Instructor Newsletter 24 January 2013

Yep…..I don’t want to say I told you so BUT did you get your snow plans in place. I hope you did and managed to exert maximum damage limitation? My dear community friends still do not panic, we haven’t got to payday and February is just around the corner. Keep in touch with your class members via text, email and Facebook and they will be back…stuck in the house for days on end is not my idea of fun and I’m sure many people will be experiencing severe cabin fever and will be back to classes very soon.

I was exactly the same. Friday here in Nottingham the roads were horrendous, we couldn’t get anywhere and so I fretted and worried over what to do about my World Fitness Pilates day in Guildford on Sunday. This is where social media is simply brilliant. I posted, asking the locals what the roads were like, enabling me to make a proper, informed decision on the best course of action to take. By 10am I had cancelled, rescheduled and sorted out alternatives for people who couldn’t make the new date. The new date is Sunday 28th April. It’s a pain but I do think it is better to make a decision early on, keeping everyone safe and not taking any risks.

Thanks for all the feedback on last week’s piece that I wrote about mindset and how crucial your sub conscious mind and your belief system is. Try not to pretend you are really passionate about teaching or doing something if you really are not, you will transmit to the outside world what you REALLY believe. Keep following your heart and your passion, don’t give in and compromise. I am strongly convinced that if you are 100% passionate customers and clients will find you and you will be successful. My tip is to be so ultimately confident about your ideas, plans, projects and schemes and you will project that confidence and positivity to others which will draw people to you.

Enthusiasm Is the Key

This week Helen Pybus just smashed it with total enthusiasm and passion. She took on a new KSFL franchisee last week and by her excited postings on Facebook you could literally “feel” the passion and enthusiasm in her posts. It is intoxicating and you could see people getting really excited about it, wanting to know more and get involved.

You could literally FEEL that energy though the screen. I could imagine her excitedly typing away so fast on her iphone getting the info out about her new KSFL clubs.

She now has 141 people booked and ready to rock. It’s THAT enthusiasm and passion that is so apparent that everyone wants to sign up. You are saying to the world I wholeheartedly believe in this and I’m going to make it work….so it works and your business soars.

Helen’s enthusiasm has lit a fire under more Instructors who are now coming on the KSFL journey. If you are passionate about fatloss and fitness and you are teaching classes in the community then get in touch. KSFL is moving so fast, with some incredible opportunities. You just need enthusiasm and passion and love people and I can help you with the rest.

Be enthusiastic and don’t be afraid to show it in your articles, videos, Facebook postings and of course, in person, it really is the key in fitness.

The New 7 Day KSFL Core Challenge Detox started on Wednesday with a huge sign up. I created 7 new 10minute Core workouts using Swiss Balls, Weights, Steps and we are on Day 2 today.
On the KSFL Facebook page I’m posting loads and loads of recipes, meal ideas and free workouts so do pop over and Like the page The

Fitness Class Marketing by Rachel
Are you Fitness Lifestyle Blogging?

Blogging is a great way to build an online following especially if you are building your fitness business online. I have been encouraging more Fitpros to Blog and here are my Top Blogging Tips:

5 Tips for Fitness Bloggers

I truly think the best blogs are those written from the heart and not for ratings. Blogging about your experiences and your opinions are what makes people want to read.

1. Create a blog you’d enjoy reading

Don’t allow yourself to feel pressured to write about anything other than what you absolutely love, which comes back to my whole newsletter point of writing and teaching from a position of passion and enthusiasm.

You will connect with other people who share your interests, and most of all you will be proud of what you’re creating. If you’re a new fitness blogger, make a list of the five things you love most in life. These are topics that should reoccur often in your blog.
Blogging is a lot of work and it’s not worth doing if you’re not creating a blog that you wouldn’t read yourself! Quality blogging takes a little bit of time, sometimes a little research and when you’re proud of what you are creating, it shows. A great blog will grow and change over time with the author. A huge part of keeping a blog is staying current as your own life changes and evolves.

2. Develop regular features that are fun to write

Create little feature in your blog like Thursdays Fitness Fashion Tips, Workout Wednesdays or Weekend Recipes or whatever you like. A regular feature will keep you motivated and consistent. I strongly feel that if it’s not fun to write, it’s probably not fun to read. Choose topics you enjoy.
Another tip is to choose topics that play off of your strengths! Do you love fitness trend watching, cookery, home workouts, Pilates or something else health and fitness related? Choose one or two regular features that you are knowledgeable about and very interested in. Think of your blog as a mini magazine. What monthly magazine features do you love to read?

