Instructor Newslettr 22 March 2012

Spring is here, it’s only a few weeks till Easter and many of us will be enjoying a break. But before we head off, it’s the Fitness Event of the year this weekend. As you are reading this newsletter I am packing up my case and will be heading up the M6 to Blackpool for IFS. Yes, it’s here again and busier and bigger than ever. I’ll be Blogging, Vlogging, Tweeting and Facebooking all weekend, so if you can’t make it you can follow all the IFS gossip and goings-on via my Blog on Choreographytogo, My Facebook and Twitter. It’s always such an exciting and fun event and I’m looking forward immensely to presenting and meeting up with many Choreographtogo’ers, so do pop over and say hell0, I do love to put names to faces.

 

New Downloads

I’m uploading new downloads almost every day at the moment, so do keep checking the latest download page for all the latest choreography downloads click here to see all latest downloads

Kick Start Fat Loss 2012

The Spring KSFL Group kicked off with a bang and we have had some amazing results already. The Fitness Industry Accountant, Andrew Crawford, has been storming away with amazing weight and inch loss this week. If you see Andrew at IFS you may not recognise him…. Go Andrew! You can read about Andrews progress below.

The 19 Day Fitness Business Jumpstart Group also started this week and I’m very happy to be working and coaching with a great group of Fitness Entrepreneurs, all who have some unique ideas of the kind of Online Fitness Business they want to create.

The Next KSFL and Jumpstart Programs will start again after Easter if you are interested in getting involved.

 

Crisis in The Weight Loss Industry by Rachel Holmes

According to reports this week a women has been on 61 diets by the time she is 45. I found this a pretty staggering but unsurprising statistic. I’m 41 and the majority of my friends are usually on some kind of diet or another most of the time. But you know as well as me trying to help your friends and family lose fat and exercise correctly is a whole different ball game to advising class members and clients…..but hey I digress.

As a Fitness Presenter and Trainer for the last 24 years, I’ve been subjected to all of the usual nutritional, weight loss and fat loss information and advice. I have taken all the standard nutritional qualifications, read all of the usual books, and applied all of the information to myself, clients and class members. But, in the back of my mind, I’ve always had many questions over the whys and hows. It’s only after I completed the Charles Poliquin Biosignature Course and began following Coach Poliquin’s Blogs that I really started to change my thinking and methods.

As I dug deeper and deeper and embarked on a course of self experimentation, I realised that so much of the weight loss industry standard information is:

a. Completely flawed, b. No plausible scientific evidence, c. Doesn’t work anyway.

In 2007 I designed the Kick Start Fat Loss Program for Fitness Professionals based around Paleo principals and a Clean Eating diet. There was no Facebook then so I ran all of the chat and group support on a forum. I got some amazing results and it was a unique programe that helped a lot of Fitpros get on track with training and fatloss. The KSFL Detox eliminated processed food, coffee, tea, alcohol and sugary foods on the premise that by detoxifying the body, the liver and the cells, this will help the body burn fat more efficiently, becoming leaner and stronger.

Busy Fitpros teaching lots of classes, working unsocial hours, are renowned for consuming lots of coffee, eating a mountain of fruit and nuts, whilst on the run usually,in order to have enough energy to work long days and teach multiple sessions and clients. The result being, many Fitpros carry excess weight around the mid section, are unhappy with their body shape and leanness, and struggle with energy issues and finding the time to train themselves at a high intensity.

What’s Changed?

Since 2007 there has been a lot of updated information and research but it seems not very much is filtering through to the mainstream and Fitness Instructors especially.

This 2 part article is about debunking many of the usual ingrained nutritional/fat loss/weight loss myths that appear to have been handed down from generation to generation like Chinese whispers. I’ll be examining why they are flawed and offer some research for further reading that may help you.

In the following points you will see a quick summary for readers wanting a quick reference, and then underneath an AR section (Additional Reading) for those of you that would like more information and proof.

1. Eat Frequently Throughout The Day – Keep The Metabolic Fire Stoked

Each time you eat, your metabolic rate increases slightly for a few hours. It takes energy to break down and absorb energy. This is the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). The amount of energy expended is directly proportional to the amount of calories and nutrients consumed in the meal.

