I recently made a post (similar to) about this topic on my Instagram page, but I wanted to elaborate.
To Recap:
Through my Instagram, I often will collaborate thoughts and publish them. Although unfortunately with our tiny attention spans, I often limit my thoughts/literature (which is not necessarily a good thing because I have A LOT). So, to recap what I briefly discussed on Instagram (Link to that post), several thoughts when considering a Coach:
1. Make sure the Coach is tending to YOUR specific goals.
2. Make sure the Coach provides a THOROUGH explanation.
3. Is there analytics/tracking of some kind?
4. Be sure that your Coach is prescribing based on experience and trial backed eduction.
5. Make sure your program is ENJOYABLE.
Now, on to the fun part....
EVERYONE IS CUTE:
When I first stepped foot into this industry (personal training/coaching) about 6+ years ago, I considered myself lucky. I found something that I enjoyed, I became educated, I got to help people, AND I got to workout! Duh! I never knew that starting this professional journey would take me where it has and give me the experiences that it has. With that said, I also regret a lot of what I have seen the industry turn into.
As I stand with 2 exercise degrees, 4 nationally recognized and backed professional certifications, and years of experience, I have learned A LOT about the industry and I have come to fear (at times) what is published and what is offered to help-seeking clientele.
This profession gets a bad rap. I didn't have to go to school for 10+ years, rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, participate in a multi-year practicum, study abroad to experience alternative cultural ways of business or get a validation from the Pope (joke). But that is the problem. For one, ANYONE can do what I'm doing (especially online). Their success levels may be volatile depending on their ability to ACTUALLY achieve results from and through their clients, but nonetheless, any "dude next door" can be a "trainer". In addition, it seems as though society is conditioned to ONLY respect professions that DO require the unnecessary and often times not-feasible educational processes and business methods. THIS INDUSTRY IS STILL COLLECTING STEAM. (Yes Debbie, you DO need to pay me for cancelling our training session 5 minutes before the start time. Yes Bill, I AM going to invoice you for the 2+ hours I just spent programming your workouts at home and researching your "conditions". YES Melton, I DO know what billable hours, annual reporting, sole-proprietorships, liabilities, balance sheets, cash flow, expense reporting, tax deductible, accounts receivable, OPEX, AND inflation means, just to name a few....). Moral of this story: there are some SMART, SELF-EDUCATED entrepreneurs ready to match your work-ethic when you're willing to recognize!
Anyway, circling back around.... I'm here to tell you as a Coach, a Businessman, an enthusiast, and someone who cares (none of which ANYONE taught me to be... except for my mother, she taught me to care... shout out to Carol), if you're attempting to invest further in your health and well-being, truly take time to CONSIDER and OBSERVE who is "writing your scripts". There are A LOT of pocket-book thirsty "Coaches" out there. There are MANY overnight hero "trainers" on the internet. Don't let a large social media following, a nice physique, or a convincing explanation of "for just $500 a month YOU TOO can have 24/7 access to ME" trick you into thinking that you're investing in a better version of yourself. Because chances are good (sorry to break it to you folks), you're more than likely funding someone's trip to Bali to "create more content" and to "find themselves."
In Conclusion:
Do your research, ask questions before purchasing, observe prior to buying in, and keep YOUR goals as a priority. Also, side note, start recognizing and respecting my industry as a REAL career, please (that's mostly directed at you, clients). Stay woke and get fit, fam. JOF out!
P.S. Keep your eyes OPEN for more blogs to come in the near future. This is something I used to do (and enjoyed) over 3 years ago with a plethora of topics and plan to implement again!
Comments