After so many months , it is going to seem like we are getting to know our participants all over again
Yet , there are aspects of rapport building that have not been ruled out . If you like to stand by your door at the beginning and end of class , stand a little further inside the room and let your body language and verbal communication do the work . After all , we can still make eye contact and we can still smile ( you can tell by their eyes when someone ’ s smiling , even when they ’ re wearing a mask !). We can also , of course , still greet participants by their name , welcome them to our classes , thank them for coming and bid them goodbye .
In an ever-changing situation , focusing on what we can do , rather than on what we can ’ t , can empower us to move forward . It may feel uncomfortable at first , but change always involves a degree of discomfort . Yet without change , there can be no development and growth .
Laughter is the best medicine
“ Last one , I promise – Instructor ’ s honour , why does no one believe me ?”, “ I need a gravity-less capsule to demonstrate this aqua move in !” and “ That ’ s easy as pie ! Speaking of pie ...”. These are just a few of the one-liners that I use in my classes , and they get people laughing . The saying goes that ‘ laughter is the best medicine ’ and this is particularly true in a time of change .
Given that laugher increases our intake of oxygen to our heart , lungs and muscles and causes our brain to release more endorphins , we could say that used in conjunction with fitness we are giving our body a double dose ! Granted , we are not comedians , and you do want work-time in a class to be work-time , but peppering a few fun remarks throughout the class – as long as they aren ’ t at the expense of others – can go a long way to building rapport and seeing people return for the next session .
The language of consideration
People deal with a crisis , and particularly isolation , in different ways . One of those could involve turning to food or cooking as a coping mechanism – certainly since that was one thing that they could turn to for some variety in their lives . As a result , some returning , and new , participants may feel self-conscious about the kilos that they ’ ve put on and their changed body shape .
While it would clearly be considered unprofessional to comment directly to a patron about it , keep in mind that indirect comments may also be construed as offensive . Throwaway lines such as , “ They ’ ve put on the iso-kilos ” or a “ He could do with coming to this class ” about people who aren ’ t present , such as public figures or people in our lives , could increase the discomfort that a participant has with regards their own body image .
Body image issues can be linked to mental health challenges for some people . Considering that mental health is a benefit of exercise , and something that we now often refer to when promoting the importance of the fitness industry , adding to those mental health issues could call into question whether we actually believe these claims .
Moreover , there will be people in our classes whose goals don ’ t include weight loss or body change . Insinuating , by our comments about these things , that gym attendance must be indicative of their desire to lose weight or change shape , could create further issues regarding inclusion and ‘ fitting in ’ for those people .
Connecting moving forwards
There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed a lot of things – and that the fitness industry has been one of the hardest hit . Some ways of doing things will be lost , others may slowly return , and yet others still will emerge and present themselves as new best practice . By rolling with the punches and adapting the way we do things , we can ensure that our group fitness classes will once again not only survive , but thrive .
Mel Morony Mel is a group fitness instructor based in Eastern Melbourne . She is passionate about raising standards in the area of group fitness , for both participants and instructors . She is currently participating in COVID-19 vaccine trials .
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