Many studies showing subjects eating the exact same amount of Proteins, Fats, Carbohydrates and Calories during a 24 hour period shows no difference, whether they ate 1, 2, 3 or 4 meals in the same period.

Meal frequency does not affect total TEF. You cannot “trick” the body into burning more or less calories by manipulating meal frequency.

AR

The most extensive review of studies on various meal frequencies and TEF was published in 1997. It looked at many different studies that compared TEF during meal frequencies ranging from 1-17 meals and concluded:

“Studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labeled water to assess total 24 hr energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging”.

Since then, no studies have refuted this. For a summary of the above cited study, read this research review by Lyle MacDonald

Earlier this year, a new study was published on the topic. As expected, no differences were found between a lower (3 meals) and higher meal (6 meals) frequency.

2. Eat small meals more frequently to maintain blood sugar levels and control hunger.

According to pretty much every “diet expert” eating small meals every so often will help you avoid hunger pangs, provide you with stable energy throughout the day and keep you mentally sharp.

In reality blood sugar is extremely well-regulated and maintained within a tight range in healthy people. It does not swing wildly up and down and it doesn’t plummet from going a few hours without food.

Or even a full day without food.

Or a week without food for that matter.

People believe they will suffer severe hunger and mental impairment from not eating every so often. This is simply not true.

AR

Maintaining blood sugar is of very high priority and we have developed efficient pathways that will make it happen even under extreme conditions. If you were to fast for 23 hrs and then go for a 90 min run at 70-75% VO2max, your blood sugar after the run would be identical to the same run performed in the fed state. It would take no less than three days or 84 hours of fasting to reach blood sugar levels low enough to affect your mental state; and this is temporary, as your brain adapts to the use of ketones. During 48 hours of fasting, or severe calorie deprivation, blood sugar is maintained within a normal range no measure of cognitive performance is negatively affected.

What about blood sugar and hunger?

Blood sugar is one of many short-term feedback mechanisms used to regulate hunger and the notion which exists to say that low blood sugar may cause hunger is correct. Low just means lower range. This is subject to numerous factors, such as your habitual diet, energy intake and genetics.

Stronger Forces at Work

I also think there are “stronger forces at work” when it comes to food marketing. I mean who’s interest really is it to promote “grazing” through 5 or 6 meals through the day, or eat 2 bowls full of over priced and over processed cereal for weight loss and do we really need to eat 5 pieces of fruit a day unless of course you want to put weight on and lighten your purse in Sainsburys?

As I watched TV last night every other advert is for food or drink, low fat this and low fat that. Literally you cannot get away from supermarket and food commercials.

So What is Fact and What is Fiction.

Since designing KSFL I’ve been digging into the research on WHY we are being advised to:

a. Eat small and often to keep the metabolism fire burning – there appears to be little research to confirm that there is any difference from eating 1 or 2 meals a day.

b. Go without food for 4/6 hours and your metabolism will slow down. This is simply not true. Research shows you can go for 18 hours/ 24 hours and there are some studies that says after 3 days of not eating the metabolism is unchanged.

For me personally this has been a life changing revelation. In fact I cannot tell you how much this has impacted me.

All of my adult life I have believed I need to be fuelling and eating every 3/4 hours, especially as I am on the go training and teaching classes 7 days a week, otherwise I would be slowing my metabolism down and doing untold damage. In fact my whole days were planned around eating, snacking and grazing through the day eating “healthy food” – you don’t realise until you change this mindset how much of your time you think about food – what you are going to eat and when are you going to eat it. Once I unchained myself from this way of thinking, I started losing more body fat and I find I have a whole lot more time in my day.

When you are “grazing” through the day as we are all told to do, eating small meals and often to stave off hunger you actually lose track of the real volume you do eat.

No wonder I was constantly in Asda 3 x a week buying more “healthy” food to graze on.

Crisis in the weight loss industry.

