Great Holiday Gifts for Fit Pros: Part 2

To my fellow fit pros: feel free to share this blog and list with your loved ones

Training and technology! The two themes that were omnipresent in 2020 as we adapted and pivoted our way around the fitness industry. Having enjoyed a 25 years fitness career I never thought I’d spent countless hours researching and re-engineering my bandwidth and wifi to optimize my AV streaming capabilities in order to provide my services!? But here we are, nearing the end of this oh-so peculiar year, having learned so much about ourselves and our capabilities that we should marvel at our resilience.

As we get ready to spread to cheer this holiday season let’s spoil ourselves and our colleagues while setting up a wonderfully successful 2021! We are leaders, and leaders are learners so we need to equip ourselves with the skills and gadgets that will make connecting and coaching our clients much easier moving forward.

Here’s the “Santa’s List” for technology; have a look at last week’s blog for training.

TECHNOLOGY

A key learning for 2020 was that we needed to GO TO people versus having them come to our traditional fitness facilities. Many of us set-up makeshift fitness studios in our homes, and plenty of those have become permanent fixtures as we provide incredible convenience to our clients.

I’m a fervent believer that we should use what we already have on hand and practice a ton so that we can earn some revenue before we spend big bucks on technology. I spent 6 months with the $0 set-up and system found here. 

Once you’ve got some income coming in here are my top choices to provide a solid experience:

BE SEEN

I used natural lighting all summer long but when the days got cloudier and the sunsets earlier it became increasingly difficult to broadcast a quality image on video. The camera on your phone will likely be much better than on your PC, but here are two tools that can make a big difference.

Ring light: there are OODLES of options and I was quite overwhelmed by the sheer selection. I wanted something that could hold my cell phone, had a tripod as I would mostly use it on the floor, was 12-inch and was sturdy.

• I chose the Wonew 12 inch Selfie Ring Light with Tripod Stand (about $60)

Webcam: Again, there a plenty of choices. I needed one that would work well in low light and didn’t want to spend for features that were beyond the capabilities of my HP laptop. For group classes in particular (therefore standing about 8 feet away), I needed to improve on the terrible grainy image from my PC.

• I chose the Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam (about $150)

BE HEARD

Having used the microphone in my phone and the Apple chord headphones that came with the phone for months, I was clear on what I needed moving forward. I do a lot of meetings at my desk, present a lot of workshops for conferences and corporate needs, and teach classes. I decided to invest in just 1 device that met the needs of each of those environments – earbuds.

If your focus is on group fitness, I would suggest a more traditional headset mic.

Earbuds: the variance here is very much on pricing which tends to be focused on the quality of sound coming in whereas my priority was on the microphone quality. I watched hours of comparison videos on YouTube and ended up choosing based on comfort as well as battery longevity as I sometimes present for 3+ hours.

• I chose the Jabra Elite 75 EarBuds (starting at about $200 depending on color)

BE COMFORTABLE

Technically this isn’t technology, but my body was NOT enjoying all the sitting that came from barely leaving my home this year. My piriformis was singing a nasty tune and I needed to help and heal my lower back by investing in a standing desk.

I didn’t want to replace my current desk as it’s incredible mobile which is necessary to switch the room I use from office to studio mode. The standing desk needed to be just as versatile so I could easily move it around my office and the house. As an example, I record my In Bed With The Industry series of interviews from our guestroom on another floor.

• I chose the SDHYL 31.5 inches Movable Laptop Desk with Mouse Board Adjustable Height and Angle Anti-Slip Workstation Home Office Desk (about $100)

I hope these help you better connect with and serve your clients as well as enjoy an even more successful career in 2021!