The number one reason people will consult with a personal trainer is to help them lose weight. At Northwest Personal Training we like to take a unique approach to helping our clients reach that goal.

Many of our clients start off with this approach – “As soon as I lose the weight or get fit, then I’ll start doing the things I’ve always wanted to do”. But I like to take the opposite approach with my clients…give it a try!

First, have your client set an activity goal (like running a race etc.) and in the process of training for the event or activity your client will get in shape!

And it’s such a positive, motivating focus. For example, let’s say your client sest a goal of finishing a 5km fun run. Setting this kind of goal, because it has a deadline, provides a compelling reason to stick to the program and not miss workouts. In contrast, if your client’s goal is to lose 10 pounds in 2 months, if they get off track, they can easily negotiate with themselves and say, “Well, I guess I can wait an additional week or two to achieve my goals.”  But if they get off track with their training program while preparing for an event, they can’t call a race organizer and ask them to postpone the event because they aren’t going to be ready. You can also use the activity/event as a friendly reminder and a way to push your clients to work with you and stick to the goals you have set.

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In addition, once your client crosses the finish line, that’s something no one can ever take away from him or her. Your client will always have a medal, finishers’ t-shirt and photos from crossing the finish line.  Whereas, with weight loss, your clients could lose the weight and then gain it all back next month and feel like a failure….and then you are out a client! There is a lot of status associated with conquering a tough challenge or finishing an event and so by encouraging your clients to sign up for an event you are helping boost your clients confidence and self esteem that comes with reaching a goal.

I have also found that when someone succeeds at a goal such as this, they inherently look towards the next goal – it’s just human nature. So then your clients may desire to attempt a 10K, half marathon, full marathon, a challenging hike, triathlon, bike tour, learn to paddle board etc. It’s a positive spiral that benefits your clients and your training schedule! Whereas, with weight loss, it’s a negative spiral. Some people may lose the 10 pounds but they are still not happy. They then desire to lose another 5 pounds and get rid of this fat and so on and so on. Some people who have the most ‘perfect’ bodies have been those that struggled with their body image the most! For all these reasons, I try to keep the focus away from Body Image and instead focus on behaviors, events and actions.

At Northwest Personal Training, we use a form titled “Fitness Wish List” to help our clients set goals that will bring forth success. We start by having clients write down:

• Anything they have ever thought of achieving with regards to their own individual health and fitness.
• Which goal, if they achieved it, would make this year unbelievable?
  • Have you ever wanted to:
    • Hike the Grand Canyon
    • Complete a marathon or triathlon
    • Cycle through France
    • Learn to Scuba Dive
    • Learn to Paddle Board
    • Learn to Rock Climb
    • Cycle the Oregon coast
    • Stick to working out 4x/week consistently

The only rule with this wish list is that none of your clients goals can be related to their body. Have them stay away from listing a goal such as losing 10 pounds or 4 inches off their hips. Keep this list positive and focused away from body image.

I encourage you to try this approach with your clients this summer and let me know how it goes #LivingLifeToTheFullest

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Like what you see here? Want more info, more details and more forms for your business? The Business of Personal Training System is for you! I give you the exact system that I use everyday at our small 5,000 sq. foot Personal Training studio.

Did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees. A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

Buy now and catapult your PT business to a new level.

We all have clients that tend to carry extra body fat, but we know these same clients have been working hard and are fit. I recently wrote a blog post for our clients on this very topic! Please share this information with your clients….

“Are you carrying a lot of extra body fat? Although our society as a whole tends to fat-shame, the good news is some evidence suggests that fitness is more important that fatness, as the primary factor in reducing someone’s risk for developing various health problems. The message is this…..

…..fitness is very important whether you’re fat or not. In fact, if you are an exerciser who carries a significant amount of body fat, you can still be fitter and healthier than someone who doesn’t exercise at all and may be skinny.

If you’re not working out, you need to start and if you lose weight on the way, which you will if you follow a good workout program, it’ll be a bonus.

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Here’s a few workout tips:

Cardio Conditioning

You’ve got to find an activity that you enjoy enough that you will do regularly in order to see any significant change in your health and fitness. Activities that will work best for you if you are carrying a lot of extra weight include walking, cycling, hiking, swimming, Zumba and other low-impact classes/activities. Avoid participating in any activity that involves a lot of impact – it may be too much for your joints at this point. Start with 20 minutes of activity 3x/week and build up to 20-60 minutes of activity 5-7x/week.

Be sure you’re working out at the right intensity – not too easy or too hard. You can use a technique referred to as Rating of Perceived Exertion. Think of it as a scale from 0-10 with zero meaning you’re in bed sleeping and 10 being you’re working out at a maximal level. During your workouts, strive to be between 4 and 6. Being at 4 on the scale would represent a low level of activity like a stroll or an easy bike ride with a slight elevation in breathing. You are still well within your comfort zone. Being at 5 represents a moderate level of activity like walking briskly. Your breathing is elevated higher than in level 4 but you are still well within your comfort zone. Being at level 6 represents a moderate level of activity like walking briskly to a very late appointment. Your breathing is faster and deeper but you are still at a level that is within your comfort zone. You feel that you can comfortably hold a conversation. As you get more fit, you can start to push towards higher levels on the scale for a few of your workouts.

Resistance Training

Muscle conditioning will help you to develop muscular strength and endurance. Since muscle tissue is energy burning tissue, having more muscle on your body will directly affect your ability to burn and lose body fat. A general recommendation is to allocate a third of your exercise workout to muscle conditioning and the rest to cardio conditioning. In an hour, this would mean 20 minutes would be spent on muscle conditioning and 40 minutes on cardio. Or you could intersperse muscle and cardio conditioning to maximize your caloric expenditure during the entire workout. So for example, you might do a Lower Body exercise, an Upper Body Exercise, a Core Conditioning Exercise and then 5 minutes of cardio. Then repeat using different exercises including squats, lunges, step ups, rows, presses etc. Use a resistance that is challenging enough so that you fatigue your muscles in 8-15 reps. Complete at least 1 set of a variety of exercises to challenge all the muscles and actions.

Nutrition

It is true that you cannot outrun a poor diet. Think of it this way. It takes about 5 minutes to consume 1000 calories but it would take you about 90 minutes to burn off those same 1000 calories. Clearly, gaining weight is a lot easier than taking it off. So to maximize the benefits of your workouts, assure that you are consuming nutrient-dense, calorically low foods. Fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and whole grains with high fiber should make up the majority of your diet. Minimize the amount of processed foods you eat. Drink at least 10 glasses of water per day and reduce your intake of alcohol. Being fit AND maintaining an ideal body weight and body fat percentage will definitely give you an advantage in terms of your overall health….so that should be the ultimate goal.”

