Posted in Advice for Fitness Instructors, Class Engagement

7 Tips to Create an Engaging Class Experience

I see it all the time. An instructor consistently has challenging, effective workouts, but class numbers aren’t building. Even if you have the BEST workouts, if you aren’t holding students’ attention from the start of the session to the end of it, you have to get them more interested and engaged. Here are 7 tips to create an engaging class experience, so students leave loving your workouts and want to come back for more.

Introduce Yourself Every Time

Whether you’re new to a certain time slot or not, a dedicated introduction can serve you in many ways:

  1. It let’s students know that class is about to begin. A simple “Good morning everyone! As you know, my name is…” can quiet the room and prep their minds for what is to come.
  2. It gives you an opportunity to set expectations. You summarize the workout, encourage students to challenge themselves, and give permission to take modifications (and ask for them) whenever necessary.
  3. It’s the perfect time to find out if there are new students in your class. Have them raise their hands. Even experienced students can feel a little lost in a new class. This will allow you to pinpoint them and give them extra attention.

Bring TONS of Energy

Students feed off the energy of their instructors. If you show up tired or laid back, they’ll feel it. So make it a point be…well… EXTRA. That means:

  • Making movements big. For all intensive purposes, think of your class as an interactive performance. So even if you’re demoing with a set of 5 pound weights, when you squat and press, make it look like you’re crushing 50s with full range of motion.
  • Get LOUD. Speak with a firm tone at a high volume, as if you are shouting to someone across the room. This communicates authority and intensity to your students. Remember, they feed off of your energy. Your level of intensity will raise theirs.

Keep Exercises Simple

It can be fun to create complicated combinations, but more often than not, you lose half of your students. They’ll waste 1/2 the interval trying to figure out what they heck they’re doing. The KISS (keep it simple stupid) rule is essential. In practice, it looks like this:

  1. Pick an exercise.
  2. Demonstrate a modification.
  3. If students get it and are keeping great form, give them a progression.

It’s as simple as that. Many students and some instructors make the mistake of thinking that more complicated equals more effective. False! It changes the focus of the exercise. For example, one thing I see often is students choosing to do a bent over row in a single leg hing position (rather than having 2 feet on the floor). I usually tell them that if they have enough energy to take that position, their weights aren’t heavy enough. They appreciate the tip!

Keep Students Moving

It’s unfortunate that fitness center classes have become so streamlined that most students expect a 45-60 minute all-out sweatfest, without even a minute “wasted” on rest or recovery. I won’t go off on a tangent now, except to say that a well-rounded workout for most should not leave students exhausted by the end of it. But alas, this type of class is expected from instructors, especially those who teach during high traffic time slots. Here’s how you can sneak in more movement for the students who need it:

  • Give your warm-ups an energy boost. Ramp up the class more quickly with quick-paced, dynamic warm-up exercises. The exercises should recruit more muscle groups and get clients moving through multiple planes of motion. My favorites are alternating hand touch squats, side lunge and reach, reverse lunge twist, and down dog to plank.
  • Place recovery AFTER cardio intervals. Nothing says “Thank god for this break!” Like 1-2 minutes of intense cardio. About 95% of your students will be grateful for it. The other 5% needs a distraction. For them, you can…
  • Give them something to do during recovery periods. Tell them to grab some water, towel off, and make sure their next piece of equipment is ready for the next set. When in doubt, say, “Don’t need the break? Jumping jacks or burpees.” In a class of 40, I’ve only ever seen ONE person take advantage of that offer 😉

Give Students Personal Attention

Students keep coming back to your classes because they trust that they will not only get a great workout, but that you will lead them through it in a way that is safe, effective, and fun. They love it when you

  • Give them corrections. Small adjustments will help them work muscles more efficiently and alleviate pain that’s caused by bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns.
  • Check in. A simple “How does that resistance feel for you?” or “Is this okay for your knee?” to someone you know has recurring issues in the joint helps them feel seen. It also gives them permission to share if something doesn’t feel right and ask for modifications in the future if needed.
  • Challenge them to go harder. Can’t forget the regulars! If you know someone can lift heavier weights or take a more intense progression, put it out there. They can always say no, but more likely, they will feel honored that you recognize their strength and rise to the challenge.

