Written by Jess Silver, Founder of Flex for Access Pursuing fitness- based training in a gym setting at a high-performance level, has long been thought of as something that a specific type of person does, who is part of a specific demographic; one who already had exposure to exercise and sport performance, is an athlete, or businessperson or the individual who is seeking a way to lose weight. This siloed and divisive understanding needs to evolve, and it is required that there is more education for fitness industry professionals to understand that access to gyms and fitness programming needs to be

Chances are you’ve set yourself some exciting career goals for 2024: new clients, increased revenue, learning and teaching a new type of class, etc. Goal setting with clients is a big part of our jobs and I know we do it well as fitness pros, but I also suspect we fall into the trap of outcome-oriented goals when it comes to our careers and businesses.  Let’s avoid this goal-setting trap by setting the oh-so-critical process-oriented goals that will propel us toward success!  We’ll use the following example which you would of course adapt to the goal you’ve set for yourself and

I did the math: 254, that’s how many workplace workshops I’ve presented since 2020. That means I’ve not only had the pleasure of sharing health and wellness with over 10,000 people looking to improve their well-being, but I also developed a revenue stream that is so cost-effective I’m able to keep my career sustainable and profitable. You can too, and here are the guidelines to follow: 1) Be aware that organizations have turned many human resources departments into “people and wellness” as they strive to recruit and keep top talent. They allocate time and budget to the physical and mental health

Our clients’ health and wellness needs have moved beyond workouts focused solely on physical health, and we are perfectly poised to meet their needs. With services including healthspan and longevity, recovery and sleep, stress management and mental health, and so much more.​The global wellness market is worth $4.4 trillion and is expected to reach $7 trillion by 2025. A Global Wellness Institute (GWI) study reveals that for every annual increase of around $800 in wellness spending per person, happiness levels rise by 7% and life expectancy by 1.26 years.​Distinguishing between fitness and wellness helps us see how to integrate our current

We all feel it; the pressure to post “something” on social media when we’re drawing a blank. Most of us didn’t become fitness professionals out of a burning desire for content creation yet here we are, feeling like we compete with influencers with huge audiences and a constant stream of ideas for posts/reels/stories/shorts/etc. on social media.  I’ve been there, and so have all my career coaching clients. Here are my top tips to ease the frustration and a couple of fresh ideas.  Social Media Top Tips Consistency matters more than frequency  Most fitness pros who don’t really use social media say

Have you experienced the “oh geez” feeling after being told by a potential client that your rates are too low? It happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I pride myself on pricing my services based on my confidence in my value, and I coach my career clients to do the same. Imagine my surprise when I quoted a corporate virtual Chair Yoga at $500 and my client replied, “wow, that’s cheap!”.  My first reaction after getting off the phone was happy that I landed the gig, then “wait…what??.  After some reflection, I came to three realizations I’m happy to

Less daylight, big credit card bills arriving, increased workload thanks to January fitness goals, etc. No wonder heading back to work after the December holiday season has us feeling stressed out! Close to 80% of workers in North America feel stress on the job, and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress.   Are mental health workouts the answer? Mental health gyms or mental fitness studios have been popping up to meet the demand for mental health support. Check out this article to read about what services they offer and what qualifications their professionals have.  We

Should you work for a gym or studio where the hourly rate proposed or even the top of their wage band will never match your value? Maybe, but only if you’re taking a fresh look at compensation and think beyond the hourly rate.  It might be the gym you’ve worked at for a while or a new facility that’s looking for staff; if you feel connected to their brand, culture, and member experience it might be worth discussing future earnings that get you closer to the compensation you deserve.  NEGOTIATION TIP #2 Take a fresh look at compensation: Consider other means

To my fellow fit pros: feel free to share this blog and list with your loved ones  Two themes will be omnipresent in 2023. Last week, I shared my ideas for growth gifts. Now, let’s talk about recovery. As we spread cheer this holiday season, let’s spoil ourselves and our colleagues while creating a wonderfully successful 2023!  Recovery As the biggest trend in wellness and many fitness clubs setting up recovery studios in their facilities, we owe it to ourselves to focus on self-care and invest in recovery.  Here are some “Santa’s List” suggestions for recovery Gift certificates for «Nordic spas»

To my fellow fit pros: feel free to share this blog and list with your loved ones There are two themes that will be omnipresent in 2023 now that we’ve adapted and relaunched our services toward sustainable careers and businesses. What are they? Keep reading to find out… As fitness professionals, we are dedicated to our clients, but sometimes neglect our own health and wellness needs.  Let’s reward the resilience, adaptability, and compassion we’ve provided consistently this year with some growth and recovery.  As we spread cheer this holiday season, let’s spoil ourselves and our colleagues while setting up a wonderfully

