Personal training is a great career, it’s rewarding, it’s healthy, can pay well, and in general you get to be your own boss.
You could have all the qualifications in the world and may have the physical aspects of being a personal trainer nailed.
But…are you also being mindful of your customers mental health as well as their physical goals?
We’ve got 7 tips on how to be mindful of mental health care as well as the physical training aspects of your job.
If you can master fitness, nutrition and mental wellbeing then you’ll truly be the best personal trainer you can be!
- Educate yourself: Understand the different types of mental health. Know what signs you need to look for, what side effects there are, and how to help cope with them. There are a lot of different types of mental health categories, so try familiarising yourself with the main ones: depression, anxiety, ADHD and panic attacks.
- Honesty: If you’re not too confident on recognising mental health issues and how to identify them, simply talk to your customers. Be honest with them, reassure them of client confidentiality and make sure you stick to it! If they are comfortable telling you then make sure you have a think about what considerations you may need to make. If they don’t want to disclose anything then don’t force it, just be mindful and understanding.
- Have mental health charities in your back pocket: You may not feel comfortable giving advice as you likely won’t be qualified or trained. But there are 100’s of charities that you could refer your clients to if they need it. Look into organisations such as Mind, Samaritans, YoungMinds, SHOUT, and.
- Listen: The best thing you can do if your customer has disclosed mental health information with you is listen. As in the previous point most of you won’t be trained or qualified to tell them what to do, so listen to them instead. Giving advice can be difficult and perhaps even dangerous if it’s wrong. So do what you can do and listen, let their voice be heard and understood.
- Be positive: If your client is struggling with their mental health you need to bring the energy, life, and positivity that will help them power through difficult times. When mental health issues strike it can hugely impact motivation. You need to be on the ball and ready to bring that motivation back.
- Never give up: Everyone has difficult days, you need to remember that your job is to help them reach their goals. You are being paid to motivate them, and push them over that finish line. You should never give up on your clients, you wouldn’t be doing your job if you did!
- Rewards: Everyone loves a treat, a reward, a compliment. Whatever you like to do to reward your clients make sure that if you’re making them feel positive about their hard work. Whether it’s positive verbal feedback, buying them a coffee or shake, or something else. Make them feel good! For those who struggle with mental health the smallest of things could be what changes a bad day into a good day. Do your best to make your impact on their day a good one.
Hopefully the tips from our team at Castle Gym Nottingham help both you and your clients.
If you have any other tips that you find help you or your customers share them with us in the comments.