Obviously, my experience is slightly different as its my job too. But this is an honest account of my experience, the highs and the lows. So, when I was a child, no one I knew went to a gym. I was a runner so ran outside. I swam so swam with my swimming club. But, I also did conditioning at home, including skipping, flexibility, and balance work.
I didn’t even consider this to be different. Over the past 10 years, I have done more of my training in a gym environment. And of course, I teach classes in Clubs and in the Community.
So, moving on to March 2020. We had just returned from a training camp in Portugal which I was running. And of course, all of our training was outside. So, when lockdown came it wasn’t a shock to continue to run outside, cycle and when the weather improved and we were allowed, to swim in the river. I also started teaching online.
To speak, dance and instruct to a screen took a while to get used to for sure. Some of our workouts were on Zoom but the majority on Facebook within our own private group. So, what positives have I found as a coach online, training at home and being a participant in other fit pros workouts:
- No travel time
- So much variety
- Short but effective sessions
- Fact, you don’t need much kit to get a decent workout in
- My own music
- Time efficient training
- My dinner can be cooking whilst I am training
- Really going back to basics in coaching, and teaching visually, verbally and with full explanations
- Developing my own skill set
- Stepping out of my comfort zone
- Building an online business with over 200 members
- Real job satisfaction
- SMART training. Taking less time than in the gym as less distractions
- Getting back outside to do my run training
- 100% enjoyment
- People can join our workouts together without worrying about child care issues
Things I have found more challenging are:
- Getting rid of my dining room and making it into a full blown studio. (I do love it now though but it wasnt an easy decision) And remember, this is because I coach, so need more space.
- It hasn’t been cheap setting it up. Flooring, kit, lights, tripods, licensed free music. But again, as a participant this wouldn’t be the case. This is because its my business.
- Learning to be comfortable in front of the camera and getting the angles right took a while. But, as a Corporate Wellness Trainer, I am used to standing up and talking to people. It was more, not getting the live feedback there and then.
- At times, questioning myself if I am giving enough on the programme. Could I offer more? Am I enough?
So, in conclusion, I absolutely love working out from home. Both as a job and my own training.
I have more time. I teach better and really feel a connection online with our members which I just didn’t think was possible. I also feel I have made new friendships. I can work with people from outside my town, or even my Country which we do. We have people from South Africa, Portugal, Northern Ireland and Italy on our programme.
I feel more free and although I plan my training, I also feel there is more choice from home than in the gym which is something I never thought I would say. But, I was stuck in a rut and doing the same things day in day out/week in/week out. Now, I mix it up much more.
So, I can honestly say, it has been a learning curve. But such a positive experience and one I will continue with for years to come.
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