I have been in the fitness industry for 20 years. One thing I know for sure is….
I know that I will never, ever know it all.
There is always something new to learn (or remember). Recently I spent 3 days with a bunch of amazing women who wanted to improve themselves, learn more and help others.
3 of the best from the USA.
and as a bonus surprise one of the greats from fitness industry Australia was there too – Nardia Norman.
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My brain and body are both exhausted (in a good way). I need to get these ideas and learnings out of my head and into print so that I can call on them anytime.
7 lessons from Radiance Retreat Australia
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1) Be present. / Do ONE thing. / Be Here Now.
This was such a strong theme running through the weekend. Give 100% attention to the task at hand.
Easier said than done I know, but I have caught myself quite a few times in the past few days since the retreat and brought myself back to the present.
Then this image popped up in my social media news feed the day after the retreat. To me it speaks volumes.
2) Online learning is great, but there is nothing like face to face.
The collective energy in the room was so intense you could almost touch it.
30 plus women so excited to be there. So pumped to learn and share their journey. There is no substitute. I soaked it all up and loved every minute of it. I would be a millionaire if I could bottle it.
3) Collaboration beats Competition
The fitness industry can be a weird little world.
Many ego’s. Many strong personalities. Politics. Pecking order. Tall poppy syndrome. Blah, blah, blah.
Jen, Jill and Neg are 3 of the top fitness identities in the world. They could have taken the path of “This is my space, everyone else can back off“, however instead of competition, they took the path of collaboration.
What a beautiful thing.
I don’t talk about this often (at all), but a few years back I was targeted from a local competitor. I won’t go into all of the details, just to say there were many attempts to ruin my reputation.
It rattled me. It got to me for a while. Its over now and I learnt many lessons.
Recently another trainer started up in our local area. She reached out to me to help educate some of her clients with some specific learning’s that I could help with.
It was so damn refreshing and wonderful. Together we are stronger.
I hope to do many more collaborations in the future.
4) Value yourself
I can forget that the knowledge that I take for granted has the ability to change someone else’s life.
I can forget that this knowledge has taken me 20 years to learn. If I don’t value myself and my knowledge, why the hell would anyone else?
Jill Coleman taught me that and I am grateful for the lesson.
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5) I Love, Love, Love being a participant again
I admitted to the group that a part of me had fallen out of love with fitness. I am so used to being in charge and focusing on my clients progress that I had let my own fitness journey slide.
I absolutely loved being a participant in a class again. I (usually) had a big smile on my face during the sessions.
Up the back of the class, moving my body, going with the flow, no pressure, just participating.
I need to participate again on a regular basis.
6) The image of how a fitness professional lives is different from the reality
We had a little break on Sunday, so what was a girl to do but SHOP !!
I strolled through Bondi markets and started chatting to some of the stall holders.
I was all sweaty and in workout gear. One of the stall holders asked what I had been up to. I explained that I was at a retreat with other fitness professionals and we were meeting up for lunch later. She made a joke that we would have burgers and wine… NOT.
I laughed and said “that’s probably exactly what we will do” . (I wasn’t joking).
There is an image that a fit-pro lives off organic lettuce leaves and purified water. NEW FLASH !! We are just like everyone else. We enjoy food, wine, chocolate and chips.
7) I came to find something, but I realised I had it all along
** Ok, I totally stole that aha from one of the other girls at the retreat, but it perfectly sums up my feelings.
Sometimes we don’t need to learn anything new, we simply need to remember what we already know.
Never stop learning
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With almost 20 years experience, Chriss Tinslay is one of Australia’s leading Personal Trainers.
Chriss started her career into the fitness and personal training industry in 1994 as a receptionist at the local gym she attended and loved.
She quickly went on to become qualified and registered as a Master Trainer with Fitness Australia. Chriss has now helped1000’s of people transform their bodies and lives.
Chriss has appeared in the biggest loser DVD series, Mornings with Kerri-Anne and has written her first short book “15 weight loss secrets that you need to know”.
She now runs regular face to face and online fat loss coaching programs.
Chriss believes that fitness and fat loss should fit into your fabulous life, NOT take over it. You can connect with her on Facebook where she shares useful tips each and every day.