C2GO Newsletter 20 March 2014

For all Fitpros who want to reach more people, earn more money & have a happy life in the process – leave your email here

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s that time of year again when we all pack off and  head up to Blackpool for the
IFS.  Jayne and I are launching our Nova class to the Virgin Active UK Pre Con on Thursday and I’ll be teaching KSFL HIIT, Chair Dance & a HiLO TeamTeach with Steve Watson. So, an action packed weekend is on the cards. If you are going and are thinking about getting involved in KSFL, let’s meet for a coffee and a chat.
Email me/Tweet me or FB and we can get together.

I’ve been asked so many times about the confusing details on music licensing, so I’ve got Helen Lee of Pure Energy to write an up to date article on everything you need to know about the current music situations. Straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak and Helen is the governor on all things music licensing related.

This week’s newsletter sees new contributions from Phil Richards, Jenny Burrell, Andrew Crawford & Charlotte Ord. I’d love to know what you think. Tweet me @RachelHolmes

Level 3 Pilates in Manchester next weekend. If you are keen to teach the UK’s most consistent class you can grab a last minute place on this course. click here to book
This will be the final time we run it in Manchester.

Kelly Reed Banks’ brilliant Fitness Pilates Tour absolutely smashed it last week in Southampton. The feedback I’ve had has been totally epic. So many creative & amazing ideas for all Instructors wanting to take Pilates to a higher level. We have only a few places now left on some of the venues click here to book https://www.choreographytogo.com/workshop-booking/fitness-pilates-focus-2013/

The End of the Taster Session by Jenny Burrell, Burrell Education

I’m just back from seeing a hormone specialist…..I’m currently sleeping a max of 4 continuous hours a night!  I’m itchy, hot and keep losing my phone. Gahhh!  Time to bring in the big guns!  So I need specialist help, I know this doctor will do the do, she has a great track record and guess what? I GOT MY WALLET OUT AND PAID WHAT WAS ASKED!  There’s no try before you buy, or can I pay you if it works and for sure what I’m asking for costs WAY MORE than a block of PT sessions so why do we as fitpros who are charging and earning way less than the doc for just as valuable information and results, feel that we then have to discount and add free taster sessions.

I’ve written and said this so many times but still the question is valid……what would happen if this practice was simply DELETED throughout our profession?
Because others do it, it doesn’t mean it’s right and just because it’s always happened, doesn’t mean it always has to be that way.  It’s ridiculous, most of us don’t earn enough to be discounting ANYTHING and notice how those who earn way more than us DON’T DISCOUNT!

I’m always confused as to why you would need to discount to attract clients if you have a website on which you can display testimonials, videos/photo’s of happy clients, advertise wildly wherever you want, have all the major social media channels on the go.  We can do joint ventures to improve our reach and validation and just soooo much to showcase our worth and proficiency at SOLVING THE CLIENTS’ PROBLEMS.  So when all of the above areas are in place……what more does any reasonable potential client need to know to trust that you can deliver the goods???

IMHO, I think that tasters put you on your back foot, they say….”I want you to like me”. “I’m not sure if I can really deliver”, “I’m not running a SERIOUS BUSINESS”, “I’ll leave it to you can tell me if I’m doing it right” and ultimately, someone or a business who tries to tempt me with either a too-low price or a taster is very unlikely to get my business, it feels weird and I get a bit suspicious because that stuff doesn’t work on me.

When I’m ready to purchase something I’m ready to purchase at the listed price….I never haggle or ask for a discount.  If the price/offering doesn’t suit, I go elsewhere, SIMPLE!  And guess what?  There are plenty of clients out there like me that want to work with someone who is at the same level as them in terms of running a professional business and those clients are more likely to be more respectful of your qualifications, experience, dedication, skill set and passion and BE SERIOUS!

Last thought……if you tot up how many free/taster sessions you deliver in a month and then multiply that by the price of a session and then x 12, that final figure, might just be sufficient to help you reconsider your TASTER SESSION POLICY because I bet that figure could probably fund Xmas 2014  #just saying ?

If you’re getting a bit hot and bothered like me or have clients who are, I think you’d really like to join me and 3 of the Amazing Women’s Health Specialists for the UK’s first Peri-menopause and Beyond Certification on 7th/8th May 2014 in London – ‘3rd Age Woman’ – we’re going to cause a ruckus!

http://www.burrelleducation.com/3rd-age-woman-live-certification/

Music Licensing Explained by Helen Lee of Pure Energy

I have been debating whether or not to write this article for a while, as there’s been a lot of unrest in the industry with regard to music licensing for fitness classes and no-one has really wanted to rattle that particular cage. However, Pure Energy always has been and always will be here to help you with your music requirements, so here goes!
When a piece of music is played in public, 4 groups of people are entitled to be paid for it. The performers, the record companies, the writers or composers, and the publishers.