Remember, your clients may not immediately see the results of living a healthy life but the benefits are there. The proof can just take a little time to uncover.

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

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Like what you see here? Want more info, more details and more forms for your business? The Business of Personal Training System is for you! I give you the exact system that I use everyday at our small 5,000 sq. foot Personal Training studio.

Did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees. A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

Buy now and catapult your PT business to a new level.

I am sure you have clients that have asked….”what is the best exercise?” Or they may ask…….

….Is High Intensity Training the way to go? Or is Long, Slow Distance Training better? What cardio exercise brings the best results – is it cycling, rowing, running or something else? What muscle conditioning workouts enhance overall fitness best – is it Bootcamp classes, Barre, Yoga, Pilates or traditional weight training?

If someone decides to get fit and commit to an exercise program, there are a ton of options. It can feel like a kid in a candy store so to speak. But there’s only so much time in a week so how do they choose? First, you are there to help. If you want to give them some info to back up your recommendations then send this along to your clients.

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• The best program is the one you actually DO! So if you hate running and will have a difficult time adhering to a running program, then choose something else as your primary activity. Design a program that incorporates fitness activities that bring you some enjoyment. Ask yourself whether you like exercising in a group or solo. Do you enjoy being outdoors or indoors? Choose an activity(s) that you will have an easier time sticking to.
• Be sure that your program incorporates all primary fitness components including cardio, muscle and flexibility/mobility. Based on time constraints for most people, combining activities will be important. For example, you might take a class that incorporates muscle and cardio drills so you can check off two fitness components in one workout. You might perform 3 cardio workouts and 2 muscle conditioning workouts each week and perform some stretching/mobility work after each workout to hit all 3 important fitness components
• Within each cardio and/or muscle conditioning workout, be sure to train all energy systems. So for example, if you cycle, go long and slow for one ride, another go short and fast and another go for a moderate length and intensity. If you only perform high intensity training, your endurance and stamina will suffer. If you only perform slow distance training, your speed will suffer. For muscle conditioning, go heavy and less reps for one workout and lower resistance, higher reps for another workout which will condition both your muscular strength and endurance.
• Mix it up. If you notice all the activities in your program are linear – like cycling, running, swimming, squats, pushups – include some activities that get you moving through different planes and angles – like participating in a sport like soccer or volleyball once per week, taking a choreographed dance class, or choosing some strength and cardio exercises that have you move laterally or through rotation. A good trainer can make sure you are incorporating all fitness components and addressing all movement patterns.
• Be practical – Not everyone can afford to join a Cycle studio, a Barre studio, a Yoga studio and a Bootcamp gym to try to get it all in. Instead look for a fitness facility that will offer it all – a one-stop fitness shop – to make it easier to keep your program fresh and be able to incorporate all fitness components. Or if you love your Barre studio, be sure to incorporate some running, walking, hiking, cycling or some form of cardio into your program to compliment your Barre workouts. If you love your cycle studio, be sure to do some resistance training, core conditioning and mobility work at home to make sure you’re addressing all fitness components. Based on your budget and your interests, design a weekly schedule that incorporates variety which will be good for your body and your mind!
• Remember that every type of fitness discipline will provide specific benefits but typically there will be other areas that are being neglected that you’ll need to address during a different type of workout. If anyone tells you to “Do This. Not That” about a specific activity and says that you only need to do one type of exercise……they are most likely misleading you. It just doesn’t work that way. Be smart – this is your body and your health. 

Bottom line – there is no perfect way to move your body. The human body is a complex piece of machinery and if you want it to function optimally, you’ll need to train and condition it in a variety of different ways.

Remember, part of your job as a fit pro is providing workouts, but providing motivation is also a BIG part or your job. Keeping your clients educated and informed is just one of the many ways you can motivate your clients…. so bookmark this blog post for the next time your client asks the question “what is the ‘best’ exercise?”

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

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Are you seeing this? It is about this time in January when a lot of fit pros start to see clients (despite our best efforts) lose their resolve and start slipping back into old routines. Try sending them this info or at least talking them through these points. These simple actions can mean the difference between sticking with a health & fitness goal or letting that goal fade away (many times like your clients have done before).

“Every year, if you set a goal, follow a process and then quit, why do you think it would be different next time? First, don’t beat yourself up about it. Sometimes it takes many attempts before something clicks and you figure out how to live a healthy and fit lifestyle for the long-term. Just remind yourself that your health is very important and you can do this, no matter how many tries it takes!

The bottom line is that whatever forced you off track last time, will more than likely surface again. To overcome that roadblock, you need to develop a strategy for overcoming obstacles posed by work, kids, fatigue or lack of time.

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Here’s some tricks to make sure any setbacks don’t actually set you back:

1. Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail

Outline any obstacles that have surfaced in the past or that you expect will surface in the future.  Once you have outlined the potential obstacles, then you can determine your strategies for overcoming them. You will be prepared – no surprises. For example, if you previously found work or family responsibilities got in the way of you achieving your goals, your strategy may be to book your workout appointments into your schedule like you would any other appointment. You will carve that time out for you, your most important asset! You would not cancel a business appointment with an important client or cancel your yearly physical with your doctor.  Likewise, you can’t cancel on your health! Another strategy may be to hire a personal trainer who will force you to stick to your exercise appointment or ask a friend to join you in a commitment to walk every day at lunch.  Another example may be that at about 2 months into your program, you always get bored with what you are doing and eventually give up. So instead, you outline a list of new activities you will try every 2 months.

2. Focus on Action Goals vs. Weight Loss Goals

Instead of setting weight loss goals, which can often take longer than we want, instead focus on what you need to do to achieve your goals. So instead of saying I’m going to lose 10 pounds this month, instead set the goal that you will do 12 strength workouts and 12 cardio workouts this month and drink 10 glasses of water everyday. Or set a goal that by the end of the month, you will be able to run for 10 minutes non-stop or you will participate in a local 5K or be able to run or walk a mile in one minute less than your current time. Action goals you can control directly whereas, weight loss goals can sometimes have you questioning whether the effort is worth the reward when you’re working so hard and not seeing the results as quickly as you like.

3. If You Hate it Don’t Do It

If you absolutely detest the activity, it’s not going to be long before you start talking yourself out of your workouts. Find an activity that you enjoy and you’re going to be much more likely to maintain your commitment.

4. Be Realistic

Set goals that you know you can commit to even when life is crazy. Instead of saying you’ll exercise seven days a week and then one week, you only complete four workouts and you feel like a failure. Rather, four workouts are better than what you were doing before so you should be ecstatic! Instead, set a goal that you know 100% without a doubt, that you can commit to it and if you do anything more, it’s a bonus!

