The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things. The world came to a lockdown, but did the work stop? Indeed, no! We, intelligent humans, devised ways and means to carry forward our work and earn our livelihood despite the lockdowns. And the internet proved to be the most significant resource these days.
Everyone came online, and the World Wide Web connected us all. The fitness industry was not behind. With growing health awareness and more and more people engaging in fitness activities, fitness coaches, too, jumped on the bandwagon. Although online coaching was a thing before the pandemic, it picked up more after it.
Now, fitness is a flexible industry, and if you cannot pursue it as a full-time job but want to follow your passion while helping others, you can become a fitness coach along with your full-time job.
But how feasible is this? Won’t it become hectic? Will you be able to give sufficient time to your clients? Let us address such and other questions in the blog below.
Introduction
There are various types of fitness coaches depending on how the coach interacts with the client. The ‘fitness coach’ that we are talking about in this article is an online nutrition and fitness coach, not a personal trainer (offline or online). This kind of service works on a subscription-based model, wherein a person, often called a mentee, needs to subscribe to the services of a mentor/coach.
Now, because the job is just consulting, it can be very flexible, and you do not have a fixed set of working hours attached to it. Hence, one can manage it well with another full-time profession or salary-based employment. Having said that, not many are comfortable multi-tasking. It requires planning so that your attention does not get divided and you do justice to both jobs.
The responsibilities of a full-time job are enormous, with deadline pressures and that part of climbing up the ladder in your respective field. Dedication and persistence are imperative in a flexible job as you may lose focus and reduce timing, considering the flexibility.
In the fitness industry, results are very important, and assuring that your mentee achieves his goal can often become a daunting process. Hence, it may become extremely difficult for some people to manage the double workload and maintain their mental stability, considering delivering two job responsibilities.
Tips to Manage a Full-time Job with Fitness Coaching
Fitness coaching is a competitive field, and you need to level up your game with quality service, continuous education, and social media presence to keep surviving, prospering, and staying relevant. The tips below can help you make your life easier and handle the work pressure of both jobs.
Planning
Plan your day well in advance. Some of you may even plan your entire week on the weekend. Dedicate a specific time for an activity and write it down on paper. Make a to-do list and work accordingly.
Prioritize
Do not mix the coaching with your working hours or vice versa. Check which job is urgent and which is important. Urgent deadlines should be given priority. Important work can be delegated partly or wholly to someone and then supervised by you.
Delegation
This is a continuation of the above point. But you need to learn how to delegate work responsibly. Maybe hire an intern (if possible) to take care of social media, appointments, and updating plans. This will leave you free to focus on quality work (client handling).
Automation
Learn to automate things slowly. Have a set, systematic process for onboarding, scheduling calls, and sharing plans (use apps or Excel templates). Try using technology to your advantage.
Know your limits
Last but not least, do not bite off more than you can chew. Always be realistic regarding clients you can handle along with your other responsibilities.
It is very important to understand that no matter your financial situation or motivation to follow your passion, you are not a supernatural being. As a human, you have your boundaries and limitations. Accept and respect these by doing everything to the best of your capability, and you will achieve success!
For more such information, keep coming back to our blog section, and do let us know your views on the above topic in the comments section below.
Authors:
Praveen Budhrani (INFS Faculty)
Dr Pooja Nilgar (Content writer and editor)