There are 2 main organisations in the UK who collect royalties for these groups: PPL licenses the use of ‘recorded music’ in public; PRS covers any use of ‘copyrighted music’. Let’s try and simplify it:

– PPL collects royalties for every time the actual recording of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen is played and pays Universal Records for owning the recording, who in turn pass a share on to the artist, Queen.

– PRS collects royalties for any public performance of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, be it the track that reached Number 1, Queen performing it live on stage, or your mate Keith singing it on karaoke at the local pub. These royalties are paid to the composers, in this case Freddie Mercury (or rather his estate) and Mercury / EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

Therefore, if you’re using what is commonly known as ‘Original Artist’ music in your classes, you have to pay both PPL and PRS. PRS charges the owner of the venue so any building that you work in will (or should!) have the correct PRS licence. In the past, PPL always charged the individual fitness instructor, however, as part of their changes last year PPL have started to put the onus on the venue, meaning that if you work in a licensed fitness centre they will pay PPL, but if you run your own sessions then you still need to pay a fee for every class you teach.

However, there are alternatives to this. For example, Pure Energy have a new range of albums called Promix, which is made up of high quality cover versions of popular songs. So your class members are still getting to hear songs they know and love but because it’s not being performed by the original artist, you don’t need to pay the PPL fee. Please note – your venue will still have to pay the PRS fee. We cover all fitness disciplines in the Promix range, in fact we’ve just this week released our first Promix HiiT album, so they’re a really good option if you’re teaching a lot of classes every week and you want to manage your music budget. And because it’s from Pure Energy, you know that they’re going to be well produced!

Ok did that help? If you’re in any doubt as to what licence(s) you should have for any of your classes, visit www.ppluk.com and prsformusic.com – they’re both really useful sites with loads of information or alternatively just give them a call; they’re all nice people who will talk things through with you!

I know it’s a minefield, but as business owners yourselves it’s important you understand what’s legal and what’s not (and it IS a legal requirement – under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the copyright owner’s permission is needed to play sound recordings in public). You take time to understand tax laws, it’s essential you do the same with music and copyright laws.

Tweet  @Thepureenergy Facebook.com/PureEnergy Instagram Pure Energy

Charlotte Ord
Why Vegetarians Never Cheat on Their Diet

Over the weekend my crew and I did our bit for Sport Relief and took part in the Reebok 24hr fitness challenge.   So, at 1am on Sunday morning, I was merrily trotting along on the treadmill and watching the partygoers heading home out of the window.

I don’t know what got me thinking about vegetarianism but it suddenly dawned on me that people who decide to go vegetarian are ESPECIALLY good at sticking to their diet.

Have you noticed that?  They have a pretty rigid diet and yet they NEVER cheat on it!

One of my best friends, who I’ve known for around 12 years, hasn’t touched a spec of meat since I’ve known her (well actually, I think I managed to convince her to try a spot of lasagne when we were rather tipsy post clubbing one time, but we won’t count that because neither of us can really remember whether she ate it or not..).

Anyway, 12 years is a bloomin’ long time to not have a whole section of food.

So why can vegetarians stick so effortlessly to their diets?

One word…
VALUES.
Personal values have a MASSIVE impact on your food choices.

My friend doesn’t need willpower to not eat meat.  Sure, she’s developed pretty ingrained habits now, but moving from a meat-eating diet to a vegetarian one is a pretty big shift, and she hasn’t always been veggie.

But that wasn’t a challenge for her.
And she never cheats on her diet.
Why?

Because she’s not tempted.

She’s decided that her value system is more important than anything at her own individual level.

Whether you agree with or follow a vegetarian lifestyle yourself doesn’t really matter; those that do are driven by something far bigger than a number on the scale or fitting into a dress size.

With the exception of eating-disorder-motivated moves to vegetarianism or veganism (essentially as a method of food abstinence) vegetarians make their decision based on a world view, and their relationship with the world and all its living creatures.

That’s what guides their behavior.

Eating meat just isn’t an option for my friend.  It just doesn’t feel right for her.

I’m not a vegetarian, but I feel exactly the same about drugs.  I didn’t need any willpower the last time I found myself sitting in a large group of people and was the only one not to partake in drug taking activity.

My value system is far too connected to the number of people, and kids, whose lives are ruined in order to deliver that little extra kick to people’s nights out.  That’s just not ok for me.

And I believe we can all use our value systems to help us eat a more healthful diet, even when it seems really hard.

See, I think of eating a bit like voting.

Food is a business at the end of the day.
If you want to see more locally farmed, chemical free, health-promoting natural produce, then cast your vote by buying it.

If it pisses you off that the manufacturers of toxic, processed foods that jeopardise your health use craving experts to try and ensure you get hooked, then DON’T vote for them.