5. Don’t Quit!

Sometimes the outward changes take longer to surface. You need to understand that when you are exercising consistently, you are building an athletic machine that is developing enzymes, capillaries, mitochondria and the ability to exercise longer and harder without getting fatigued. You are increasing your body’s ability to mobilize and utilize fat as a fuel. These biochemical changes are happening internally and you can’t see them but they are making you a better fat-burning machine. Soon you won’t know what’s happening, but you’ll overcome plateaus and you’ll start looking and feeling better and dropping fat quickly! Stick with it!”

These are the same 5 tips I give to my clients. Simple. Practical. Realistic. Send this info on to your clients or work them into your conversations with your clients. Keep up the good work and motivation!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

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The Spring Fitness & Training Forum is Sunday March 4th!
Join us and other Pacific Northwest Fit Pros for a 1 day event with numerous sessions to choose from. Lunch is included. 10% off until Feb 25th.

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees. A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

We always have lots of fun events, adventures and clinics for our clients to sign up for. Some of them are free clinics and some are events and adventures that our clients pay for. All of these events keep our clients active, happy and engaged in our business. They also bring in new clients and potential new clients and extra revenue! Hosting fun events and adventures is a win/win for everyone!

We encourage and remind our trainers to share these events and adventures with their clients and we want to make it easy for them to do so. All of our events are listed both on our website and on our Facebook page. Having the events listed on our Facebook page makes it easy for our trainers to share the events with friends and share in their status updates. 

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Take a look at this email that our Fitness & Training Director sent out to our personal trainers asking them to help market our upcoming events:

“Check out our Facebook Event Page. Be sure to invite your Facebook friends and clients that you think might be interested. Especially if YOU are leading the event/clinic! 

Also, here is a list of our upcoming events for you to send out to your peeps, thanks so much for all of your help promoting!!

Mindful Eating to Nourish and Heal Your Body

February 27, 2018 @6:45pm – 8:00pm

Better Eating Habits Start Today.
View This Event’s Information »

Tri Club “From Start to Finish” Informational Meeting

March 24, 2018 @12:00pm-2:00pm

Become a Triathlete!
View This Event’s Information »

Couve Clover Run – 3, 7 & 10 miles

March 25, 2018 @ 9am

Celebrate in your festive green while running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles along an extremely fast and scenic course to support local charities.
View this Event’s Information »”

So get your events, adventures and clinics up on your website and on Facebook! Ask your trainers to help you market your events and continue to engage current clients in your business and spark interest in potential new clients!

Note: we use our software system (Mindbody Online) for registration of our studio events and clinics. Make sure you have a software program that helps you list your event registration online and keeps your events, adventures and clinics organized….and records all contact info for participants…..for follow up of course!  (Want to try Mindbody Online? Get 3 months 25% off at signup).

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!!

The Spring Fitness &  Training Forum is Sunday March 4th! Join us and other Pacific Northwest Fit Pros for a 1 day event with numerous sessions to choose from. 0.8 ACE CECs, 0.8 NASM & 0.8 NSCA CEUs. Lunch is included. 10% off until Feb 25th.

*One of our favorite marketing tools* We use our Mindbody Online service to create reports that identify past clients who we contact directly and encourage to work with us again, through their mobile app for clients and using their online retail store option to sell products and services. Mindbody Online is one of the essential resources that help make our Personal Training Studio a success. (Get 3 months 25% off at signup).

One of our trainers sent this email out to her Monday morning group training class and I wanted to share it with you and then explain why simple communications like these can make a HUGE difference to your clients and your bottom line.

Here is the email:

“Hey Gang,

I know that I will be feeling MY muscles tomorrow!!  That was a tough workout today. Go ahead… pat yourselves on the back. For those of you that couldn’t make it in WE MIIISSSSSED YOU!! We did a Tabata workout and it was hard but we made it and are better for it;)

Just a heads up on our upcoming events:

• Toxin Free – Spring Cleaning
  • March 20, 2018 @ 6:45pm – 7:45pm
  • View this Event’s Information »

• Tri Club “From Start to Finish” Informational Meeting
  • March 24, 2018 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
  • View this Event’s Information »

• Couve Clover Run – 3, 7 & 10 miles
  • March 25, 2018 @ 9:00am sharp
  • View this Event’s Information »

• Team Trainings – 10 Week Series – Salmon Creek & Downtown
  • March 26, 2018 – June 3, 2018 @Various Days and Times Available
  • View this Event’s Information »

Emails like this…..

1) ….show our clients that we care about their adherence to their fitness goals and recognize when they have worked hard.  What better way to call out successes and also call out who didn’t attend class then a quick email like this?

2) …..gives the trainer a chance to personally invite (and remind) our clients of our upcoming events.

3) ……prove that our customer service is top notch, which keeps clients coming back for more and they are more likely to refer friends and family to our studio!

We use our software system to keep track of who should be attending our group training classes and can pull email addresses to give to trainers so they can send out group emails like this. Want to know more about the software system we use (Mindbody Online)? (Want to try Mindbody Online? Get 3 months 25% off at signup.)

So encourage your trainers to use their admin time to send out simple emails just like this.  You will be amazed the impact little things like this can make!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

THERE IS STILL TIME TO REGISTER!!!

The Spring Fitness &  Training Forum is THIS Sunday March 4th! Join us and other Pacific Northwest Fit Pros for a 1 day event with numerous sessions to choose from. 0.8 ACE CECs, 0.8 NASM & 0.8 NSCA CEUs. Lunch is included. 10% off until Feb 25th.

*One of our favorite marketing tools* We use our Mindbody Online service to create reports that identify past clients who we contact directly and encourage to work with us again, through their mobile app for clients and using their online retail store option to sell products and services. Mindbody Online is one of the essential resources that help make our Personal Training Studio a success. (Get 3 months 25% off at signup).

Fit pros! This is the time of year your clients start thinking about getting in shape for summer and often get a boost of energy with the longer days so…that means NOW is an amazing time to reach out to your clients who haven’t been in for a while and to all of your other potential leads and comp clients who never took action etc…

Help them get started on this journey. Help them take action today! It’s a perfect opportunity to inspire so get on the phone and/or email and reach out. Show them you care and want to help them!

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Need an email to send to clients as a follow up to your phone call? Try this….

“The smell of spring is in the air and many of us are now realizing summer is on its way. Long days, outings to the beach, tank tops and sundresses, swim wear, cycling, camping, walks by the water, parties by the pool….Can’t you wait!?

Try these tips and if you want a bit more motivation or an individual workout plan….call me!