3. Your blog is not your best friend

This applies to Facebook as well as Blogs. Some people blog to vent about problems and small annoyances in everyday life. The first time this is done the blogger will get lots of concerned and sympathetic comments, maybe even a few times, but after this becomes a regular part of the routine. Readers will often begin to avoid the blog because of the negativity they know they will find. The truth is, most people read blogs to get inspired or learn about things they are interested in. Not many people want to spend their coffee break reading about someone’s problems… reading blogs is supposed to be an enjoyable escape from everyday life. You are a role model and an inspirational person so keep your blog that way for longevity. Vent to a therapist or your mum!

4. Make Connections

Don’t be shy! There are hundreds of beautiful and interesting blogs out there. Become a reader, leave comments, make friends and promote each other.

5. Trust your instincts

Since there are no rules when it comes to blogging, make your own. I have a mental list of certain things that I absolutely never discuss on my blog, newsletter or on social media. That list makes me feel like I have a healthy balance of private vs. public life. Share what you are comfortable with. You don’t have to share ‘everything’ to keep a warm and personal blog. 🙂
So, what are you waiting for? Open a WordPress account or a Blogger account and get Blogging. Promote it on Social Media and build your blogging following.

Let me know your Blog address as I love to read Blogs especially Fitness, Health, Lifestyle, Hair and Beauty Blogs. Please post on Facebook if you have a Blog as Id love to read about you and your life.

Jayne Nicholls

Hello, as usual here are the ACSM World Survey of Fitness Trends 2013

I have included some definitions where i thought it may be useful. Extremely interesting to see that spinning, sport specific and gp referrals have dropped right out this year.

SURVEY RESULTS

The first step in the analysis was to collate all of the responses and then to rank order them from highest (most popular trend) to lowest (least popular trend). Only the top 20 for 2013 are described in this report. The same top trends identified in 2008 to 2012 appeared as top trends for 2013, just in a different order, with educated, certified, and experienced fitness professionals maintaining the no. 1 spot, fitness programs for older adults dropping to no. 6, and strength training remaining at no. 2. Introduced for 2013 for the first time is body weight training, which landed at no. 3 in this year’s survey. The 2013 survey seems to reinforce the findings of previous years, which was expected when tracking trends and not fads. Dropping out of the top 20 trends for 2013 were spinning, sport-specific training, and physician referrals. Outcome measurements (no. 17) and circuit training (no. 18) made the top 20 list in 2013.

1. Educated, Certified, and Experienced Fitness Professionals
2. Strength Training
3. Body Weight Training
4. Children and Obesity
5. Exercise and Weight Loss
6. Fitness Programs for Older Adults
7. Personal Training
8. Functional Fitness?Functional fitness may be defined as using strength training to improve balance, coordination, force, power, and endurance to improve one’s ability to perform activities of daily living. Functional fitness programs reflect actual activities one might do as a function of daily living.

9. Core Training?Core training stresses strength and conditioning of the stabilizing muscles of the abdomen, thorax, and back. It typically includes exercises of the hips, lower back, and abdomen, all of which provide support for the spine and thorax. Exercising the core muscles improves overall stability of the trunk and transfers that to the extremities, enabling the individual to meet the demands of activities of daily living and for the performance of various sports that require strength, speed, and agility next few years.

10. Group Personal Training
11. Worksite Health Promotion
12. Zumba and Other Dance Workouts
13. Outdoor Activities
14. Yoga?Yoga now comes in a variety of forms, including Power Yoga, Yogalates, and yoga done in hot and humid environments.
15. Worker Incentive Programs
16. Boot Camp
17. Outcome Measurements
18. Circuit Training
19. Reaching New Markets
20. Wellness Coaching
Falling from no. 13 in 2010 but remaining in the top 20 for 2011, 2012, and 2013 is wellness coaching. This is a trend that incorporates behavioral change science into health promotion and disease prevention programs. Wellness coaching often uses a one-on-one approach similar to a personal trainer, with the coach providing support, guidance, and encouragement. The wellness coach focuses on the client’s values, needs, vision, and goals.

Jayne Nicholls

Top 10 places to get local press coverage by Yvonne Radley

So many people just think about local papers and local radio when thinking about getting publicity in their town but there are so many other options out there.
Anything that talks directly to your audience is worth its weight in gold.