You may or may not be aware that balancing your hormones, blood sugar levels, insulin and cortisol and several other factors, not including counting calories, really is the way forward for FAT LOSS. I use the term Fat Loss as Fat Loss and Weight loss are 2 very different goals.

This article is only the tip of the iceberg.  I’ll write a little bit every week (article grazing!) rather than frighten everyone to death with a full on hard hitting piece.

It’s difficult even for Fitness Professionals to get their heads around, never mind the poor general public who keep on trying the same methods of weight loss over and over and over again. I’m currently writing a book on the subject for Fitpros all about The KSFL2012 and I’d love to get your views and feedback. For the Fitpros that have joined me on KSFL2012 we had some amazing stories and revelations. When you feel good and confident with your own body the positivity you exude is second to none. Your class members feel your energy ,you deliver great classes and content because you feel so great.

It’s been an incredible journey and I look forward to sharing my findings with you over the coming weeks.

As always you can email me, Rachel@CHoreographytogo.com Tweet me @RachelHolmes or Facebook me http://www/Facebook.com/Choreographytogo.com

 

 

Create A Movement, Not A Message by Rachel

Fitness Marketing – When everything doesn’t hinge on just you, you’ll go farther.

Every Fitness business owner is looking for the same things. More clients more repeat customers, more web traffic and, of course, increased profits. But what if you could do all three of these things and it didn’t have to mean you teaching more classes and PTing more people

Create a movement more than a message!

Social media has created a culture that the world not only uses, but it lives in. People ask their friends what they think about everything! From recipes to coupons to travel to what brand of coconut oil to cook with, we’re now connected in a totally different way than we were just five years ago. And for us fitness entrepreneurs this is a GREAT thing.

By truly caring about your clients, delivering the best you can deliver and gaining the trust of not only your customers but also their friends, we can extend our reach in a way that magazine advertisers, TV stations and radio broadcasters would have never predicted.

Here are three strategies for creating a movement with your company.

1- Read Their Mind.

One of the best things you can do for your business is to know who you’re speaking to and how to speak to them. Every fitness niche has a language, by the way, and if you’re going to create a movement you’ll need to know how to speak yours. Seniors, Teens, Busy Mums, Pre and Post – whatever the niche is you have to know how to speak to them.

If you are serious about serving your customers online and offline it’s important that you take the time to really care, which requires you know them very very well.

2-Find out what your customers want.

I’m always surprised when people tell me they want to start an online fitness business but they have no clue what their customers want and need……mmmmm Are we gonna guess? I really hope not!

Reading their mind and then asking them is critical. This is going to require that we stop chasing cash and start serving people better than anyone else. And if you do serve people and care about them…..and do this genuinely, you will sell more of services whatever the case may be.

Find out what they want. What is the problem they need fixing, and please, don’t put words in their mouth. They will tell you if you’ll listen.

3- Inspire people to not only use your product but to also BE MORE in their lives!

Take a personal interest in the people you speak to. Take time to answer questions on Facebook and Twitter and it will go a long way to creating the movement you desire.

Have a pure heart. I mean it. Be more interested in helping others and you’ll be amazed at how amazing your company will get.

Inspire to BE MORE!
Train people with what works. Help people to be successful. Help them get the results they want. Warn them of things that can hold their lives back.

Warn your reader what can hold them back and then, create a plan that they can follow to succeed through the challenges.

Create a movement, rather than a message!

You’ll create a bigger business that will quite frankly, change your life as well. 🙂

Tweet me @RachelHolmes your feedback

 

Jayne Nicholls

”You can do what I do”, the slogan I use for my Group X Mentors, who under my business name use their skills and experience to mentor new people into our industry. I bet every one of you can recall a time when you helped someone to pass their ETM, using your most valuable talents FOR FREE and out of the goodness of your own heart. Well this is not great business. Did you watch Master Chef where 3 ordinary people learned how to cook amazing food under the mentorship of the very best in the industry. This is the age of mentors and coaches because it is an age in which the fitness industry has created genuine success stories and genuine business role models. Everyone of you is part of this whole cycle and is in a position to capitalise upon a growing appreciation for what we do on a day to day basis. No more for free my friends, this means no more giving away your classes, your time or your information unless it is on a charitable basis. In order for you to create something BIG, and for you to become BIGGER, you have to start to think and act BIG. There are enough people out there at the moment selling what they think but all of you are in a position to sell what you do based upon the success and respect that you have earned throughout your career.