Cardiovascular Conditioning

Find an aerobic activity like walking, jogging, cycling or swimming that you know you can stick to a minimum of 3x/week.  Don’t choose jogging if you hate to jog. You’ll never stick to it long enough to get any results.

• Beginner: Perform your activity 3x this week for 20 minutes each session
• Intermediate: Perform your activity 4x this week for 20-30 minutes each session
• Advanced: Perform your activity 5x this week for 20-60 minutes each session

Muscle Conditioning

Choose one lower body, one upper body and one core exercise and complete 8-15 reps of each exercise two to three times this week on alternating days. Read my previous blog for muscle conditioning exercise ideas HERE (add your own website or exercise suggestions).

For example, you could do a set(s) of squats, push-ups and v-sits.

• Beginner: Perform 1 set of each exercise.
• Intermediate: Perform 2 sets of each exercise
• Advanced: Perform 3 sets of each exercise

Flexibility

Hamstring on the wall – Lay on your back with your hips close to the wall and your legs positioned straight up against the wall. To make the stretch less intense, move your hips a few inches away from the wall. To make the stretch more intense, keep your hips positioned right up against the wall and wrap a towel around your feet and lightly pull your legs a few inches away from the wall.

Nutrition

Drink 10- 8 glasses of water each day. Purchase a Hydro-flask or Yeti water bottle and have it with you every where you go. You may find yourself running to the washroom more but this sensation will subside in a few weeks.

Other Helpful Strategies

Use an App to start tracking your activity and nutrition. Try MyFitnessPal, My Diet Coach, Lose it or any other number of Apps available to help you focus on your health and fitness goals. Record daily how much you exercise and what and how much you eat. Many studies have shown just the act of recording this information instantly results in better habits and is a great way to guarantee results!”

Reach out to current and past clients and encourage them to come in TODAY. Help them get in shape for the summer!

Yours in health, fitness & business
Sherri McMillan

Hey! I will be presenting at the 2018 IDEA World Conference at the end of June. IHRSA is a must attend for owners and managers (or aspiring owners/managers) in the fitness industry and IDEA World is the largest Fitness Professional conference in the US. If you’ve never been to this conference, you have to promise me that you’ll put it on your list of Must-Dos. It will absolutely change your career and open your eyes to so many opportunities and possibilities. Use my exclusive presenter discount to get $30 off your registration to the IDEA World Convention!  Code: WORLD18+Mcmillan

*One of our favorite marketing tools* We use our Mindbody Online service to create reports that identify past clients who we contact directly and encourage to work with us again, through their mobile app for clients and using their online retail store option to sell products and services. Mindbody Online is one of the essential resources that help make our Personal Training Studio a success. (Get 3 months 25% off at signup).

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees. A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Barefoot running has become very popular. Do you have clients that have tried it? Do you recommend barefoot running? While I believe in the importance of strengthening our feet and letting our toes spread out like they were designed to do…we have to be careful when recommending that our clients start running “barefoot.”

The bottom line is that our feet need to be strengthened just like any other part of our body, but running barefoot should be approached carefully and bit by bit.

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Here is what I like to tell my clients when they ask me about this topic:

Exercises for your FEET:

Since most of us wear shoes all day long and many women wear shoes that keep their feet in a very tight, constricted position all day long, our feet become very rigid. But our feet are designed with multiple joints and have the ability to articulate like our hands – just look at someone who has lost the use of their hands and they quickly adapt the ability to use their feet to write, eat, and perform various other daily tasks usually done by the hands. So the message is, we need to make an effort to increase the movement and functionality of our feet.

• Feet Movement: While you are watching TV or working at your desk, just move your feet. Separate your toes wide, flex and bend and extend your toes, point and extend your feet, rotate your ankles, tap your toes….just move your feet and get some blood flowing to the muscles, tissues and joints. Do it at least a minute at a time whenever you think about it every day.
• Towel Crunches:  Lay a towel flat on the floor in front of you.  Place your bare feet on the towel edge closest to you and then curl your toes pulling the towel closer and closer to you.  Continue this exercise for a couple minutes. It’s an easy one to do while you’re watching TV or reading.
• Ball Curls:  Take a small soft ball like a Hacky Sac and squeeze your toes around the ball.  Continue for 1-2 minutes.
• Barefoot Heel Raises:  Lift your heels quickly pressing up onto your toes.  Continue for 1-2 minutes.
• Golf Ball Releasing: When you are working at your desk or watching TV, roll your feet over a golf ball with the intent of kneading away any tight tissue. When you finns a tight area, you can hold for a few seconds until it releases and/or gently roll back and forth over the area.

Perform the above exercises at least 2-3x/week.

I will give your even more foot strengthening exercises next week….so come on back!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

*Want to be more confident when coaching running clients?* Join us and running expert (and 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year) Dr. Jason Karp. for his cutting edge running coach certification. Sunday July 22nd in Vancouver, WA! The REVO2LUTION RUNNING™ certification is a PhD-level running education program for fitness professionals and coaches specifically designed to provide the required skill and expertise to train runners and to teach the exclusive REVO2LUTION RUNNING™ workout program.

Hey! I will be presenting at the 2018 IDEA World Conference at the end of June. IHRSA is a must attend for owners and managers (or aspiring owners/managers) in the fitness industr

y and IDEA World is the largest Fitness Professional conference in the US. If you’ve never been to this conference, you have to promise me that you’ll put it on your list of Mus

t-Dos. It will absolutely change your career and open your eyes to so many opportunities and possibilities. Use my exclusive presenter discount to get $30 off your registration to the IDEA World Convention! 

Group Training sounds like a smart idea on paper, but how do you structure programs and sessions for a group of people with all different fitness levels, needs and goals?  And what results can clients expect with only 1/3 to 1/4 of the attention they would normally get from a private trainer?

Although programming for groups and managing sessions is more complex and, yes, a degree of personal attention is sacrificed—these disadvantages are offset by the opportunity to train people who otherwise couldn’t afford it. It feels great to make fitness and exercise accessible to more people regardless of age, economic background or fitness level.

So why does Group Training work?  It works because everybody wins.

Don’t forget to sign up to automatically receive my latest blog post in your inbox. 
Sign up at the top of the page.

BENEFITS OF GROUP TRAINING

1. Diversity in Your Job:

The burnout rate in the fitness industry is high. We are constantly giving and inspiring and motivating and by the end of the day, we’re exhausted. The key to longevity in the fitness industry is creating a career that is varied and diversified. It’s a good idea to create opportunities that will allow you to keep your job fresh and exciting.  You could feasibly set up a career that includes one-on-one training, at-home training, group training, rehab training, fitness seminars and more.

