove your appendix or your spleen today?” Respect your own skills and tell people with confidence exactly what it is they need to do and how often they need it to do it. Do not give them an option. Tell them. And if they want to work with you, brilliant. They’ll get good results and tell everyone they know what you have done for them. If they don’t want to commit, brilliant. They’ll go to the drop in classes down the road, not commit to anything, still not have the results they want 6 months later and come back to you asking again if you can help them. Which of course you can.

3 Stop doing fixed length courses. I’m a bigger fan of 6 week courses etc than of pay as you go fitness because there’s an element of commitment there, ie. they’re paying and turning up for 6 weeks consistently. Only problem is you automatically give them an end date. In their brain because it’s a 6 week course they are automatically geared up to finish in 6 weeks and will then have to go through a process of deciding if this is for them or not again and you have to resell to them all over again. Fitness isn’t a 6 week quick fix right? It’s an ongoing daily commitment that needs to happen forever more in someone’s life for them to continue to reap the benefits and not get sick. So set them up from the getgo that this is a monthly ongoing program that is as important as paying their mortgage and their insurance.

4 Visit your bank and see what the options are for taking regular monthly payments into your account. Most will advise you use standing order forms and be able to provide them for you there and then. Or if you have a website and can take payment online setup an account with Paypal or someone similar and set up monthly subscription payment buttons that can go on your website or be emailed to people.

5 Have a conversation with your clients, class members explaining to them you have raised your game as a coach and you are setting up a system that will get them the health and fitness results they desire no matter what happens every single month.

Something like this will work a treat: “I’ve committed to raising my game as your coach/PT/instructor and I won’t accept us not getting you the physical results you want every single month. I would be a bad coach if I let you do things that mean you aren’t getting to your goals which are the reason you signed up to work with me in the first place right? So I’ve taken on more responsibility for your success and I’m setting up a new system that’s going to get you the best results you’ve ever had month after month no matter what happens. Does that sound fair enough?”

Then go on to explain what your new monthly plan is. In my experience 70-80% of people will go for it. They know, like and trust you and presented with the option of getting better physical results whether they’re on holiday or you get sick or whatever, who would say no? The 20% that don’t go for it you can continue on your old pay as you go basis until you have enough new people on your monthly scheme to wean yourself off them.

Then guess what? You have a regular income. You know exactly how many people you need on your fixed monthly program to make your target income each month at the beginning of every single month. You have loyal clients who are getting the best results of their life and are achieving fitness goals they never thought they could. Everyone around them can see it and in turn want to work with you as well.

Time Management is the Key

This week Jo and I fly back out to Fuetueventura for International Aerobics Week. Which we both adore. Its always so much fun and teaching in 24 degrees is my idea of heaven. The downside is I have to do a weeks worth of work in 48 hours, blog posts, newsletters, webinars, choreography videos, class preparation etc It can get very stressfull

So how can a weeks work of work get done in 2 days?

I get really clear about what needs to be done and made quick decisions that I would normally have spent hours researching, consulting and mulling over. I won’t look at Facebook or Twitter or my phone until its all complete.

Have you herd of the ‘Law of Parkinson’ as discovered by Prof. Cyril Northcote Parkinson – This is so true!

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”

Which basically means if you allow yourself 3 hours to get the shopping done it will take you 3 hours. If you allow yourself 30 minutes to get the shopping done it will take 30 minutes.

“The thing to be done swells in importance and complexity in a direct ratio with the time to be spent”

Sounds very basic but it’s fundamentally the way we make progress (or not). Because as self-employed people or business owners we usually have the luxury of being able to set our own deadlines for tasks we have no sense of urgency and therefore no sense of clarity.

Too much time, leads to too many options and too many choices to be made, which in reality don’t even need considering.

So because I know I can deliver the message of set short, tight deadlines for your fitness business and commit to delivering the results in that time scale, I am going to stop writing now.

Otherwise the task of writing this message to you will simply expand to fill time available for its completion.

Focus on the desired result and allow yourself at least 30% less time than you would normally to complete the task and guess what? You’ll make clearer better decisions, eliminate procrastination and get more done in less time.

Done.

Have a fantastic week

Love and Hugs

Rachel

Follow me on Twitter http://Twitter.com/RachelHolmes