You Don’t Have to Offer Virtual Workouts

Today marks “day 8” of social distancing for me. I’ve spent a lot, likely way too much, time on social media. I’ve been both proud and inspired but also concerned about the amount of fitness professionals offering virtual workouts.

You CAN absolutely do so, but please know that you don’t HAVE to offer virtual workouts! I know we all have ants in our pants and looking for a positive place to put our energy, however, I’m asking we take a moment to reflect instead of being reactive.

Here are a few thoughts and suggestions that may come in handy over the coming weeks:

Beware of Competition Crisis: Each time I open Facebook or Instagram, I have at least 4 fitness or Yoga colleagues  offering live workouts and practices. It’s easy to feel that you should be doing the same from a place of fear and of missing out on an opportunity.

Before you start moving the living room furniture around please consider the incredible relationships you’ve built with your clients; they care about you and will appreciate the opportunity to connect with you in a way that may not involve sets and reps. They may be trying other workouts online right now and that’s OK! They’ll also understand that your primary focus is your health and family. We can lead by example of health before fitness: compassionately focusing on physical, mental, and emotional health.

Be Careful Not to Over-Promise: The energy required to offer virtual/live/streaming workouts is VERY different that teaching or coaching in person. It can be way more draining. Please don’t over-commit yourself to too many offers in the hopes of getting more views/likes/comments. 

Collaboration is the New Competition: Get to know what your fellow fit pros are offering and have some fun! Enjoy “filling up your cup” with their energy, then make some recommendations to your followers. One of the best ways to manage our own anxiety is by turning our attention to giving to others.

I’ll begin shining a light on my fellow fit pros starting today on social media; feel free to tag me in your suggestions so that I can give them a try 😊.