2. Become a Better Fitness Professional:  

When a Fitness Professional adopts a career style that is more diversified, they find they have more energy, enthusiasm and focus during all training sessions. This allows them to service all of their clients better and therefore directly improves client retention.

3. Great Exposure to a Larger Market:

Group training provides greater exposure to a larger market of potential clients. By offering Group Training programs, many participants will purchase a few additional private sessions to custom-design their own programs.  This makes Group Training a solid feeder into private training, so it indirectly enhances that profit stream, too.

4. Cost Effective:

With Group Training, the costs are split between multiple people making it more accessible and allowing many to participate who could not afford to otherwise.  Other clients will like the more affordable options because it will allow them to partake in more than just one program.

Want a good place to start with group training?
Become a certified Schwinn Indoor Cycling instructor on Sunday Aug 12th.
We are hosting!

Yours in Health, Fitness & Business,
Sherri McMillan

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Last week we discussed the importance of reaching productivity goals and we gave you lots of ideas on how to do that. This week I would like to give you THE BEST way to hit productivity goals and keep the clients you have.

Remember, here at Northwest Personal Training we ask our trainers to have their schedule 80% full (of paid clients). (Read this past blog post to learn more about this: Get Trainers To Help With Marketing.)

Keep The Clients You Have:

Q: How do you achieve that?

A: You keep the clients you get and you get referrals from those clients who are happy with your services!

Don’t forget to sign up to automatically receive my latest blog post in your inbox. 
Sign up at the top of the page.

Q: So how do you keep clients and get referrals?

A: You’ve got to earn it!

That means you’ve got to get clients results! Clients won’t stay with you if they aren’t achieving goals and they definitely won’t tell their friends and family about you if they aren’t getting results.

So focus on getting clients results and the rest should take care of itself!

This is where scheduled performance assessments come in!

Do you have specific times set up during the year when you/your team do performance assessments with each client? Let your Personal Trainers know that they are always welcome to do these assessments when they see fit, but having a set time will ensure that it is happening and that clients are seeing the results of all their hard work….which means happier clients and that means a happier bottom line for your business!

You can see both our Body Composition Assessment and our Performance Assessment forms here:

Keep the clients you have. Assess their results. Show them their results and they will stay with you AND refer their friends and family to you. THAT is how you reach productivity goals and keep a full schedule!

Yours in Health, Fitness & Business,
Sherri McMillan

Fall Fitness & Training Forum – Sunday November 4th

With Guest Presenter Michael Piercy
(2017 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year)

• 1 Day Event
• 0.8 CECs
• Lunch Included
• Live. Local. FUN.
• Cutting Edge Info
• Tons of Sessions To Choose From

Register today to get an automatic 10% discount.

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

The American College of Medicine recently released a report of the Top New Fitness Trends for 2019. Do you offer  these options for your clients/members? Our clients are looking for variety, quality and accountability. Keep things interesting and they will keep coming back for more.

Don’t forget to sign up to automatically receive my latest blog post in your inbox!
Right at the top of the page.

Wearable Tracking Devices

Whether it’s your Apple Watch, FitBit, Garmin or Polar monitor, exercise enthusiasts are enjoying the ability to monitor their fitness activity each day. It provides regular feedback that will increase your chances of making healthier choices, holds you accountable and you can even view and set challenges with your friends and family. My Apple Watch even tells me when to stand or take a minute to breathe. Other technology will monitor your sleep habits, an important component of health.

Functional Training and Mobility

Programs that develop overall muscular strength, endurance and mobility with the primary purpose of creating optimal health and the capacity to be more functional at life are becoming more popular. People don’t want to be just fit in the gym but want to be better at their ability to live life to the fullest. They want to be able to lift better, climb stairs stronger and experience less injuries, aches and pains.

Personal Training

It is clear that having a coach or trainer oversee your health and fitness program and hold you accountable to assure you stay on track is the key to sticking with it for the long term for many people. Trainers, once a luxury for the rich and famous, are now being used by mainstream exercisers to help them stick to their fitness program. Even the medical community is recognizing trainers as an important component in the effort to mitigate disease by helping individuals adopt healthier behaviors. A physician just doesn’t have the time to oversee and customize a patient’s fitness plan but coaches and trainers can help bridge the gap between a doctor’s recommendation that a patient needs to start exercising and eating better and the patient’s adherence to that prescription. Personal Training has become less about helping people achieve a 6-pack or a certain body fat percentage, but rather has helped people manage cancer and heart disease, improve their blood pressure and bone density, manage Parkinsons and Diabetes, rehab from injuries and joint pain, overcome obesity and so much more.

High Intensity Interval Training

Exercise enthusiasts continue to be drawn to programs such as Cross-Fit, BootCamps, and various other HIT type workouts. Results in less time is very attractive to a busy individual.

Body Weight Training

The ability to workout anywhere with no equipment and still provide great results is beneficial to many. You will continue to see exercise like Burpees, Pushups, Squats, Lunges, Planks etc incorporated into fitness programs and classes.

Group Training

More people are participating in group exercise whether it’s Barre, Bootcamp, Cycling, Rowing, Zumba, or Yoga. Exercise enthusiasts recognize that working out in a group is motivating, holds you accountable, pushes you further and is fun.People need to feel part of a community – especially in today’s day in age where technology can make us feel so isolated. Finding your Fitness Tribe is extremely beneficial.

Yoga

It’s difficult to talk about Yoga as a trend since it’s one of the oldest fitness modalities; however, more people are recognizing the value of Yoga and incorporating into their weekly fitness regime. You will notice more Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Movement classes surfacing that will focus on release, lengthening, rest and recovery versus just pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion. More classes will instruct us to ‘be in the moment’.

At the beginning of every year, many of our clients set specific goals for adopting and maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle. Trying a new activity or new approach may be the key for helping your clients stick to their program this year!

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan

Join us for the COUVE CLOVER RUN – 3, 7 & 10 MILES on March 24th, 2019 in downtown Vancouver, WA. Celebrate St. Patrick’s day with us at the 5th Annual Couve Clover Run. Wear your festive green while running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles along an extremely fast and scenic course to support local charities! We will make you earn your post-event party, but it will be off the charts hosted by Main Event and other downtown Vancouver Pubs & Breweries.

It is clear that the road to retaining clients is all about results! When clients are seeing results they are more likely to stick around. In order to see results….a big commitment needs to be made (by both you and your client), so (naturally)the first step is for both of you to make a commitment….and I mean a real commitment.