Facilitate Interaction

Last, but certainly not least, encourage students to interact with one another. Here are 3 things I ask students to do during every class:

  1. Say hello to one person before class begins. On a practical level, this gives me a bit of time to fiddle with my mic and my music. On an emotional level, students now know at least one person in the class they can look to if they missed an exercise or empathize with when their thighs are in full burn mode.
  2. Share a high five or fist bump. It doesn’t require any words, so this is perfect after a cardio set.
  3. Point to someone across the room and shout “You Rock”/”You’re Awesome/”Crushing It….” You get the idea. Students love this one the most. They get to give AND receive a encouragement. I swear, this gets every single person in the room to smile, even after burpees 😉

Deliver Motivation & Support

Each and every one of us craves approval in one way or another. Your students want to feel successful during class and after it has ended. Be generous with words of encouragement and words of wisdom throughout class.

  • Recognize and acknowledge good form. We tend to focus on what’s going wrong during class, so we can make corrections, but there are often quite a few people doing everything right! Notice and vocally applaud both the group and individuals.
  • Praise corrections. If you correct someone and she makes a shift (even if it’s not perfect), say “Yes! So much better” or something to that effect. That way, they know they are making progress.
  • Drop knowledge bombs. Be the coach who encourages students to work hard through positive quotes and nuggets of truth. One of my favorites is “If you want to get stronger, you must be willing to get uncomfortable.”

Do you incorporate any of these methods in your classes now? Let me know in the comments below! Also, be sure to share any of your own tips as well.

Nadia

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Posted in Uncategorized

Want to Be Happy? Spend More Time with Positive People

“People inspire you or they drain you. Pick them wisely.”

Hans Hansen

It has been said in many ways by a variety of self help authors and gurus throughout the ages that who you are is reflected by the people you spend the most time with. This was a huge lesson for me as I entered the field of fitness. As a lifelong athlete, I thought I was drawn into the gym by the workouts, but truth be told, it was actually the ENERGY of my instructors and the people who showed up and took classes alongside me. Here’s why that made a huge difference.

Positive People Infect You with Positivity

In a nutshell, this is how I experience positive people at the gym. They are:

  • Always excited to be there, even if they struggled to get out the door in the morning.
  • Highly encouraging to those around them.
  • Interested in the lives of the people around them, including their instructors and fellow members.
  • Committed to their own emotional, psychological, and physical health.

The most notable shift I noticed when I started spending more time with positive people was that I felt more balanced, accomplished, and content when I was around them. Talk about a daily dose of positivity!

The Opposite: Negative People Ooze Negativity

In contrast to my experience at the gym, there were areas of my life where I was constantly around negative people. In these situations, I often felt anxious, sad, hopeless, incompetent, and small. That’s because, negative people tend to:

  • Complain constantly. There seems to always be something bad happening in their lives.
  • Blame others for their misfortunes and never themselves.
  • Belittle others because of perceived imperfections.
  • Resist change and discourage others from making change.
  • Wallow in negativity

What’s unfortunate with negative people is that they tend to drag you into their negativity, intentionally or unintentionally. My recommendation: avoid them whenever possible. Develop the relationships you have with positive people and you will bring more happiness and ease to your life.

Do you agree or disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Nadia

Posted in Sleep, Wake Up Earlier

3 Simple Tips to Become An Early (or Earlier) Bird

You’ve probably heard by now that there are massive benefits to waking up early. Aside from the fact that you’ll have more minutes in your day to tackle your to-do list, getting up earlier means having more sunlight hours, which not only boosts your mood, but also helps regulate your sleep patterns, fortifies your immune system. Are you sold yet? If so, here are 3 simple tips to help you become an early (or earlier) bird.

Set a Wake-Up Window

For a short time, I was a hardcore night owl. Stress and anxiety often kept me awake till 3 or 4 am. Exhausted, I could then sleep till noon or later. To change my habit, I set 10:00am as my designated wake up time, with a window of 30 minutes. My rule was that by 10:30am, I HAD to be out of bed. Your window will depend on your work/school schedule and the time you wake up now. Try this:

  • Aim to get up at least 2 hours before work.
  • Set 2 alarms. One at your ideal wake up time and another at the end of your window.
  • Make a commitment to get up by the time the second alarm rings.
  • Make your bed. It’s much more difficult to climb back into bed when the sheets are tucked in and the pillows fluffed.

