We love Freestyle Exercising, right? To us Freestyle represents an attitude. To take what’s great, creative and inspiring inside of us as Instructors and let that touch everyone that we teach and coach.

The routines you create are crucial to making Freestyle safe, effective and motivating but that’s only part of the picture.

The energy, sincerity and true compassion you have to help transform other people’s lives, I believe is what keeps people coming back time and time again to you. ‘This is my 20th year Anniversary of coming to her classes’, I over-heard a fellow groupie say last week. That’s incredible and that’s a gift that comes from a Freestyle attitude. It’s the ability to touch others and actively contribute to their physical and mental well-being.

But as great as this is, there’s a bigger revolution happening across the UK and it needs our attention. It’s called ‘Obesity’. Take your pick of the stats flying around, but they all point to one thing. By as soon as 2020, that’s 14 years; over 1/3rd of all adults in the UK will be obese, not overweight but obese. Today that number is around 20%.

We’re talking about millions of people abusing their health. Suffering social inadequacy, low self-esteem, illnesses like diabetes and heart disease not to mention the impact it has on the family.

And guess what when you’re feeling that low, the prospect of walking through the doors of a swanky Sports Club, dressed head to toe in lycra and grapevining with as much coordination as David Brent just doesn’t seem very appealing!

That’s where you come in, upping the ante and taking ‘Freestyle to the Community. For many Instructors this is where it all started, you could say we’ve gone full circle, but the need for your services, motivation and passion has never been greater.

Freestyle in the Community celebrates your independence to create inspiring timetables, from Latino Aerobics to Circuits, in all sorts of venues, like Village Halls, Scout Huts and Schools. All with the added advantage of ‘no ghastly mirrors’ as one of my ladies pointed out the other day.

So here are our 5 top tips for ‘Freestyle in the Community’.

1. Sort out your Venues

You need your classes to be regular, so that people can build them into their weekly exercise routine. A big deciding factor are the Venues. Are they suitable? Big enough? Regularly Available? Do they have parking facilities? Can you get key access to be able to get in early to set up?

2. Inspire your Timetable

Use all of your Freestyle know-how to bring a top quality timetable to your area. Offer a choice of classes so the same person can do more than 1 of your sessions per week. Once you’ve found that class groupie make the range of your classes as appealing to them as possible. Plus varying your type of classes keeps you fresh and innovative.

Don’t be wed to your timetable though, be ruthless. If a class isn’t working then find out why and do something about it.

3. Advertise Effectively

There are no short cuts, you have to advertise and shout about your timetable. This is also the area you can waste a lot of time and money.

Think about where you would look to find out about exercise in your local Town? Shop windows, door-to-door leaflets, possibly local newspapers although they can be really quite pricey and the Internet.

Yes, the Internet. UKFitness.org have launched their regional directories specifically for Independent Fitness Professionals like you. You can advertise your class timetable to all your local Community through one of UKFitness.org’s Internet Shop Windows.

The sites are optimised to help people find your classes easily if they’re searching on the UK’s main search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL. It’s cheap, simple and most of all it works. Get your Freestyle in the Community timetable listed for less than a fiver per month. That’s only 1 new person to a class every month and you’ve paid for it! Check out www.ukfitness.org.

4. Know your People

Take the time to understand what the goals are of your class members. Why they come? What they like and dislike? How do they feel about their current exercise schedule? When do they like to exercise? Are there other time slots which you’re not utilising at the moment?

5. Work, Work, Work

There’s no quick fix. Running your own classes in the Community takes effort, energy and time. But the rewards are huge and the impact you have on People’s health and well-being can often be more dramatic. Without doubt you’ll attract class members who just wouldn’t have been exercising had you not made it so easy for them.

Also building a strong following and interesting timetable can mean that it’s more lucrative for you. Now that’s a win all round.

It’s time to look again at your local Community and think creatively about how you can get your Town moving. Work smart and hard. Advertise effectively across all mediums. Learn about your membership quickly and understand what it takes to get them out of their doors and into yours.

Do what you do best, take Freestyle to the Community. Be inspired.

Good Luck.

Chris Clarke
UKFitness.org

03/04/2006