When you write a press release send it everywhere.
Here are my Top 10 favourite outlets to get you some local media attention.

1: Your local parish magazine
2: Your local council magazine
3: Hand your press release out to your clients
4: Hand your releases out at local events, networking meetings
5: Most towns have a Life Magazine
6: Online magazines and news websites for your village/ town or city
7: Company intranets at the biggest companies in your town
8: Church magazines
9: Netmums
10: Local networking publications for your region.
Make it your task this week to write a press release and send it to at least one of these mediums and raise your public profile.
Make sure you write about an issue or event that is about to happen, so something in February.
Good luck everyone and let me know how you get on – tweet me @yvonneradley
If you need a press release template just email me yvonneradley@bigmeupmedia.com

Yvonne Radley
YvonneRadleyMedia.com

Sally Ghafoor

Wow what a week it has been, what with the snow, Lance Armstrong on Oprah, my fav football team Saints sacking the man who has moved us up two divisions and off the relegation zone, and Facebook’s big announcement, we have had a week of highs and lows!

So diving in, let’s talk Facebook’s big announcement – Graph search. Here at the Fitness Business Hub, we have been lucky enough to have been picked to be involved in the beta trial and it has been an eye opener and we are happy to report that it looks good for both business and personal use!

Graph search highlights the need to ensure your Facebook page is both up to date and interacting with your audience. So how does it work?

Users can go on to Facebook and pop in the search “Zumba classes in Warminster that my friends like” and up will pop a list of Zumba class pages that the user’s friend has liked. Now it’s not just down to the like, the more interaction their friends have with a page the higher it will rank in the results.

It also gives you the chance to get to know your audience and gives you greater room to talk to them about what they like. Here I asked “TV shows that people who like Zumba nation Hampshire like” It gave me a list of TV shows liked by the people who like my Zumba page. Perfect, when I want a bit of interaction on the page I can chat about these TV programmes and engage with my audience!

We will be doing more testing and will run a webinar in the next few weeks on exactly how you can use graph search to your businesses advantage, but in the meantime we suggest you get your FB page ready for when they roll it out to the masses.

1. Make sure your page is up to date, with your about section, your URL and name and address.
2. Get Connecting. Talk to your audience, make sure they are liking, sharing and commenting on your posts. The higher the interaction with your page, the higher you will rank in the graph search results.
3. Share your page. Get your customers liking your page, the more likes you get from customers the more people will be able to find you in the search.

Not sure how to grow your interactions? – Don’t worry we have a FREE webinar coming your way this week 🙂 Make sure you like our page http://www.facebook.com/fitnessbusinesshub
http://www.fitnessbusinesshub.com/ if you haven’t already signed up to our newsletter so you don’t miss out!

Beef, Pork or Good Ole Fish & Chips?
By Andrew Crawford

I didn’t really touch on this last week but my mind was tossing it over trying to find some logical sense in this latest revelation.

Horsemeat found in burgers…..!!!! Quelle Surprise..!!

Shock horror…….ummm…..Why now I ask?

Surely the big boys involved, Burger King, Iceland, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and the Co-op also some independants must of or should have known this.?

These BIG companys have big budgets to fund big scientific research programmes and with constant monitoring would identify the ingredients contained within the product they were purchasing and being sold onto unsuspecting meat eating individuals…..in bulk.

Before any major contract is undertaken, you would have thought that these big companies would send a group of food scientists to the factory that produced ‘the meat’ and did tests to satisfy themselves that what they were purchasing was ‘fit for human consumption’. There would be periodic checks and tests on the meat to ensure the general buying public was being served the correct product as advertised on the packet.
Well it seems that the public were duped into buying horse.

This just makes room for the ‘Genetically Modified’ stuff….beware also for recent research coming out involving the effects of Flouride……yes….the very one in our water supplies and tubes of toothpaste.

I always joked years ago when I saw the youths growing up. They were huge…’bigger’, bolder, stronger and towered over us older ones. “What’s in the water or milk you’ve been drinking or what have you been eating?” I asked.

