The PT Roadmap

The weekly newsletter for personal trainers who want to build and run a great business.

Hey!

Thanks for opening up today's newsletter. I appreciate you being here.

Let's get into it!

Business

Mental Health and Being a Personal Trainer

I’ve had my fair share of mental health struggles.

Depressive episodes.

Feeling so anxious I’ve cancelled sessions.

And, I just sometimes find this job takes its toll on me mentally.

We invest so much into our work and clients.

We put our work well before we do ourselves.

We suffer in silence with the demands of being self-employed.

There’s no doubt about it…

… this career challenges your mental health.

But, I have found things I know help me stay in a healthy place mentally.

If I prioritise them on a day-to-day week-to-week basis, I know I’ll feel better.

Here are 7 of them:

Regular Contact With Loved Ones

I go for a walk or coffee every day with my wife. We have weekly date nights scheduled.

I talk to my Mum, Dad, and sister on the phone every week.

I prioritise talking to and meeting up with friends.

Super obvious, but I speak to PTs who go weeks without connecting with people who aren’t clients.

Task: call or make time to meet up with a loved up today.

Take Meaningful Breaks

PT session finishes.

My next one starts in an hour, so I’ve got time for a nice break.

I open my phone and log into Instagram.

“I’ll just spend 5 minutes here.”

*30 mins later*

“ffs.”

Spending 30 minutes on socials isn’t a meaningful break (at least not for me.) I never leave a scrolling session feeling better about my life.

A meaningful break to me is:

• a walk 

• education

• calling a friend

• reading a book

• training/movement

• listening to a podcast about football

• tidying up (it makes me laugh writing this, but I do genuinely find cleaning therapeutic)

Task: Have a think about what yours is, and start using your breaks to do more of those things.

Careful Scheduling

This one is tough because a lot of you won’t have the luxury of choosing your schedule.

However, you can work towards more health-promoting work hours.

For example, I do a maximum of 3-4 sessions in a row, followed by at least a 30-minute break.

I also run 50-minute sessions, so I have some time to take notes, grab a snack and set myself up for my next client.

I rarely work evenings anymore as this time is family time.

It’s taken me 11 years to get here, but it is possible to improve your schedule.

Task: think about what an ideal workweek would look like for you. 

Intentional Social Media Use

This is a big one.

As most of you create content, and use your socials for business purposes - any time you log onto a platform, you are opening yourself up for feedback.

Feedback that you may not be mentally ready for.

Feedback that might be positive (a post did well) or negative (a post didn’t do well or someone has called you out for something.)

For this reason, and many others (e.g. comparison and distraction), you must be intentional about when you use it.

Don’t have it sitting there ready to be opened whenever you get a ping or boredom.

Task: I delete the apps on my phone and use Freedom to block access on my computer. If you struggle here, you might want to consider something similar.

Prioritise Movement

I'm preaching to the choir here, but you probably got into this industry because you love movement or training.

And then you get busy, and you stop prioritising it.

You tell yourself you don’t have time for it.

But you do.

Because you know the power of a 10-20 minute workout.

And all of us have the time to move for 1/72 of our days.

I schedule my training sessions like I do my client ones. And I do it first, before I put in things like content creation, programming and admin work.

Task: get your own sessions onto your calendar. Treat it like a client session, because it’s as important.

Talk to a Professional

Therapy changed my life.

I went to my first therapist when I went through a break-up. That was nearly 10 years ago, and I still speak to the one I have now every 6-8 weeks.

If you’re struggling, and you think you might benefit from having someone to talk to who isn’t a friend, I’d recommend therapy.

It’s still wrongly stigmatised, but if you think about it - having a therapist is like having a PT, but for your brain.

And you know how effective having a PT can be.

Task: consider reaching out to a therapist if you’re struggling.

Would you add anything? Is there anything you do to look after your mental health?

Social Post

I love this post for so many reasons.

The message is amazing.

But the bit I love just as much is the simplicity of this marketing idea.

A bench.

A whiteboard.

And a willingness to say hi to the people of your town.

I’d be seriously surprised if George’s gym, Intent 91, didn’t get a few clients from this.

On a broader scale, in addition to directly gaining clients, it’s just so nice to see a PT getting out there and talking to the people of their town about health and fitness.

Thanks so much for reading.

— Stuart.

Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. One-to-One Mentoring. Do you wish you had someone to talk to every week to guide you and keep you accountable? It might be time to consider reaching out for some help. I’ve been where you are, and I’ve helped 100s of PTs grow their client base, professionalize their business and build a career they are proud of. Just hit reply if you’re interested, and we’ll set up a time to talk.

2. The Lead Gen Roadmap. If you need clients or want to develop a systemised approach to lead generation, this course is for you. As a newsletter subscriber, use this link for 10% off.