Try not to make any major changes right off the bat (i.e. getting up at 6:00am when you get up at 12:00pm now). I recommend easing yourself into.

Go to Bed Earlier

This one may seem like a no brainer, but most people overlook the fact that early risers also tend to hit the sheets early too. If your inner child cringes at the thought of going to bed “when you simply don’t wanna,” trust me. You are not alone! Most people find that it’s super difficult to wind down and tuck themselves in. Here’s how to make it easier:

  • Count backward from the time you’re supposed to wake up. Give yourself at least 7 hours to sleep. As I discussed in a previous blog, this is the absolute minimum you need to maintain proper functioning of your brain and your body.
  • Shut off any and all devices 30-90 minutes before your designated bed time. The light literally disrupts your body’s ability to sleep. A dark room communicates to your body that it’s time to sleep, stimulating the production of sleep hormones.
  • Consider getting a wake-up light. These special “alarm clocks” have settings that begin dimming the light to let you know it’s time for sleep until it is completely dark in your room. It will also simulate sunrise to wake you up with soft light in the morning and nature sounds (like birds chirping). I have the Phillips brand Wake-Up Light and I love it, but the Casper Glow also has great reviews.

Do Something You Enjoy

Give yourself something to look forward to in the morning, if for no other reason than the fact that you deserve a reward for getting up earlier. For me, that first thing is having breakfast. Back in my single days, I enjoyed my eggs, toast, and coffee with my mom and my nephew who was barely 2 years old. My life has morphed since then, but the routine has stayed. Now, my fiance and I enjoy breakfast at home together.

What can you add to your morning to make waking up early feel refreshing? Make a list of about 10 things that bring you joy. They can be super easy like pulling up Spotify on your phone so you can dance to your favorite, uplifting song or more challenging, like throwing on your workout gear to hit the gym for a workout. It’s YOUR gift to yourself, so make it something you can smile about afterward.

Posted in Pumpkin Recipes, Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipe

Fall Pumpkin Slow Cooker Stew Recipe

As the weather gets chilly, I find myself craving the taste of autumn. On my last trip to the grocery store, my eyes landed on a can of Organic Pumpkin Puree. Ooooooh, my taste buds sang…. and the creative spark was struck! Since I’m a “what’s in the pantry” kind of cook, I immediately thought a stew would be the perfect way to help me get my veggies in and my pumpkin on in one dish. Thus, the Fall Pumpkin Slow Cooker Stew Recipe was born!

Ingredients

Only 6 ingredients are necessary for this easy prep dish.

  • 1 Can Organic Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 Organic Yellow Squash, Diced
  • 2 Large Organic Carrots, Sliced
  • 2 Large Green Bell Peppers, Diced
  • 4 Cups Organic Broth (chicken, beef, or veggie)
  • 1 Cup Water
  • Spices to Taste (I used turmeric, fresh ground black pepper, fresh ground Himalayan pink salt, chicken seasoning blend).
  • 1 Tablespoon Organic Ghee (or oil of choice)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in your crock pot. Set to LOW and walk away. Come back in 8 hours and enjoy alongside a leafy salad.

Pro Tip: Do a quick taste test around the 6 or 7 hour mark. If you need more seasoning, add it then wait the extra hour or two before eating.

When you try this recipe, make sure to leave a comment here to let me know what you think. Happy slow cooking 😉

Nadia

Posted in Advice for Fitness Instructors, Recovery, Sleep

Sleep: The MOST Essential Habit for Fitness Professionals

By now you’ve probably heard that getting enough sleep is a key component of mental and physical health. But did you know that getting at least 7-8 hours is not just ideal, but ESSENTIAL for proper functioning? Keep reading to find out why.

The Sleep Repair Cycle

As adults, it’s sometimes difficult to shut off our minds. It always seems like there’s so much to do. And for those who are working early morning shifts, the temptation to stay up is just too juicy! But here’s the thing… while you’re sleeping, your body cycles through a process of recovery, which gets longer and longer throughout the night. Oxygen and nutrients are delievered to your muscles helping them re-hydrate and repair. The more you sleep, the more efficiently this process can occur.