 

 

Doing Your Thing! Katie Bulmer

Hi everyone,

First off I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who messaged, tweeted and emailed me following my piece in last week’s newsletter, about being true to you and not measuring your success by what other people think you should be. I had a huge response to the article, so thank you all for taking the time to read and reply to it.

I wanted to make this article a follow on from last week’s, and share with you how being true to myself has proved very successful particularly in the last 6 months.

I decided around 18 months ago that I wanted to do something different; while I loved 1:1 training and boot camps I wanted to bring something new to the industry and my clients. So I created my small group training concept, The Little Black Dress Club. In my area there were a lot of personal trainers and boot camps but no one was delivering SGT, nor had I seen many other fitness professionals around the country marketing such a concept on Facebook or Twitter etc.

The doubter inside me thought…

‘No one else is doing this-this isn’t the current trend…what makes you think you can do it?’

But I decided I would persevere, as I was becoming increasingly passionate and excited by my SGT concept…and so it launched!

My first group filled up fast…and the girls on the course loved the personal attention, accountability and motivation of the small group. Their adherence was 100% and their results amazing.

The groups that followed experienced the same great experience and results and before long I was running 2-3 groups at a time.

So, to cut a long story short, I licensed The Little Black Dress Club almost 6 months ago and there are now LBDCs in 15 cities across the UK- as far north as Scotland and as far south as Fareham! I am lucky enough to work with 15 of the most lovely trainers I have ever meet; they are so positive, motivated and support one another brilliantly.

By telling this story, I wanted to show that even when others are doing the polar opposite to you, it’s ok to do your thing, in your way and be different. Don’t listen to the doubts in your head or indeed those that may come from the mouths of others. If you are happy, your clients are happy…then it’s all good!

Be true to who you are, what you are passionate about and do the things you love.

Have a fabulous day and if you’re going to IFS at the weekend, have a great time!

Love Katie xx

p.s. if you’d like to find out more about becoming a LBDC Elite Trainer, tweet me @katiebulmer1 or message me on Facebook (Katie.bulmer1)

 

Break the mould and build your brand

 

By Claire Mockridge

Ante/Postnatal Fitness Expert

 

Hello there C2Goers!

 

I hope you’re well and are having an enjoyable week so far. I tend to find, by the time Thursday comes around, I’m in need of a break. Rachel’s Newsletter hit’s my Inbox at just the right time.

 

Now, bear in mind, this took me just 2 years to wangle, but, I now teach all 9 of my classes Monday-Wednesday, then focus on admin and other projects Thursday-Sunday, or better still, have some well-earned time off in those 4 days. Is this something you dream of? Remember, setting up more and more classes, doesn’t necessarily create more and more income. It’s about working smarter, not harder in my book. Time is very important to me, and time off, is even more so.

 

Today, I’ll be touching on the subject of “branding”, and I’d like to take you on a little journey of how my business has grown, and how branding at each step, has been important for me and my business.

 

The first community-based class I set up was in fact my Mummies and Buggies Postnatal Fitness Classes. From very early on in business, I didn’t want my sessions to just be a regular “class”. I wanted them to stand out, on their own, as a separate entity and most importantly, portray a professional image. Now, I could’ve just called my class “postnatal fitness for new mums”, or similar – it gets the message across, doesn’t it? But, I wanted to create a logo and “brand” from the outset. To be honest, I didn’t really know why I needed to do this at the time, but I certainly do now!

 

Next on my list of class creations was Bump to Babe – my Pregnancy Fitness Classes the following year. Again, I had a cute, eye-catching logo designed of a pregnant women exercising, using bright pink and blue colours in keeping with my Mummies and Buggies logo. New mums and mums-to-be relate to their character and I’ve always received great feedback about the designs. Pre/postnatal clients “see” themselves enjoying exercise when they look at these images logos, don’t they?

