Whether you’re working as a certified group fitness instructor or certified fitness trainer, you need to work to build certain habits and practices that will help you grow and improve in your professional and personal life.
These habits can make or break your success as a fitness professional in today’s fast-paced, highly competitive, and incredibly demanding industry and are typically followed by many successful trainers in the industry.
You can add these to your daily routine and overall lifestyle and see significant improvement and change in your life:
1. They routinely reflect on their goals as a professional
No matter what line of work you’re in, you need to make goal-setting and evaluation a major part of your routine. Unless you spend time each day reflecting on what drives you and makes you a successful coach or trainer, what you hope to achieve, what you want to improve about your practice, and how you see yourself growing in the near future.
This is an active part of self-development and improvement, telling you what to work toward in your career, and it will help you develop an actionable plan for it.
2. They work closely with mentors and coaches of their own
While the role of a fitness trainer is that of a mentor or coach for their clients, the best ones also have their own mentors to look toward. Having a mentor, coach, or trusted senior is a great way to keep yourself in check, evaluate how you’re performing, discuss whether or not you’re doing well in your career, and find ways to help you get out of a professional rut.
They may offer you insights, tips, advice, and recommendations that prove valuable, connect you to a network of associates who’ll help you grow, and give you a lot of support as you navigate your career. Never underestimate the importance of a mentor!
3. They focus on their physical health and well-being
You can’t pour out of an empty cup; similarly, you can’t train others to be healthy, fit, and strong if you’re not feeling any of those things yourself. Yes, being a certified personal trainer or group fitness instructor is about more than the way you look, but it can be hypocritical to expect a level of adherence and compliance from your clients when you’re not following through yourself.
If you’re pushing them to eat healthy but routinely snacking on junk food and fast food, never paying attention to the pain, aches, and injuries you have, neglecting rest and sleep, and not training at the gym, you’re not only hurting your health but also being hypocritical in your own practice.
4. They ensure that their mental health is in check too
Along with your physical health, however, you also need to focus on your mental health and well-being too. Recognizing signs of burnout and mental fatigue is vital for trainers and fitness professionals because it allows them time to rest, recover, and focus on their careers more passionately.
For some, this could mean going to therapy regularly, while others may prefer self-regulation techniques, including daily meditation, mental health walks, yoga, etc.
Your mental health and state of mind will largely determine how you handle stress and react to situations in your professional life. If you’re high-strung, burnt out, exhausted, and unable to function, it will impact your work and your professional abilities too. You need to focus more on your mental well-being to get work done and be good at what you do.
5. They take time out to enrich their lives in different ways
Your mental and emotional health is why it’s also important for you to enrich your life in different ways outside of work. Whether it’s focusing on a hobby like swimming, dancing, reading, or traveling, or it’s simple things like spending time with your family or partner, you need to carve time out for other areas of your life.
Without that, you will really struggle to find a healthy balance and feel the pressures of working as a personal health trainer, which is a very hands-on job. Suppose your entire life revolves around the gym or studio, your clients, fitness, and nutrition. In that case, you’re not going to have much room to develop healthy, meaningful relationships and focus on things that bring you joy.
Good trainers know how to draw boundaries and know where the line between focus and obsession is.
6. They continually try to add to their knowledge and skills
With all that said, however, one very important practice that any successful fitness expert will tell you is how they continually improve their knowledge and skill set. You should invest in exercise instructor certifications, including stackable skills such as nutrition training, elderly fitness training, sports fitness training, or other areas of focus.
Getting advanced training and certifications, adapting to new technology, and learning about the latest practices and developments in the industry will put you leagues ahead of other trainers. You can’t assume that you know everything fitness-related if you’ve gotten certified; you need to continue learning, growing, and building your resume to stay successful in this industry.
Fortunately, W.I.T.S. Education has several courses, refresher training sessions, advanced skill training, and even business development courses that you can take advantage of for your practice.
If you’re interested in working as a certified fitness trainer, you need to figure out how to balance your career, health, and personal development. You can learn more about healthy habits and improve your service quality through our fitness training and certification programs. You can sign up for our personal trainer certification to get started on your fitness career.