I felt like a first-time member
I went to the dentist this week and I hated every second before it and during it.
Not the dentist herself, just the thoughts and feelings my brain was conjuring up!
I could hear the drill sound before I had even walked into the surgery!
I know I was totally overthinking. There was going to be nothing to worry me but geez there was some anxiety sitting in the chair.
And it got me thinking (I was trying to distract myself)! My feelings were exactly how a non-gym goer feels walking into your club for the first time.
We forget that feeling or we may have never had that feeling of gymtimidation!
We’re comfortable in a gym. We are comfortable in activewear. We are comfortable surrounded by people huffing n puffing. We also know the unwritten rules of gyms!
The first few times members come in, they are thinking:
- Will people stare?
- Do I look out of place?
- Where do I start?
- What do I do?
- How do I look?
How people feel in those first few moments shapes everything! So the quicker we can help/support or just identify a person in need, the bigger the chance we can reduce their gymtimidation!
Put yourself in the shoes of a beginner and do something new. Something that stretches you. Something that makes you feel a little anxious.
Take note of how you feel, what is your breathing like and are there any other physiological changes you notice.
Now ask yourself: Is this how a new member feels walking into my gym?
Empathy isn’t taught. It’s experienced.
Justin is the Managing Director of Active Management, which he began January 2004. He offers coaching to businesses worldwide in everything from start up and design to marketing and sales systems. Justin also facilitates four Australian and New Zealand ‘fitness industry roundtables’ events, which allows him to see a huge cross section of business models.