 

Due to constant pleading from my ex-Mummies and Buggies clients who’d finished my postnatal classes and gone back to work, I then set up my (tongue in cheek) Little Black Dress Workout. I say tongue in cheek because, I don’t even own a LBD and I’m damned sure the majority of my clients don’t either! But, it’s a popular class, and I rarely advertise externally, because 95% of the clients who enrol on my LBDW have attended classes with me previously eg Mummies and Buggies or Bump to Babe. Again, I could’ve just called this class “Legs, Bums and Tums” or similar, but I wanted to create a bold logo and “brand” that set me apart from my competition. Because I market this class internally, when I do get new clients join, why do you think they choose to travel halfway across the city at 8:30pm on a Monday night to attend my LBDW, as opposed to a class on their doorstep? Well, it’s because they associate my class with an image of themselves, isn’t it? I’ve changed their mindset, and broken away from the mould, and it’s time you did this too.

 

I think being “individual” and creating a bespoke business for a niche client group I know and love like pre/postnatal, has also really enabled me to schedule breaks and holidays when and if I choose. By working with a specialist population, you have more flexibility to run your business the way you’d like to, so you’re not constantly thinking about “If I take a night off, my clients won’t come back next week”, or “What if I take a week off and my clients go to my competitors class and prefer it to mine?”. It’s time to change this mindset.

 

When I first started out, I had no Blueprint to follow, I guess I just broke away from the mould and created my own path. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the expression: “Jack of all trades, master of none.” This is true in some aspects of the fitness industry too, isn’t it? I think there are times when being a master of none and running classes that are “suitable for all fitness levels” is appealing, but coming from someone like myself who isn’t a “master of none” it gives you that little bit more of an edge. So you know what you need to do, don’t you? Break away from the mould, and build your own “brand”. What’s it going to be?

 

If working with pre/postnatal clients appeals to you, why not join my Private Facebook Group for FitPros who either a) want to get qualified to teach pre/postnatal or, b) are already qualified, but want hints and tips on making their business more successful: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/clairemockridge/

 

Tour date for my Pre/Postnatal Exercise and Marketing “Bridging the Gap” Workshop is 19-20 May 2012 at David Lloyd in Derby. It’s not just pre/postnatal exercise content you’ll learn here, it’s also the marketing and business acumen skills required to find, retain and build rapport with pre/postnatal clients. For more details of this Event, see: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Claire-Mockridge-Bridging-the-Gap-for-AntePostnatal-FitPros/325163320855018

 

Or, connect with me here:

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/clairemockridge1

Twitter: www.twitter.com/clairemockridge

Blog: http://clairemockridge.wordpress.com/

 

Bye for now.

 

Claire Mockridge

Ante/Postnatal Fitness Expert

 

 

Losing Fat v Losing Pounds 14 Day Challenge By Andrew Crawford

 

**** Update**** 12 pounds fat lost in one week!!.. The Spring KSFL 2012 is kicking some……..3 days to go..!!

I received a little boost during the week from my main man Jay Banks (over there in Cambridge) who inadvertently motivated me to pursue the challenge by stating his results…… Thanks bud..!

To think….just 48 hours before the Spring KSFL 2012 -14 day challenge I didn’t have a Scooby Doo that I was going on it. Over lunch Rachel Holmes suggested it and I said YES…why not?

The secret to my fabulocious fat loss was that on the Saturday & Sunday before starting… instead of bananas, porridge, fruit, nuts and iced cold fresh crystal clear unblemished spring water from the rivers of Babylon, I consumed vast amounts of champagne, brandy, zambucas, chicken,chips, pizza, desert, cashews nuts, eggs, bacon, sausage & baked beans just to give my body energy food to prepare it for the challenge….from the results, I think it worked……..don’t you??

The benefits of losing fat?…..I got me my ‘mojo’ back….so at IFS this week I’m looking forward to meeting Karen Wellington….who said..”…. I may find myself unconsciously groping Andrew Crawfords new svelt physique…” lol…

I’ll be the one standing in the hallway sucking on an evian….!!