Oh….and as I was getting petrol this week, the papers had front page news of Prince Harry saying he did kill….!!! Is his life in danger now??
What about those Brits killed in Algeria?? Why? We will never know the true story but my one question would be……..Is there any oil there?
So Andrew,
What has horse beef, Genetically Modified food and a whole lot of oil in Algeria as well as Iran, Iraq and Afganistan, where Prince Harry was on the front line that shot and killed ‘the so-called enemy being places that were ‘liberated’ bombed, blasted and left ruined by the USA and UK got to do with Accountancy and Tax?
Well….there is a lot of Research and Development expenditure gone into duping the British meat consumer to buy and eat the product also in the exploration of oil in its crudest form.
The Research and Development relief relates to revenue expenditure on software and consumable items, relevant payments to subjects of clinical trails, staff costs, sub-contracted R & D costs and externally provided workers,

Research

Expenditure on research does not directly lead to future economic benefits, and capitalising such costs does not comply with the accruals concept. Therefore,
the accounting treatment for all research expenditure is to write it off to the profit and loss account as incurred.
Development
There is an option to defer the development expenditure and carry it forward as an intangible asset if the following criteria are met:

there is a clearly defined project expenditure
is separately identifiable
the project is commercially viable
the project is technically feasible
project income is expected to outweigh cost and resources are available to complete the project.

If these criteria are met, the entity may choose to either capitalise the costs, bringing them ‘on balance sheet’, or maintain the policy to write the costs off to the profit and loss account

Which costs qualify for R&D Relief?
The HMRC lists the following as qualifying costs;
Employee costs – that is, employing staff directly who are actively engaged in carrying out R&D itself

Staff providers – paying a staff provider for staff provided to the company who are directly and actively engaged in carrying out R&D
Materials – consumable or transformable materials used directly in carrying out R&D. These are actual physical materials that are consumed in the R&D, and not things like telecommunication or data costs.
Utilities – power, water, fuel used directly in carrying out R&D, but not things like telecommunication costs and data costs.
Software – computer software used directly in the R&D.
Subcontracted R&D expenditure – if your company or organisation is claiming relief under the SME Scheme, then you may be able to claim back 65 per cent of what you spend on certain R&D activities carried out for you by a subcontractor.
How much R&D Relief SMEs can claim
Amount of expenditure
Tax relief is only available if your company or organisation spends at a rate of at least £10,000 a year on qualifying R&D costs in an accounting period. The maximum has now risen into the billions..!!

Finally
Still be on your guard for credit card companies enticing you to take up their offer for a credit card. I have had 2 so far in the last 2 weeks, the form was already filled in ready for me to sign and date…!!
Read my short article here…
http://www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com/articles/Credit-Cards-Be-Warned.pdf
Keep that Commercial Bank topped up as I know you dipped into it over the festive period.
As we approach the last week for Tax Returns if you send me an email enquiry please remember I usually answer them at night….!!!
It’s fish and chips for me tomorrow night…!!

www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com
www.facebook.com/andrewjamescrawford
www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants
www.twitter.com/tax4fitness
www.fitnessindustrygossip.com

Blue Monday by Cori Withell

What a depressing start to the week. All over the news about the third Monday in January being the most depressing day of the year. If it wasn’t bad enough that people are struggling financially, many out of work, divorce rates on the increase, depression rates rising, we then get told most of the population will be down that day. I firmly believe that we are what we think. So, if we have got the entire media chain telling us we are going to feel down then it is pretty likely that we will so turn it around. Give people positive things to do, say, think and feel. I put a blog post out about Blue Monday (www.cwfitness.co.uk/blog) with tips on things to do but this can apply to so many situations and can help your clients enormously. If you have clients suffering with stress and depression then give them some tools to help them deal with it. Here is my action plan list for clients suffering and they have to implement a differing number of action points each day depending on the severity of how they are feeling but I think this can apply to fit pros too. I think too many of us spend our days holed up in our houses facing the computer screen with only Facebook for ‘human’ contact. We rarely like to admit that we are struggling and find it hard to reach out and ask for help – try implementing some of this and see how you feel 🙂

1) Get outside for at least 20 minutes at midday. (you need vitamin D)
2) Wash. (you would be amazed at how hard this can be when stress and depression have a grip but once you do, you feel better)
3) Eat foods rich in B vitamins (liver, beef, tuna, turkey, brazil nuts, bananas, avocados and legumes)
4) Eat foods rich in B12, especially if depressed (shellfish, liver, caviar, octopus, fish, crab, lobster, beef, mutton, cheese, eggs)
5) Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time regardless of how tired or awake you feel.
6) Tell someone how you feel.
7) Look in the mirror and tell yourself you like you (most clients avoid this!)
8) Be kind to yourself.
9) Eat three meals a day.
10) Drink 2 litres of bottled water a day.

