By, Monika Krawczyk, Discovery Learning’s Office Manager

Work(OUT)aholic?!? Are your friends having sessions with their personal trainer or working out in the gym while you become more and more scared of saying goodbye to your money and calculating the costs?

Here is a short guide of how to keep your finances under control on your way to a perfect, healthy and well-shaped fitness body!

1. Get to know your local paths and parks and enjoy the beauty of nature and sunshine. Believe me there is no better feeling than running next to the fast food restaurant and looking at the people with a burger on their plate (even if it is 6.30am – witnesses’ testimony!)
2. Get back to your childhood activities at low costs, borrow a skipping rope or the inline skates from your younger sister or cousin. Choose an active holiday, plan the trekking trip yourself, jump into the local lake or river for a refreshing dip!
3. Dreading spending a fortune on a dress and heels to get perfect party look? Get your friends to exercise with you even during and evening out! You can have great fun during an ‘80’s aerobics session’ or ‘Dirty Dancing’ themed birthday party. Well… not to mention the ‘Rocky’ or ‘Karate Kid’ for the male audience!
4. Want to impress your new partner? Choose an outdoor badminton game or Frisbee—perfect option just for the two of you. And then ask your partner to cook a dinner in return!
5. Are you a keen fan of winter sports? Instead of saving every penny for a trip to Alaska or Canada, why don’t you check out one of the local snowboarding slopes or ice-skating rinks. You can hire equipment and still afford to get a few lessons from the personal trainer to polish your skills!

In short remember to keep it as simple as possible – just realise that the less money you spend to get in shape the more pleasure you will get from it along with a healthy and fit body!

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By, Caroline Newton, Certified Personal Trainer and Discovery Learning Tutor

One of the biggest questions you will have to ask yourself before entering into the personal training industry is: “Do I want to go freelance, or do I want the security of employment?”  Before you make this decision, I have highlighted some facts that might help you decide:

The “Working in Fitness 2008 Survey” stated that 76% of Personal Trainers are freelance, while 7% are employed on a part time permanent basis and only 16% are employed on a full time permanent basis. These statistics often bring people down to earn and realigns their expectations. This means that it is more difficult to obtain a full time permanent job in the industry.  The route I took into the industry was to start off as working for a big fitness company as a gym and indoor cycling instructor, I then gradually decreased my hours as a gym instructor and increased my hours as a Personal Trainer until I was a Freelance Personal Trainer paying the company a percentage of my hourly rate. I then moved to another company which charged a flat monthly rental for use of their facility. I still wore their uniform etc, but I was my own boss.  This was a step in the right direction; however, I found it frustrating to work on a shift basis, especially when my clients wanted a session outside of my times.  So I moved on from there started training people outside of the gym on my own. I trained them in their homes, and in the park. One of the key motivators for this move is that I did not need to pay any monthly rent to a middle man! Initially, I had to really get motivated and organise to market myself, and I learnt the power of the internet very quickly. I set up my own website, joined forums, advertised myself in local papers. Initially, I thought that all this work was in vain, but soon the number of clients increased, but I was too nervous to take my foot of the pedal.

I did earn more money as a freelance Trainer than employed (approximately 15% more) and my hourly rate went up, however, I had to take myself out of my comfort zone in terms of my sales techniques. I am not naturally a sales person, and found cold calling people and approaching people very uncomfortable. But through strong will power and self discipline, I managed. Then in time, it became easier and easier, with client referring their friends to me. One of the biggest tips I would be to specialise in a specific area such a weight management, sport specific goals, medical condition etc. This way you have a unique selling point that makes you meet your client’s goals.  I loved the freedom of being able to choose how and when I would work and being creative in the packages I would offer my clients.

At some points I did miss the security of a monthly fixed income that the employed route offered and I could sleep at night knowing that my bills would be paid. However, I found that if I kept my accounts up to date and developed my budgeting skills, I did not need to worry. I also consulted an accountant friend who helped me with my tax returns and what I could claim as company expenses.

After reading my experiences of freelance and employed personal training, I hope I have given you an insight to help you make your own decisions.  I know I wish I had someone to talk to, back then to help me on my way. So I suggest, chatting to both a freelance and employed Personal Trainer about their experiences to help you with your decisions.

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