The Consequences of Skimping on Sleep

The less sleep you get, the less recovery time for your body. Make under-sleeping a habit and your body is will never be able to fully recuperate from the wear and tear you take it through each and every day. This includes brain function. Long story short… getting any less than 7 hours of shuteye inhibits the ability of neurons to fire. This may show up as…

  • fogginess
  • lethargy
  • inability to focus
  • slow reaction time
  • inability to think creatively, and more….

…all of which will hamper your ability to lead safe, workout sessions.

The Benefits of Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

You may think you don’t have TIME for sleep, but if you want to truly be successful as a fitness instructor, you must MAKE time. When you are properly rested, the benefits include, but are not limited to the following:

  • balanced hormones
  • higher levels of creativity
  • more energy
  • lower levels of stress
  • higher levels of happiness
  • increased productivity

With these benefits combined, you will not only feel more satisfied with your life and work, but also more comfortable and confident in your own skin.

How to Improve Your Sleep Habits

Here are 3 quick tips to get you started on the road to better sleep.

  1. Aim for at Least 7 Hours Per Night – Know what time you need to go to sleep by in order to get a full 7-8 hours of sleep. Make it your goal to hit that metric every night.
  2. Turn Off Devices Well In Advance – The light in your device stimulates the release of hormones that will prevent you from falling alseep, so it’s best to start shutting them off well before you plan to go to sleep. The National Sleep Foundation suggests you give yourself anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The longer the better.
  3. Maintain a Consistent Exercise Routine – Studies show that exercise helps to improve sleep. The reasons for this vary from the release of sleep promoting hormones (melatonin) at night to the simple fact that exercising tires you out. At the end of the day, you’ll be ready to tuck in.

So tell me… now that you know how essential sleep is to your life and career as a fitness instructor, will you make it a priority? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Nadia

Posted in Advice for Fitness Instructors, Confidence

5 Ways to Build Confidence as a Fitness Instructor

Are you nervous about an upcoming class or audition? It’s natural to have pre-class jitters. As a matter of fact, I myself get nervous from time to time, especially when I’m subbing for another instructor or getting in front of a new group of students. What I need one these days is a confidence boost. Here are 5 simple ways to build confidence as a fitness instructor.

Boost Your Confidence and Come Out on Top

The following tidbits will work in a pinch.

  1. Prepare Your Workout in Advance. Anyone whose taught for some time has had the experience of rushing from one class to the next or has been asked to sub at the list minute and enters the room unprepared. Okay, you tell yourself. Today, we’re gonna wing it. This might fly if you’re a seasoned instructor and have a lifetime of templates to call upon. But when you’re brand new, your students will smell the odor of “fly by the seat of your pants” musk surrounding you. All of a sudden, you’re grasping at straws to figure out the next move. I keep a selection of 15 workouts that I cycle through for about a year before I create new ones (you can check them out and snag them if you want to here). It sure makes those 6:00am classes run more smoothly!
  2. Create Tailored Playlists. Music motivates. There may be some students who are content to focus on just the moves, but others want to move to the beat of the music (literally!). Address all of your students’ needs by choosing a selection of music that caters to the tempo of the class. Pro tip: make sure you review it a few times before you bring it to class. Click here to check out the playlists I’ve created on Spotify.
  3. Wear Something You Feel Like a Rockstar In. Looking good is a quick road to feeling good. The right clothes can go a long way in making that happen. That means investing in fitness gear that is functional and flattering as well. Note: Don’t be afraid to be a little, well…. EXTRA. Believe me. Your students will not only appreciate the effort. They’ll also notice your shift in attitude.
  4. Arrive Early to Class. A good rule of thumb is to arrive 15 minutes before start time. You still have to set up the music, make sure there’s a battery in your mic headset, glance over your workout, and welcome students. The last thing you want is to roll up with 5 minutes or less to spare. That will make you feel rushed and appear to your students as unprepared (even if your workout and playlist are ready to go).
  5. Be Yourself. May new instructors struggle to find their teaching personality in the beginning. You’ve probably seen quite a few styles: The peppy cheerleader type, the kick your ass drill sergeant type, the flirtatious, flamboyant dancer type…  the list is endless! It can feel intimidating to see others with strong personalities crushing their classes. But just know that you don’t have to pretend to be anything you’re not. Instead, figure out those innate qualities that draw students to your classes and allow those to stand out.

So tell me… which of these do YOU need to work on more? Tell me in the comments below!

Good luck 🙂

Nadia

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