So Andrew….

What has your ‘mojo’ ..Jay Banks and his lovely wife Kelly Reed Banks, losing 12lbs of fat and waiting to be groped by Karen Wellington at Steve Watson’s & Ceri Hannan’s IFS got to do with finance….??

Well…

Instead of going on a ‘Losing Fat 14 day Challenge’ I want you to do my..

 

Andrew Crawford’s – ‘Losing Pounds – 14 Day Challenge’

Why is this important?

Well….in 14 days time the date will be 5^th April 2012.

To all those self-employed individuals that means Year End & Tax Returns!!

On Thursday 5^th April this will be the last opportunity to ‘Lose pounds’ in this financial year…!!

When I say lose pounds I’m referring to ‘spending’ what you need and offsetting the expenditure against your income for this year….thus reducing the tax you will need to pay..

So, if you were thinking of buying equipment, clothes or items for your business, the time to purchase them is NOW..!!

Once Friday 6^th April hits….the expenditure will only be available to offset against your income for NEXT year…..

Conversely, if you know that next year’s income will be HIGH….and you want to purchase items now…..then wait…..and do your spending after the 5^th April.

You may get some people pushing you to spend by 31st March because this is their year end…but don’t fall for that…… either your spending or your delaying..!!

I received my Council Tax bill this week and along with it a small booklet telling me where and how the Council spent or is going to spend the council tax income for the financial year.

As far as I’m concerned, they only tell you what they want to tell you…nothing of significance…….

Not so long ago you may have seen headlines like this…..

‘Lost in Iceland: £1 billion from councils, charities and police’

More than 100 public bodies had money in collapsed banks

…”Authorities with big investments include Kent county council with £50m; Nottingham city council, £42m; Norfolk county council, £32.5m; Dorset county council, and Hertfordshire county council, both £28m.

Fifteen police forces also have investments in Iceland, as does Transport for London which revealed it had a £40m deposit….

TfL, which runs the London’s bus and tube services, said it did not know if it would get the money back. But a spokesman said TfL’s £7bn budget was big enough to absorb the loss….”

 

…..but nowhere in this booklet was there any mentioned as to what they did with my council tax money or whose head rolled……sorry..position compromised…..NOTHING…!!!

They ‘Lost’ that money..in my case £42m, and didn’t have to explain anything…..a strong contender for my ‘Losing Pounds – 14 Day Challenge’

It takes me back to the days when I worked…..yes…I was once an employee..in Wandsworth Borough Council in London. Conservative dharlings….

As the 31^st March drew near…budgets were unspent….so what happened….SPEND…or we’ll lose the budget for next year. Does that happen in a Council near you?

I was number one at getting money spent….and quick…lord have mercy.

Once I ordered a few new laptops…to ‘soak up’ the budget…. I was on fire…proper sizzling…..

What about this one…..

The easiest way to lose pounds is for councils to do what??………Dig up the roads!!!!

Have you not noticed, especially in London….roads, pavements etc are unnecessarily dug up between February – March…why?

Losing Pounds before the 31^st……erm…I mean……Investing in the infrastructure for an environmentally safe, secure and caring stable society, which complies with the Health & Safety protocol guidelines of regulation 16 subsection 3 article 57 of the now updated 5^th directive of the European Commission Treaty for Justice and World Peace in conjunction for the harmonisation of direct taxation signed on 27^th October 1562…………. Exactly….

 

Psst…Hey …has Andrew gone mad??

No…..I just want you to lose the pounds in the correct way..ensuring the all expenditure you incur, which may be rushed, abides by the ‘wholly and exclusively rule’…

I was asked today, whilst out in my car…..”What if someone gives me cash?”

The mobile went all fuzzy whilst I gave her advice on that issue….something to do with the signals in that area I believe.

Quick Pound Losing Tips

Don’t forget that the annual investment allowance, formerly capital allowances reduces from £100,000 to £25,000 on the 6^th April.