Check out how we do this:

Make It Official

Here at Northwest Personal Training each new client signs a Fitness & Training Commitment. This signed agreement serves as a reminder of the commitment that they have made to themselves and to provide a list of the health behaviors that we will help them to adopt over the next few weeks (and for the rest of their lives). Do you have a fitness & training commitment that your clients sign? If not, try using something like this:

An Optimal Health and Fitness Program Includes:

Exercising aerobically 3-6 days each week for 20-60 minutes each session at various levels of intensity.  Using a Heart rate monitor will keep you honest.  Activities like walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing, hiking, stair-climbing, or Group classes will do the trick.

Conditioning your muscles with resistance training workouts for a minimum of two times per week. One set of 8-12 reps of a variety of exercises for 20-60 minutes is perfect!  Or just workout with your trainer and they’ll make sure you meet this requirement.  Our Group Muscle Conditioning programs will help you achieve this goal also.

Eating a balanced diet that is high in fiber content.

Eating 5 vegetable servings and 3 fruit servings each day.

Drinking 10—8 ounce glasses of water each day.  Drink water before and with each meal and snack.  Purchasing a Jumbo size water bottle will help you adhere to this tip.

Planning your meals so that you eat 3 small meals and 2 small snacks each day.  Try to eat every 3 hours.

Avoiding eating anything high in fat or calories 3 hours before bedtime.

Control portion sizes.

Eliminating any unhealthy temptations from your environment (work, home, car) and replacing with healthy alternatives.

Grocery shopping at least once per week to stock up on healthy choices and fresh fruits and veggies.

Maintaining a more active daily lifestyle.  Move your body as much as you can in addition to your exercise program.  The International Journal of Obesity released a statistic that reported we expend an average of 500-800 fewer calories than we did a few decades ago because of our more sedentary lifestyle.  At Northwest Personal Training, we believe that all you have to do is start moving more in your life and then you won’t have to spend hours in the gym every week!

Getting enough sleep (7-8 hours per night).  Sleep is when your body recovers and repairs.  If you do not sleep enough, you will not be prepared for each workout session and you will not function optimally.

Controlling and managing your stress levels.  Identify your stresses.  Outline methods that help you to reduce your stress and practice them regularly.

Completing Activity and Nutrition logs every day and submitting to your trainer every week (if you have one).

Weekly weigh-ins and monthly measurements help to manage your progress if fat loss is your goal.

Have your client SIGN HERE:

__________________________________________________________________________

You (the trainer) SIGN HERE:

__________________________________________________________________________

Give your clients the information and commitment they need to see the results they deserve!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Fall Fitness & Training Forum – Sunday November 3rd

With Guest Presenter Michael Helen Vanderburg
(4 time winner of the CanFitPro Presenter of the year & 2005 IDEA Instructor of the Year)

• 1 Day Event
• CECs
• Lunch Included
• Live. Local. FUN.
• Cutting Edge Info
• Tons of Sessions To Choose From

Register today to get an automatic 10% discount.

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote theONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Cancellation policies can be tricky, but with the correct approach they don’t have to mean lost revenue and they don’t have to mean upset clients.

The following simple steps help us avoid most of the issues that can arise when a client cancels after our predefined cancellation deadline (24hrs). This can work for you too!

Step 1: Proactive CSRs (Customer Service Representatives)

Whenever booking an appointment, always remind clients, “If, for whatever reason, you need to reschedule please give us 24 hours notice so we can schedule someone else into that time slot”. This will regularly remind them of the importance of advance notice and the value of your time and that you have a policy in place.

“Automatically receive my latest blog posts.
Sign up at the top of the page!”
– Sherri

Step 2: Ask all of your trainers to review your cancellation policy with their clients.

Have your trainers explain the importance of the cancellation policy during each comp session. Also, make sure that your cancellation policy is included in the documentation your clients sign when they first start working with you.

Step 3: Short notice cancels don’t have to mean time and money wasted for your clients.

When someone calls and short notice cancels, we always ask “Is there anything specific that you would like your trainer to work on during that time?” That information is then relayed to the trainer who MUST use the time for the client since the client is paying for that time!

Step 4. What to do when a client is clearly upset….

Listen to the clients’ concern.

Paraphrase & Empathize with the clients’ concern.

Then it’s your turn to explain your standpoint by…

First, letting them know how much we appreciate them as a client and would never want to do anything that upset them so much that they didn’t want to train with us anymore

Then, ask questions, state facts etc…

• “Did you understand our cancellation policy?”
• “Did you know that we used to have a 48 hour policy but in order to meet our customer needs but still maintain our viability as a business, we adjusted it to 24 hours but needed to be firm in that we could not waive the fee for whatever reason”
• Can you understand how difficult it is to judge whose cancellation fee is waived and when ie “She’s a good client, so we shouldn’t charge her” or “Well we shouldn’t charge if someone is sick but should if their kid is sick or there is an emergency at work or they have car troubles etc…” We didn’t want to be the judge in any of these situations so we have a firm policy but always agree to do something for our clients during that time so they don’t feel like they are paying for nothing…
• Can you understand the difficulty in maintaining a viable business if without a cancellation policy we would lose 25-40% of our revenues each week due to cancellations?
• Is there anything that we could do better for you when you do have to short notice cancel so you feel you still get value from the time?

Hopefully, by this point, they feel like they’ve been listened to, that you understand their concerns and they better understand your situation. Try finishing the conversation by repeating how much you appreciate them as a client and will continue to do whatever you can to take care of them and ensure they are getting fabulous results.

It is important for your clients to remember that even if they do need to “late” cancel, their trainer will take that time to work on their file, email alternate workouts etc.

This approach normally does the trick.  We receive the 24 hour notice we need to run a successful business and our clients  understand why we must stick to our policy.

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Fall Fitness & Training Forum – Sunday November 3rd

With Guest Presenter Helen Vanderburg
(4 time winner of the CanFitPro Presenter of the year & 2005 IDEA Instructor of the Year)

• 1 Day Event
• CECs
• Lunch Included
• Live. Local. FUN.
• Cutting Edge Info
• Tons of Sessions To Choose From

Register today to get an automatic 10% discount.

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote theONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Do you know what our biggest problem is? It is probably your biggest problem too.

THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE TO EXERCISE!

The biggest problem working in the fitness industry is that we are offering a product that most people hate. So each and every one of us has to do whatever we can to make the experience as enjoyable as we possibly can.

We have to be in the business of getting our members and clients to really us, enjoy being around us, enjoy our environment and how they feel every time they come to our facilities.

“Automatically receive my latest blog posts.
Sign up at the top of the page!”
– Sherri

The statistics show that 80% of people who stop coming are new members/new clients. They join with great intentions of coming regularly and for whatever reason, we weren’t able to help integrate them into our ‘family’. They stopped coming because they didn’t feel comfortable, didn’t feel welcomed, didn’t enjoy their time with us. Ultimately, we did not deliver what they expected or needed.

