Last week on the podcast we met Kim Basler. We talked about the long term effects of living in chronic stress, over exercise and disordered eating. And how common that is in the fitness industry. Of course this isn’t limited to fitness industry professionals. No matter what your profession it’s important to understand that just because you do what you do well and have done it for so long you can do it in your sleep, that doesn’t mean you’re not under toxic levels of stress. It doesn’t matter what you think is going on with your stress levels, what matters is the nervous system response.
Often we think that trauma and stress injury only happens when the nervous system is overwhelmed all at once, too much too soon. And yes that can happen. But Too much for too long can lead to the same chronic stress and trauma symptoms we see in full blown ptsd.
I speak from experience because there was a period of about 15 years where if you had asked me if I was stressed I would have told you no way.
Even though I never slept, I suffered with excruciating gut pain, anxiety, depression and panic attacks as well as hormone dysregulation. So much so that I felt angry all the time and lost my temper at the drop of a hat. And this went for so long and started so subtly that I believed this was just my personality. I’m so glad it’s not.
I’d like to highlight some things that came out of our discussion that could help prevent the kind of overwhelm that leads to burnout and turnover that we see all too often in a space that’s supposed to be based on wellness. And then talk about some specific things that employers and managers can do to support their wellness contractors.
As a part of my mission to bring a legacy of resilience through movement, each month you can join me for a hike on the bike trail followed by a free trauma informed vinyasa class back at the studio on Main Street. Go to savagegracecoaching.com to see the calendar and join my newsletter, Yoga Life on Main Street, to stay up to date on all the latest studio news, events and gossip. And now… on to this week’s episode.
It’s time to stop working out and start working IN. You found the Work IN podcast for fit-preneurs and their health conscious clients. This podcast is for resilient wellness professionals who want to expand their professional credibility, shake off stress and thrive in a burnout-proof career with conversations on the fitness industry, movement, nutrition, sleep, mindset, nervous system health, yoga, business and so much more.
I’m your host Ericka Thomas. I'm a resilience coach and fit-preneur offering an authentic, actionable realistic approach to personal and professional balance for coaches in any format.
The Work IN is brought to you by savage grace coaching, bringing resilience through movement, action and accountability. Private sessions, small groups and corporate presentations are open now. Visit savagegracecoaching.com to schedule a call and get all the details.
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Hey Fit Pro, It’s time to learn your ABCs’
Last week on the podcast we met Kim Basler. We talked about the long term effects of living in chronic stress, over exercise and disordered eating. And how common that is in the fitness industry. Of course this isn’t limited to fitness industry professionals. No matter what your profession it’s important to understand that just because you do what you do well and have done it for so long you can do it in your sleep, that doesn’t mean you’re not under toxic levels of stress. It doesn’t matter what you think is going on with your stress levels, what matters is the nervous system response.
Often we think that trauma and stress injury only happens when the nervous system is overwhelmed all at once, too much too soon. And yes that can happen. But Too much for too long can lead to the same chronic stress and trauma symptoms we see in full blown ptsd.
I speak from experience because there was a period of about 15 years where if you had asked me if I was stressed I would have told you no way.
Even though I never slept, I suffered with excruciating gut pain, anxiety, depression and panic attacks as well as hormone dysregulation. So much so that I felt angry all the time and lost my temper at the drop of a hat. And this went for so long and started so subtly that I believed this was just my personality. I’m so glad it’s not.
I’d like to highlight some things that came out of our discussion that could help prevent the kind of overwhelm that leads to burnout and turnover that we see all too often in a space that’s supposed to be based on wellness. And then talk about some specific things that employers and managers can do to support their wellness contractors.
So let's start with fit pros themselves. Many if not most instructors and trainers are independent contractors and so we don’t have anyone looking out for us. We have to look out for ourselves when it comes to setting personal and professional boundaries. The first thing I teach my unshakeable wellness professionals is the ABC’s of resilience.
ABC stands for Awareness Boundaries Career.
- A- Awareness of your own state - of health, nervous system, stress response . How does what you do affect you and how are you affecting others Safe Self regulation + co regulation
- B- Boundaries personal and professional boundaries- Learn to say no - learn to be intentional about your yes - you don’t have to be everything to everyone - you don’t have to know everything about everything -
- C - Career curation - business foundations success through collaboration, connection and certification that make sense and support the A and B. Invest in yourself and understand your business. invest in your cross training - go to classes that noticeably lower your stress levels - curate your certifications appropriately
The ABCs are unfortunately the things that most of our certifications leave out. They’re things that if you stay in the fitness industry long enough you will learn the hard way. But you don’t have to. It doesn’t have to be so hard.
In fact the reason there’s so much turn over in the fitness industry is because we have a tendency to be a little stingy with our wisdom and because so many of us work in our own lonely little bubble until we can’t take it anymore and quit or move on to a real job.
There’s some simple things that fitness managers and owners can do to support their instructor and trainers that can help avoid burnout, turnover and a loss of talent.
- Have enough instructors - The number 1 complaint I had no matter where I worked was that there never was enough subs. Really good instructors tend to get hired for more permanent positions. Sometimes it’s up to the instructor to find a sub for themselves, sometimes there’s a coordinator. But if you’re a club/gym manager the best thing you can do for your team is let them know that you have their back.
- Support continuing education. It’s in everyone’s best interest to either bring in continuing education for instructors or subsidize it in some way. And the gold standard would be to offer education for your team on how to take care of themselves. If money is an issue, then maybe you set up a mentorship program within your organization. Collaboration can build teamwork and boost creativity. But in order for it to work you also need to have enough subs so they can take time off.
- Pay them enough. One of the reasons that instructors overwork themselves is because they need to make more money. But there are ways to cultivate what you offer in your facility so that your team members can feel valued, challenged and fulfilled in the creative zone of genius AND be compensated well. This might mean letting them host workshops or special events, create member challenges or maybe stepping into some kind of admin outside the gym.
Fact is Fit pros are some of the most creative people on the planet and the possibilities are endless when it comes to expanding and scaling your business. Can I get an AMEN
The fitness industry is unique in that we are helping others manage their stress levels without any training or understanding of the nervous system and how that affects absolutely everything including the results that our clients get or don’t get.That dog just isn’t gonna hunt for very long.
This year I’m bringing you a unique opportunity to train with me in a one day retreat that will give you a simple accessible understanding of the nervous system, powerful safe self regulation skills to calm your own stress response and new skills you can immediately use to help your clients get those elusive results in any format.
The Well is a one day retreat for the serious and the seriously stressed fitness professional who wants to become unshakeable in 2022.
If that’s you, go to Elementalkinetics.com/thewellnetworkshop for the latest details. Some of which have changed including a new price that I think y’all are gonna like so check it out!
Until next time my friends! Thanks for listening and remember it’s ok to stop working out and start working in.