How I Got Out Of A Group Exercise Teaching Slump

I think we’ve all been there from time to time. I don’t mind admitting that my slumps usually come from a place that is all of my own doing. Maybe I’ve worked for too long without a holiday, I’ve said yes to something that is taking up more time than I wanted it to, I’ve let a class that isn’t busy enough take up my time and head space for too long. And I feel flat off the back of it. 

Now I love this job. I am deeply passionate about group ex and personal training and I love nothing more than helping people find a love for their own health & fitness. But if I’m doing it in a way that doesn’t fill me with joy or tops up the bank account, I can feel a little disillusioned. 

The first thing I do is to know myself. I now know I get craggy if I haven't had some time off. I am less effective, I am tired. If I work on a Sunday, by the following Wednesday I feel sad in my soul. I just can’t do it, 5.5 days in a row is all I can handle. So these days I don’t do events any more (rarely anyway). Purely because I want the stuff I do in the week to feel amazing, and also because when I rest I am effective at my normal work, which in turn affords me time to myself. 

The second thing is to drill down into what is actually making me feel this way. Is it because the class isn’t as busy? Why is that? My fault for not doing enough promo or is it just something that isn't working? What if I feel overworked? Well that’s definitely my fault because I’m self employed so what can I do to change that? Do I need to be more intentional with my work blocks? Do I need to say no to a few things so I can get my shit together? Am I teaching/training a class/person who doesn’t align with my goals and my values? Do I need to change things up?

The third thing is to allow time. To sit in it and let my brain work out exactly why I am feeling like this, for how long and when the right time to take action is. We cannot love every single minute of what we do, it’s the same as any job, but we choose this job because it feels like our purpose. That means that sometimes we have to sit in things to realign with that purpose and work out if we actually need to make changes, or we simply just need a week off. We are human after all. 

Feeling out of kilter with your job is completely normal, every single person on the planet feels like it at some point or another. Usually it’s because we need to take action in some way, even if it is as simple as having a day off or giving ourselves a proper break for a week. Lets get better at listening to ourselves and tuning in to what our body and brain are telling us. Most of the time it’s pretty simple, be a bit kinder to ourselves and have some bloody time off. 

If you want to join a platform designed to make your life easier, register on www.amf.world - we have options for both L2 instructors and then those with a dance fitness certification. 

Anna

Xx