No one will ever leave us for any of the following reasons:

‘I stopped coming because I had way too many friends there.”

“Every time I go, people want to talk and laugh and go to lunch after.”

“I quit because the staff is entirely too friendly and fun. They’re always introducing me to other people. Always trying to help me. Always making me laugh.”

So what can you do about it?

You can start by assessing our initial greetings to all members/clients. Ask yourself and your staff:

Do you smile with big teeth and bright eyes?

Do our clients know that you are happy to see them?

Do you make a point of conversing with each member/client by offering a compliment on their consistency or their appearance, asking a question, inviting them to a new class, informing and inviting them to an upcoming event (I’d love for you to join us…It’ll be so much fun), making a statement….

How many people do you know by name?

How many of our members/clients know your name?

Do you pay attention, focus and drop everything when a member/client approaches – do they feel special and important?

Do you have a serving attitude by asking clients/members if you can get them anything (some more water, a magazine, an apple)?

Do you use serving language (Absolutely; No problem; Definitely; How can I help you; I’d love to do that for you)?

Do you show enthusiasm in your voice when interacting with members/clients (That’s wonderful!; Wow!; Brilliant!)

Do you introduce members/clients to each other?

Evaluate these questions and answers carefully and make changes where necessary!

Keep clients and increase your revenues. Help your clients feel comfortable, welcome and accountable and they will keep coming back!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Fall Fitness & Training Forum – Sunday, November 3rd

With Guest Presenter Helen Vanderburg
(4 time winner of the CanFitPro Presenter of the year & 2005 IDEA Instructor of the Year)

• 1 Day Event
• 0.8 ACE, 0.8 NSCA and NASM TBD
• Lunch Included
• Live. Local. FUN.
• Cutting Edge Info
• Tons of Sessions To Choose From

Register today to get an automatic 10% discount.

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote theONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Hosting a racing event is an excellent way to get new clients walking through your doors and keep current clients motivated and engaged with your business.

Start out by hosting a fun run that starts outside of your business. The initial set up will take some work, but a racing event hosted by your facility could be a the start of a tradition that is beneficial to your community and to your bottom line.

It isn’t just the racers who will associate the fun they have at the race….with you and your facility. The volunteers and the spectators will do the same! The idea is that you will have a large group of people right in front of your facility knowing exactly where you are and what a fabulous, community-minded company you are. That’s got to be good for business!

“Automatically receive my latest blog posts.
Sign up at the top of the page!”
– Sherri

More benefits of hosting a racing event:

Acquiring runners/walkers email addresses so you can continue to market to them and promote any upcoming programs and events.

Creating moments of magic. When the participants cross the finish line, they are going to feel amazing. They’ll associate this memorable moment with you. If they are a client, this enhances client retention.

These types of events foster a fun environment that develops friendships. When people have a lot of friends where they workout, they are more likely to come.

People do business with people they know, like and respect. These events give your community a chance to get to know you. Plus, if they appreciate a business that really takes care of their community, they will be more likely to want to train with you compared to another fitness club.

Offer a feeder into your Private Training services and programs. This is your chance to offer some type of free service to get new members into your facility. A 2 week pass to your group training program? A free consultation with a personal trainer?

Maybe hosting your own racing event isn’t in the cards for you? Try sponsoring or getting involved with a local racing event. Set up a stretching station at the end of the race. Have your personal trainers there stretching out the racers and promoting your business. Find ways to add your information to packets, online deals and use sponsorship benefits.

Here is one of the specials we recently offered to the participants of the 2019 Girlfriends Race for The Cure.

Get out there. Try hosting a fun racing event near your facility or get out there and find ways to market your business through other racing events in your area!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Fall Fitness & Training Forum – Sunday, November 3rd

With Guest Presenter Helen Vanderburg
(4 time winner of the CanFitPro Presenter of the year & 2005 IDEA Instructor of the Year)

• 1 Day Event
• 0.8 ACE, 0.8 NSCA and NASM TBD
• Lunch Included
• Live. Local. FUN.
• Cutting Edge Info
• Tons of Sessions To Choose From

Register today to get an automatic 10% discount.

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote theONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Fitness Professionals across the globe are scrambling to keep their businesses afloat while so many are staying home. The good news is that you can go virtual and your clients will thank you!

We have decided to use Facebook Live as it seems to be the simplest way to be live AND allow clients to go back and watch workouts later.

Our 4-Week Virtual Group Training Program:

$99. The Virtual Group Training Program is included in our top training memberships.

The cost is per household.

We typically have punch cards as an option for group training sessions, but we will not be able to honor them for the virtual program.

“Automatically receive my latest blog posts.
Sign up at the top of the page!”
– Sherri

Once our clients register for our Virtual Group Training program, they will be invited to our Private Virtual Class Facebook group.

Clients can participate live at the specified time slot or the class will be saved and they can participate at a time that is more convenient for them.

Scheduled trainers may change based on availability

Reminders To Clients During This 4 Week Virtual Group Training Period:

We ask clients to listen to their bodies, adjust movements and take breaks as needed.

We also remind clients to balance their program. Incorporate some muscle, cardio, core mobility and yoga into their weekly program. All fitness components are important for their overall health.

If they stay in the same time slot, their overall program will be very balanced. When they begin to switch time slots, they will need to ensure they have enough variety and balance in their program without overdoing it in any one area. They could use this time to try some new programs!

Ask clients to follow along and workout with their families! It will keep them physically and mentally tough and help relieve some stress!

We have to be creative and intuitive during this time. Lets keep our clients healthy and our businesses going strong!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Sherri McMillan Presents:

Critical Components to a Successful Personal Training Business/Department – Virtual Workshop

Saturday, March 28th 3pm – 5pm PT (will also be available for purchase to watch at anytime after the workshop)

$99 includes the live/virtual workshop and the ability to re-watch as many times as you would like!

I was scheduled to teach this workshop at IHRSA, but since the conference was cancelled, due to COVID-19, now I’m bringing it directly to you.

We’ll discuss the critical components to a successful Personal Training business/department including Internal and External Marketing initiatives that work, Human Resources, Customer Service, Programming and more.

I’ve been in the fitness industry for 30 years and have been awarded IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year and our studio has won BBB Business of the Year, Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year and Best in Business in our area every year. Let me teach you how we do it!

I’ll also be adding in a special section to discuss some of the initiatives we have in place to get us through these challenging times during fitness club and studio closures.

The cost is $99, a fraction of the cost to attend IHRSA

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

People are very stressed out right now with the Coronovirus pandemic. People are worried about getting sick and/or infecting someone else. In addition, your fitness business is likely struggling to figure out how to offset the massive losses in revenues . You probably have employees wondering how they are going to pay the bills if they can’t go to work. It is definitely scary during these uncharted times.