So if you are thinking of spending over £25,000 on equipment and machinery…do it before 6^th April. You will get100% deduction on that expenditure as opposed to waiting 1 day and receiving only a maximum of only a £25k reduction.

If you are selling property….delay the sale until after 5^th April. That means that any capital gain that may have arised during the sale is delayed for 21 months.

If you employed and self employed, offset your self employed expenditure against your employed income. You will find yourself getting a tax refund.

If you run a small company and you and your partner have 2 cars, you can sell one of the cars to that company (at market value). The company can then let you use the car for private motoring and the company takes over all the running costs and other expenses for that car….very handy….all you need to do is pay benefits in kind tax…which is not much and is based on the value of the car.

If you run a small company and you usually pay for employees (You & you r partner) annual party, why not do something different this year like going to the Olympics or Ladies Day. As long as you keep the cost under £150 per head and everyone is invited (you & your partner) its all tax and NI free.

There’s my 14 Day Pound Loss Challenge…..you’ve got until the 5^th April to start spending…….Louis & Gucci’s at the ready…

Wot……Still here?

See ya.. Go..!!!!

Andrew Crawford

Visit our website at: www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com for more FREE resources and articles.

‘Like’ our page at: www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants

Andrew Crawford can be contacted on twitter @tax4fitness or info@fitnessindustryaccountants.com

 

 

 

 

Cori Withell – Mindful Health and Wellness

Following on from the articles last week I wanted to expand on just why it is ok to be you but firstly what if you take the 'other' route. You know the one. The one where you are trying to compete with everyone and everything around you. The route where if your competitor sets up a different class you think you 'have' to or you might get left behind, buying every latest gadget, jumping on every workshop and mentoring programme going for fear of being left behind.

Utter madness but I am pretty sure that rings true with a lot of people! I know that when I first set up I struggled to be everything, no real idea where I was heading or what I wanted to achieve. Sure, I knew that I loved what I did but nothing really clicked for me until last year. I have always suffered from quite serious bouts of depression and last year I took a decision that has completely turned my life around.

It was quite simple really but the rewards just keep coming. I told 'my story' on my newsletter over a couple of weeks.

I spoke about suffering depression and having a massive nervous breakdown back in 2000. I was completely honest and up front.

You need to know that for years I hid my battles with depression, it was frowned upon in my family so was never spoken about and I ended up being very ashamed and feeling that it was my fault. Being completely honest and upfront with my clients was the best thing I have ever done. Yes, it was absolutely terrifying! I remember as I was ready to click send, thinking to myself this was sink or swim time, it was either going to reach out to people as I hoped or it would kill my business. I received over 300 emails in response to those newsletters., not just clients but fit pros too. Clients sharing all manner of stories with me, I was in Sainsbury's that week and a client I hadn't seen for a while came up to me and just gave me huge hug. I knew I had done the right thing. I had made the most powerful connection with my clients. From being so ashamed I started to share more and more and more.

Letting people see the real me and focusing on that I suddenly realised what I should be doing with my business. To show people that there is a better way forward with regards to emotional and mental health.

If I hadn't taken the risk of showing the 'real me' I would still be running my business without knowing where I was heading or where I wanted to be. Since turning that corner business has grown more than I could have imagined, I have a coaching programme that I love, lots of new projects in the pipeline and contracts with large firms to coach their staff.

Busier than ever but loving every single second. When you find your niche everything fits. It doesn't feel like work and creating your brand is so much easier the tighter that niche is. It seems scary, alienating people and I did lose some people BUT I gained far more than I lost and at the end of the day I much prefer working with those people that fit into my niche. That isn't to say I exclude all others but seeing people change and grow with you, especially when working within the realm of mental health has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. You don't always need to follow the crowd. Listen to yourself and your heart - it will tell you where to go. It is okay to be you. You can follow me on Facebook www.facebook.com/coriwithell and Twitter www.twitter.com/CWFitness and catch up with the blog www.cwfitness.co.uk/blog Health and happiness x Cori x

 

 

Have a wonderful Thursday

Much love always

Rachel xxx