Health and happiness x
Best wishes
Cori x

Of Mini Eggs, Landrovers, Risk-taking and Skinny Jeans………………Vikki Scovell

Two things in life make my heart swell with joy: my old Land Rover, and SNOW. Put the two together and I am simply in heaven. After being extremely romantically snowed in with the dashing Mr. Blue and lots of fire wood, the time came to head out, and there was Bluebell (the Landy) in her lovely snow tyres waiting to safely escort us through the winter wonderland.

We made steady progress down deserted lanes, under tunnels of snow-laden trees, round steep slippery bends and into the icy chaos of town. The roads were empty save for a manic-grinned teenaged boy who powered past in a little car like an out of control toboggan. Anyway, we went very carefully as I have seen some hairy driving and bad accidents in this weather. Last time it snowed heavily I turned a corner to find a sleek brand-new Range Rover on its roof in the middle of the road. Luckily Range Rover lady was fine, her hairstyle a little skew-whiff, but the car was wrecked. Two miles down the road there was ANOTHER Range Rover, this time on its side with matching lady also unharmed. The thing is, when people have the comfort of a 4WD: hill descent, Harvey Nichols Air Bags, snow and ice mode, spray-tan booth, and body work like a tank, they feel invincible (even if they have never taken it anywhere more off-road than Waitrose car-park). Confidence breeds risky behavior, known as risk compensation. This idea was developed by researchers in the motor industry who noted that the introduction of air bags, anti-lock brakes, and even seat belts made people take more risks and drive less safely. When people have more confidence, they take more risks.

This is where we get to Cadburys Mini Eggs.

PARDON? Well, you may know of the terrible relationship between my willpower and Cadburys Mini Eggs: if a mini egg enters the room, my willpower looks uncomfortable and leaves quickly.

Post-Christmas, it is basically impossible to pay for anything at any cash desk in the UK without having to stand within arms-reach of a bag of Mini Eggs. Well, anyway, after a 3 week break over Christmas, all of my PE kit had SHRUNK through under-use meaning that I had to DO SOMETHING. Queue DETOX. Last week, I greeted Friday 5lbs lighter than Monday morning had found me, and I was feeling spectacularly better, healthier, slimmer and less-ashamed. I celebrated by blowing a ridiculous amount on some extremely tight snakeskin skinny jeans: Raaaar!

This is the unlikely point at which, snow, Land Rovers, risk compensation, skinny jeans and mini eggs all collide. Pay attention: I will talk you through it. So, I’m feeling super-fly in my skinny jeans, it snows which turns into a day off work and an overwhelming feeling of HOLIDAY. I have to go out with my spanking-lovely snow-tyred Landy wearing my snakeskin jeans, and end up in a shop standing next to a barrel of mini eggs (exit willpower). Because I’m feeling so smug in my VERY tight jeans and full of confidence that I am over the chubby-phase……… SCREECH, BANG! I lose control in the hazardous conditions.

The very un-greedy Mr Blue may have enjoyed one or two, but pertains to the school of: Me-would you like some chocolate Blue? Blue- no thanks I’m not hungry…. (WTF?). Alas, I troughed the rest.
So there you have it. I’m a bit narked with myself for SWERVING, and putting myself in EXTREME danger of not fitting into my new jeans. I was feeling sleek and safe and over-confident, slid and ended up on my metaphorical roof like Range Rover lady. Now I’m back on plan, and next time I am feeling a bit too comfy in my jeans and reach for the mini eggs I will remind myself that I am risking a life in baggy leisure-wear. So on a more serious note (attempts to offer some relevance to ramblings), I have always warned my clients that the time at which they are most vulnerable to slipping up, is when they are starting to get good results, and I do think it is worth discussing this sticky area if you are training people or running weight loss courses.

Well, I’m bored of attempting to sound relevant now: you knew it wouldn’t last anyway. I wish you a wonderful week, safe driving in the bad weather, and NO mini eggs. Don’t risk a nasty accident or an even WORSE fate: there is no compensation for sporting muffin tops and skinny jeans………………
Vikki Scovell @fitbite

Have a Wonderful Week and please tweet your comments

Rachel xxx