But guess what – stress is not good for your immune system. It makes you more vulnerable, so let’s initiate some steps to manage everyone’s anxiety.

*These are great tips for you, your staff and your clients!*

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– Sherri

Breathe

Everyone is freaking out. Let’s take a minute to just stop and breathe. Slow, deep breathing is one way to calm your body and mind. Do this before bed, when you wake up and anytime you are feeling overwhelmed.

Take action

We often feel anxious when things are out of our control. Read the CDC guidelines for individuals and take appropriate precautions for you, your loved ones and the community. Wash your hands more, use hand sanitizer when you can’t wash and stay home as much as possible. Do all the things we can without completely crashing our economy which is also not good for anyone’s stress levels and health of our communities.

Exercise

As we all know….it’s true that exercise will boost your client’s overall health and immune system so encourage them to keep up with their workouts. With that said, it’s good to know that sometimes a grueling workout can suppress an immune system. For example, it’s common for runners to get sick after a marathon. It makes sense that if someone has really taxed their system, they may have a harder time fighting off illness. So remind clients that it may be more prudent to opt for moderate to lighter workouts.

Here’s some other things to suggest to your clients:

• • Opt for Outdoors. Head outdoors for a run, walk, bike or hike. The fresh air will be good for your body and mind.
  • Workout at home. There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do at home using no equipment at all. Squats, lunges, step ups, push-ups, triceps dips, planks, etc will all do the trick. You can also do workout videos for free on Netflix and other streaming channels. There’s no reason to put your workouts on hold during all of this.
  • Skype, Facetime or Phone workouts with your Trainer – Tell your clients that you can conduct very effective workouts remotely. This can assure that your clients still keep up with your workouts while assuring your business plummet during these difficult times.
  • Yoga and Meditation – We could all use a little more yoga and meditation right now. It will help us all calm our nerves.

Stay strong and healthy!

Yours in health, fitness and business,
Sherri McMillan

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Since our training studio has been closed for nearly a month due to COVID-19, I’ve been teaching a lot of virtual online classes and training sessions. It has definitely proven that you can train clients remotely!

There are literally hundreds of muscle and cardio exercises you can walk your clients through with absolutely no equipment whatsoever. Their bodies are the best machines!

“Automatically receive my latest blog posts.
Sign up at the top of the page!”
– Sherri

Clients don’t have a lot of fitness equipment at home? Have them make training tools with stuff that they most likely already have.

Here’s some items that you can have clients use as exercise equipment:

Canned goods

Cans of soup, vegetables or stew work great as hand-weights to add additional resistance during squats, lunges or for chest and shoulder presses, curls, kickbacks, extensions etc.

Jugs

If your clients need something heavier to lift, jugs of laundry detergent, soap or milk can work great.

Bags and backpacks

Have your clients grab a reusable grocery bag or backpack and fill with items such as books or cans to create something heavier to lift.

Bag of dog food, kitty litter, dirt and rice

Bags of heavy items can be held during squats, lunges etc for additional resistance.

Staircase

If your clients live in a two-story home, they have a whole gym waiting for them. Walking or running up the stairs is a fabulous cardio workout. The steps can be used for step-ups, push-ups and triceps dips. They can also wrap an exercise tube around the railings to perform rows, chest presses, torso rotations, external rotation, triceps kickbacks, etc.

Paper plates

Have your clients place one foot on a paper plate and perform a sliding reverse or lateral lunge. They can do mountain climbers with feet on paper plates or they can do bridging with feet sliding on paper plates.

Bottom line – If there’s a will, there’s a way. Your client’s physical fitness and strength are so important, now more than ever. So, remind your clients to commit time to focusing on their health!

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan

Get information like this and everything you need to run a successful fitness business with the same system I wrote and use at our facilities every day…..

THE BUSINESS OF PERSONAL TRAINING SYSTEM

Hey did you know that I wrote the ONLY complete training business  system designed to help you run a million dollar personal training business?! You can have this same business system that will help you work SMARTER and generate HUGE profits like we do here at Northwest Personal Training. The fee to purchase the Business of Personal Training System can be made up within 1 month of increased PT sales and there are NO recurring franchise or licensing fees.A comparable business system in other industries would require an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars.  

DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL! Let us give YOU the systems that we know work!

Gyms, yoga studios and pools are closed or slowly reopening. Running and Triathlon races cancelled. It is easy to understand why clients may start to lose their motivation to workout.

As fitness professionals, we all know that the key to maintaining a commitment is to remember the ‘WHY’. Ask your clients …Why do you work out? Why do you race? Remind them that when they dig deep into their motivation, they’ll find that COVID-19 should not affect their ability to stay the course, they may just need to use a different mode of ‘transportation’.

We shared these 6 ways to stay motivated with our clients. Share them with your clients as well.

Let’s keep clients healthy and strong and keep our fitness businesses afloat!

1. Goals

It’s important to remember that the virus has not cancelled your goals. Ask yourself why you exercise, train and race? Most likely you do it to improve your physical strength and endurance, mental health, weight management, stress release and to boost your immune system. Aren’t all of those things still important, and even more so now?

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2. Obstacles 

Our entire world is being challenged right now. You can’t control what’s going on. You can only control your response and your attitude. It’s important to focus on what you can do versus what you can’t do. Athletes are used to this. If you are presented with an obstacle, you go around, over, or through. Quitting is not an option so don’t give up. Your approach may not be as planned but nothing is going as planned right now. Adapt and move on.

3. Change

If you had a routine of doing Barre three times per week, continue with that plan but just do it online. Most facilities are offering saved and/or live classes so you can continue to participate. Perhaps, you had signed up for a race that was cancelled. Most have transitioned to a virtual option so do that instead. Don’t stop just adjust.

4. New

If you normally swim and the pools are closed, perhaps this is a great opportunity to try cycling. If your favorite class is cancelled, use this time to try a different type of class online. If your gym is closed, now may be a great time to start running or hiking.

5. Accomplishment

Many of us workout, train and race because of how it makes us feel when we finish. That does not go away just because you have to do it alone or differently than before. You can still engage in opportunities that challenge you and make you feel amazing and accomplished.

6. Community

The sense of getting through something tough together is an incredible feeling. Being around other people who are inspiring, who set challenging goals and push to be the best they can be, can be extremely motivating. Even though you can’t be with your normal workout tribe physically, you can still be together in spirit. Perhaps challenge each other to a virtual race or set up a zoom workout. Participate in Facebook live workouts together. Schedule a happy hour with your regular workout buddies. You can still be together, while apart.

Yours in health, fitness & business,
Sherri McMillan