Social distancing
The vast majority of us are now working from home (WFH). As the government has now enforced lockdown, which has meant the closure of all non essentials jobs and workplaces. WFH can be alien to us in the fitness industry, we’re usually found in the gym or frequenting the local coffee spots to catch up with clients and our programming.
Obviously being fitness professionals this has meant that clients and members are not in the gym as they are all closed. This situation is looking like it’s only going to continue, with recent news stating this could be up to 12 weeks until facilities are even considered to be allowed back open.
Below we’ve put together a 10-point guide on WFH for fitness professionals during the Coronavirus period.
Set a routine (or stick to your current one when WFH)
You’ll already be good at this as no doubt you’re up early for your clients. So try to stick to it. Get up, get washed, dressed and caffeinated so you’re ready to work. What you see when you look in the mirror matters. If you see someone dressed for success, in the right kit, this will inspire productivity. If you’re lounging around in your pjs you’ll subconsciously feel like someone who isn’t really working.
Create a workspace and organise yourself
Setting a solid routine and getting ready in the morning will ensure you don’t just flick the laptop on in bed, but we suggest going further and dedicating a specific space in your home for your work. A spare room with a desk would be amazing but the dining table will do as long as you’re organised. Remember to keep up your diary, creating to do lists for that day.
Exercise
We’ve already seen the 1000s of home workouts all over the Internet and social media; you may have even done one yourself for all your followers. Take your own advice and continue to exercise! If you cut back on exercise how can you expect your clients to continue to check in with you and keep up their own routines? We’re not going to bore you with specific bits of kit or exercises but you know a great home workout programme only needs a 2m x 1m space, kettlebell and resistance band. Some of you may already have your own home gym.
Work when you’re most productive
Think about your current routine and weekly schedule, when do you work the best? Continue to work at the time you’re most productive. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you have to work a specific hour schedule. As long as you set a routine around your wake up time, food and exercise you can be flexible as to when you get your jobs done, just make sure you do get your to do list finished each day.
Take time to develop yourself
Read books, listen to podcasts, and speak to other fitness professionals to pick their brains. You’ll have a lot of spare time so use it wisely. For podcasts you could go for fitness specific content, like Lift the Bar and Mark Coles Mastery or we recommend mixing it up with some general development podcasts like Pull The Pin from Grenade and The Diary Of a CEO by Steven Bartlett.
There’s also some great general sport podcasts with some golden nuggets of information from experienced leaders. We like the new series released by Jake Humphries and Damien Hughes – The High Performance Podcast.
Create content
Keep up your content, whether this is videos, blogs or general updates. Try to be informative and continue to connect with clients. You may want to provide content around the home workouts and meal prep suggestions while they’re stuck at home too. Try to keep adding value to your clients so when things go back to normal they are still active clients.
Take proper breaks
So we’ve said set a routine and work when you’re most productive, but ensure you give yourself breaks throughout the day. This can be set in your daily schedules or could be after you’ve completed a number of tasks on your to do list. When working from the dining table we know it can be hard to get a proper break. Try to get into another room and completely stop doing work to take a proper break.
Continue to meal prep
Cooking time during the day is time you wouldn’t spend making food while working in the gym. Still continue to meal prep the night before and spend your breaks in between tasks as time to relax and eat – away from the dining table mini office you’ve created!
Videocall your family and friends
Stay connected with your family and friends. As fitness professionals we are typically very social beings and love being around other pros and clients!
With the recent advice a lot of us will be distancing ourselves from many of our closest friends, as well as our older relatives. The majority of us are WFH or isolating so there should be loads of windows in the day to give your family and friends a video call. Catching up with those closest to you has to be a priority during this time.
Relax
We know that this time is uncertain for a lot of professions, with redundancies happening across different industries. The fitness industry is no different but we are all in the same boat! Make sure you do take time to relax, switch off and put the laptop/phone away after you’ve done your daily tasks. Just because you’re not active in the gym, doesn’t mean you don’t still need time to relax and unwind.