It’s used commonly by some group fitness instructors and small group coaches, but it now seems to have made its way into all forms of cueing and coaching as well as posts on social media:  I can appreciate the fact that we’re using it to convey simplicity, but I invite you to remove the following expressions from your cueing and coaching: “Just use your obliques to power up this exercise.”  “To use your breath more mindfully, just inhale for a count of 3 and exhale for a count of 6.” “Just place your feet wider and you’ll gain speed.”   Two

Are you sitting down fitfam? A data-driven report attributes $23.4 billion as the total value of health savings generated by sport and physical activity in Canada in 2019, preventing over 2.2 million cases across a range of health conditions. $6.19 billion of that is attributed directly to the activity undertaken in health and fitness clubs. That’s BILLION, with a B! That’s YOUR contribution to the health-care system in Canada. The Fitness Industry Council of Canada is making this report available to us all and utilizing its data in government lobbying efforts. You can read more and download your copy of the

We have a personal trainer attrition problem in fitness. Most trainers leave the industry within less than 2 years. Too many certifications don’t prepare trainers for the real day-to-day work involved with being a successful trainer. It goes well beyond movement mechanics. Congrats if you’ve last longer than 2 years! It means you understood what longevity in a fitness career involves: The understanding that we must constantly sell the benefits of an active lifestyle. I get worried when I speak with graduating students from fitness certification, diploma, and degree programs and most of them tell me they really want to work

The proof we needed yet knew all along! Our health and fitness industry and services were “proven to have a profound economic and social impact” on countries worldwide. The Fitness Industry Council of Canada is sharing the results of a global report on the costs related to inactivity. As Vice President of FIC, I’m incredibly proud to provide the findings to you! We will continue to lobby federal and provincial governments with more substantiated proof of our impact on policies. To see how in Canada, a per capita investment of $2000 in activity would deliver a return on investment within only

Never before has our industry seen such a significant shortage in labor; recruiting the right talent to fill positions is the biggest and most immediate challenge clubs and studios are facing as we head towards our “back to school” season.  What does this mean for qualified fitness leaders?  You hold more power than ever before related to the workplace culture you choose, the clients you want to serve, your compensation, and the success of your career.  Here are ten questions to ensure you’re setting yourself up from a position of confidence in choosing an employer:  Your Potential Compensation This goes well

Enough with the nickel and diming of group fitness! We were making $25/class when I first started 25 years ago so I’m tired of seeing posts with fellow instructors asking for «going rates» and watching comment after comment with abysmal wages. This is only going to change if we ALL WORK TOGETHER at shifting the value of what we offer by getting confident as employees and entrepreneurs. The industry isn’t going to take group fitness seriously unless we get serious about the qualifications, capabilities, and worth related to group fitness. There is lots of work to do, here’s a start: STOP

Real talk: the fitness industry must have a solid Fall season, or we will see even more closures. And let’s not kid ourselves; when gyms close and fitness professionals leave the industry, we ALL lose. It doesn’t mean the competition gets eliminated, it means the public loses trust in us as a whole. A thriving industry leads to confidence, and an improvement in our reputation.  In other words, the success of one means the success of us all. So what are you doing this summer while many clients are focused on leisure, travel, and soaking in the sun? Here are ways to

Are you hoping for longevity in your career? Being the “hot new instructor” or “trainer with huge influence and reach” is an excellent springboard. Still, I’ve unfortunately seen thousands of outstanding fitness professionals leave the industry because they didn’t have staying power. It can be tempting to jump onto social media trends that highlight what other trainers and instructors are doing wrong, criticizing others in an attempt to lift ourselves. It’s an illusion of leverage and sadly only seeds confusion in the general public.   WHAT THE PUBLIC HEARS Potential clients looking to choose a health and fitness professional see us

The fitness industry has a reputation problem. We realized that governments and health authorities don’t value our profession in relation to preventative health. It’s heartbreaking and incredibly disappointing. We have a lot of public relations and lobbying work to do to build our reputation, and we can start here: Want fitness to be seen as essential? Speak less about the bodies we sculpt. Speak more about the lives we save. In many provinces, states, and countries gyms were amongst the first business to close during the pandemic and the last to reopen. Through my work as VP of the Fitness Industry

A message to fitness instructors who are recently unemployed. You’re allowed to be heartbroken, please take time to heal. Then, when you’re ready, get curious and creative about what lies ahead for the fitness industry. Please trust me – NEVER BEFORE HAVE THERE BEEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR QUALIFIED AND DEDICATED FITNESS PROS! I’m inundated each week with “if you know someone great” messages from owners and leaders.  These may look different than what you’ve been used to, especially if you were teaching pre-formatted classes. So that means change, which is uncomfortable. But helping people move past their comfort zones to better

Let’s get real fitfam; we have a relationship problem. Business owners and managers are struggling more than ever in finding the right staff and fitness pros aren’t working WITH them to build the compensation they want.  As the cupid of the fitness industry, I absolutely see both sides and am here to help! Let’s not waste a crisis and use the current employment climate to break away from traditional compensation models.  Fitness pros keep telling me they hate being seen as staff who just come in to teach their class or train their client, and then leave. They are paid as