Vote for what you want to see more of.

Tune in to your value system.

And stay aware not only of how the foods you purchase affect you, and your kids, but also how they affect the rest of the world.

Having a clear set of values around food, and knowing what’s ok for you and what isn’t, will reduce your reliance on willpower significantly and help you on your journey to optimal health.

Charlotte Ord

You can sign up to Charlottes Blog and newsletter http://www.charlotteord.com/ and follow Char on Twitter @Charlotteord

PHIL RICHARDS

Those who are overweight have fewer and more poorly functioning mitochondria than leaner people do. Perhaps that is why lean people stay lean and obese people stay obese.
So you can see increasing and enhancing mitochondria is far more important than counting calories.
The major factors that damage the mitochondria are oxidative stress, or free radicals, too many calories and not enough nutrients in your diet. Toxins, such as mercury, also contribute to the damage. Anything that causes inflammation causes damage to the mitochondria will also affect the efficiency of mitochondria

We have our own anti-oxidant systems to protect us but these are easily overwhelmed by a toxic, low nutrient, high calorie diet.
The endogenous anti-oxidants we make, called superoxide-dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase are dependent on essential dietary nutrients to help them work well including; zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin c and selenium which are often deficient in our processed food diets of today.

Most fat utilisation occurs in the cell’s mitochondria.

The greater the number of mitochondria, the more efficient fat utilisation will be. Because muscle is the largest mitochondria containing tissue, muscle composition directly affects fat utilisation.

Any intelligent fat loss program should include a strength training program to increase muscle.
This is why slimming programs that do not take into account the essential role that muscle plays in increasing our metabolic rates often fail in the quest for fat loss.

Why? These programs are mostly based on calorie deficits which cause the body to become highly catabolic, meaning that we lose a load of muscle and end up becoming a smaller, fatter version of ourselves from when we started.

So, speak to knowledgeable people about the sort of strength program you should do (or we’ve got loads in the Ultimate Strength & Conditioning Book) make sure your diet is low in processed ‘dead’ foods and is full of fresh, natural and nutritious foods.

Once you have done this then ensure you that your diet is not deficient in specific nutrients. If it is then supplementation can have a huge benefit to your health.

You can Tweet Phil @PRPLTD and check out Phil’s productshttps://www.philrichardsperformance.co.uk

Check Your Diary Dates…!!
By Andrew Crawford

Have you ever missed an important prearranged diary date?

Each and every year a certain date in March is entered into my diary.

It is always the FIRST event of the year for me following the hectic Tax Return season. Imagine getting the date wrong??

Well…………..that is what happened. Gonna miss IFS ….!!!

I shoulda  checked my diary dates…!!!

So Andrew……

What has ‘Checking Your Diary Dates’ got to do with Accountancy & Tax ?
Well by not checking them, you open yourself for unnecessary charges especially if you run a small limited company.
The difference between a delay of just one day could result in an increase of the fine imposed by Companies House of £750.
As was the case last week with a call I received this week.
Although quite generous with the timescales, the fines go up once the deadline has been breached.
Here are the timescales.
£150 – Not more than 1 month
£375 – More than 1 month but not more than 3 months
£750 – More than 3 months but not more than 6 months
£1,500 – More than 6 months
There was also confusion as to the dates when the company accounts were due.
There was a mix up between self-assessment tax returns and corporation tax returns.
Note that you have 9 months in    which to submit your accounts. So if your financial year end falls in June. Then your company accounts are due by the end of March. The tax is due one day after that.
Not all companies end of year falls on the same day. Some will have February, others September and so on.
Just make sure you put in your diary the correct date so you are not late.
So what happens when you go to pay your tax?
Some of you will pay your tax online, if so, that would be the date of receipt, however if you do it by any other method the date that HMRC changes depending on the method.
By post – Day of receipt by HMRC
Bank Giro or Girobank – The date on which payment was made
BACS – One working day before the value is received
Note: A working day is defined as a Bank of England working day.
In your diary keep a note of cheque numbers (Don’t forget to fill out the cheque ‘stubs’ so you know who you are paying)
Very handy when payments are queried.
Finally
I still got to warn you about the spam email still going around suggesting that you have a tax refund from HMRC………….even I got one this year…!!!
Delete  it

Do not click any links in it
Forward it to :    phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

A special mention goes out to the Chris Grayden family.

One of the founding members of the ‘Fit & Fun’ Team who passed away this week…!!

If you are interested in the Budget 2014 here is the summary of the changes to put in your diaries.
http://www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com/ard/documents.asp?AID=1987&SID=11&FID=37249

Don’t forget this special date for your diaries…….30th March

(You’re checking it now…..ain’t ya????)
Andrew James Crawford

Hope you enjoyed this week’s contributions
Best Wishes
Rachel x