Only the other day I was speaking to one of my clients about perspective and blessings in disguise.
Now, this isn’t going to be a blog all about how you have to be super positive all the time and you’re never allowed to feel sad or frustrated. But, it will be about how I’ve been able to look back at experiences over the last 18 months, and how it has accelerated and changed the ultimate path of my career as a business owner and fitness coach in Basingstoke.
So, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, or you’re that family from Basingstoke who threw a massive party in the middle of the pandemic because you “don’t check the news”, the world has been massively affected by COVID-19. As a result of these effects, for a good number of months I was unable to work properly, which is a feeling I never want to experience again.
Upping my game with M10
As a result of the uncertainty that came with all the lockdown restrictions, I was in need of upping my game, increasing my levels of self-confidence and really getting back to learning and educating myself ready for when the fitness world was ready to reopen.
I was very fortunate to be able to invest in myself and undergo a 6-month mentorship with the company M10. The layout of the mentorship was all online and we had a series of lectures to follow, questions to answer, and had to bring questions to the weekly catchup we had with our mentors and the rest of the group. I truly valued the time I spent learning from some of the best in the business, as well as being able to connect with other coaches and my mentor.
Expanding my knowledge base
The content that we studied over the 6 months was a lot more than I originally thought. I expected to learn a little bit about how to monitor clients and how to write programmes. But, it was a lot more in-depth than that. We covered topics about female physiology (menstrual cycle, contraception, menopause and PCOS), digestion, stress, sleep and client psychology and mindset.
Now some of these subjects I felt fairly clued up on, but others I hadn’t even touched on. I’m not a doctor of female physiology or stress after watching a few lectures, but this course has given me an insight into what I need to look out for as a coach and further educate my understanding of different populations and different stages of where a client might be in their journey.
All of the information I’ve learnt over the last few months has certainly solidified some coaching practices I’d already been implementing since I started coaching, but it’s given me a new sense of confidence about where I can possibly go with my coaching practices and further helping my clients achieve greater results, both objectively and subjectively.
Getting practical and future plans
Just before we finished the mentorship programme, the guys at M10 hosted a practical coaching weekend. Throughout this weekend we went through initial assessments with clients, as well as learning the biomechanical understanding of moment arms, levers and how you can make an exercise more impactful on the desired muscle just by changing the angle that you’re working at.
I really enjoyed this practical element and being surrounded by excellent kit and other coaches who share the same passion for learning and levelling up their coaching standard. The team of coaches has encouraged my own plan for the next few years to get a gym of my own, and to have a team around me who can really make a huge impact on the wider community in and around Basingstoke.
If there are any clients seeking a fitness coach in Basingstoke, or if there are any coaches who are looking to level up their coaching, just drop me a message!