JOB DESCRIPTION…

At last, our annual long awaiting Summer Challenge is only a week away and I can sense that everybody is just as excited as I am.  During these 9 weeks my job description as Fitness Instructor changes a little bit to Fitness Instructor aka movie producer, psychologist, mentor, motivator, and mathematician…😃

I have thought about this whole job description thing over the last few days, because I received a DM on Instagram from a girl who is considering a future as a group fitness instructor, and she had a trillion questions.  So, we set up a Zoom meeting and I shared some thoughts about life as a fitness instructor.  It was an enlightened conversation, for I haven`t thought about this in many years.

Seeing that this is a fitness Blog and we all could do with a few other topics than Covid and the vaccine and the Sharks performance against the Bulls yesterday, here goes.

Being a gym owner or fitness instructor has not been the easiest occupation since Covid.  Shakespeare has indeed become very relevant to fitness too, and the “to go or not to go to the gym” question has been on the lips of thousands of people. Yes, according to a recent study, free weights sales have risen by 170% and workout benches 250% since March 2020!  I experienced it first-hand last week when I wanted to order more sets of heavy dumbbells from the Sportsman`s Warehouse online store – all sold out again!

Luckily, at our studio, our numbers are almost back to pre-Covid, but then, of course, it`s all thanks to the many Zoom members who have become part of our studio since May 2020.

So, when you`re thinking of becoming a fitness instructor, there`s so much more to consider than getting certified and learning the aerobic language of a Grapevine, Repeater and Cha-cha…The day you decide to become a fitness instructor you become a DJ, stand-up comedian, warhorse, therapist, and entertainer, a multitasking dedicated ninja who unlocks hidden potential through sweat, tears and hard work, and someone who enjoys the tortuous art of exercise and inflicting the same pain on others regularly…😂

Someone who always asks if you`re ready as a rhetorical question.  Someone who constantly shouts “mooi, julle!”, and “hang in there!” and “you can do this!” Someone who says: “I have fun things in store for you today”, but actually means “You`re going to die…”

Obviously, this light-hearted chatter wasn`t part of my conversation with the young girl.  What I mainly told her, is that not a week goes by that I am not thankful and passionate about my occupation.  Yes, of course, I am sometimes disappointed when I prepare a killer class and it`s not met with whoo-hoos and excitement.  Of course, it has been challenging to go online, but the positive impact we`re having on people`s lives is meaningful beyond words and something I will never take for granted.  And yes, of course I get tired, but the show must go on, and one of the earliest lessons you learn as a group fitness instructor is this one: when you don`t feel like teaching, you grab a straw and suck it up!

Hey, now that we are on the subject, we might as well talk a little about the job description of a group fitness member!  Have you ever thought about that?  I have never written anything about this, so, why not?  When people sign up for a group fitness class, they don`t receive a to-do manual.  But here are a few things I wish I had time to tell every newbie:

It`s great that you want to make a change for the better, but it`s a process – and not an easy one.  It takes time, and patience, and months of dedication.  I wish I had time to tell every new client to come prepared when they start working out – no, I don’t mean they should have a towel and water bottle.  I mean you have to train your heart and your mind to understand that working out is going to suck for a little while if you haven`t done it in a long time, or if you have never done it.  Of course it`s hard, I have to do this every single day, I know it`s hard.

Not only is it difficult, but it takes longer to reach your goals than you think.  Ask any of my members who have made huge changes and improved their body stats – I`d estimate it takes five to ten times more work to get the results than people think.  I see it all the time, how clients make changes in their lifestyle and expect the results to show on the scale in two weeks.  And when it doesn`t, they start to lose hope in the process.

The key is taking everything one step at a time, staying positive and keeping your goals realistic.

As long as you realize that your instructor, that’s me, feels like a proud parent every time you excel.  Your success is my success.  When you master a move that you`ve been struggling with, I am overjoyed.  Fitness is a journey, and we`re all on this road together. I guess that`s one of the reasons I look forward to our 19<sup>th</sup> Challenge as if it`s the first one – to witness our members achieve their goals and come out stronger than ever always brings fire to my soul.

Being a Fitness Instructor is one of the toughest but most rewarding jobs on the planet.  And this is what I would like to add to my job description today:

My work with my clients doesn’t end when the session finishes.  If I am on time, I’m late.  Group fitness is a profession, so I need to act like a professional.  The learning curve never ends.  Communication is key.  I need to learn more and more to read between the lines.  Integrity is everything.  Some things can’t be said enough.  The little things should be celebrated.  The number of followers I have is not an indication of what I know.

It`s my heartfelt wish that everyone who walks through the door of our beautiful studio, everyone who signs in for a Zoom session and everyone who randomly watches one of our workout videos, will be filled up with hope and showered with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life.

Robert Frost once said: “There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can’t move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.”

I hope with all my heart, that I am viewed as the latter, and that your mind and body will be set on fire this summer.  Why?  Because then you won`t even need a prod from behind – your body will find a way to provide its own fuel

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507