Industry advocate Jen Dugard writes about the changing culture in fitness professionals where more trainers are embracing collaboration over competition…
In a world where women are often pitted against each other and in an industry that has mostly been driven by the masculine influence there is emerging a breed of Personal Trainer that knows there is another way.
- They believe in change for themselves and change for their clients.
- They believe that they have to do better, to BE better and to stand together to shape the future.
- They believe that the future of our Fitness Industry is born through education and collaboration and they believe that the women, specifically the mothers that they serve must be better looked after.
How can PT's collaborate to provide a better outcome for out clients?
When you look around at every fitness environment, in the gym, within outdoor group training or group fitness classes the trend, time and time again is that they are filled with more and more women.
In 2016 it was reported that Mums made up 77% of women aged 15 and over (www.abs.gov) so if 77% of the women in our exercise environments are mothers, and we know that babies are being born every, single day, it must also make sense that there is a huge need to ensure these women are looked after properly within our industry.
Your average Personal Trainer is not fully educated in working with mums, prenatal, postnatal or beyond.
It’s not taught in your Certificate 3 & 4. It doesn’t become something you are qualified for ‘just because you are a fitness professional and you become a mother yourself’ and it shouldn’t be a guessing game. It must be learned and it must be implemented well, ideally with the support of allied health professionals. Women are at stake; physically and emotionally.
This is where these unique personal trainers and fitness businesses come in and are raising the bar; they share the same mission ‘to ensure that every woman is safely and effectively looked after once she becomes a mother’ and to lead the way in ensuring this happens.
They are all independently owned and operate under their own brand running either mum-focused fitness businesses or specific mum-focused classes within their fitness business but rather than competing with each other they have chosen to unite under the umbrella of the Body Beyond Baby brand – as the Body Beyond Baby affiliate team.
A team that are all Safe Return to Exercise accredited (many hold more than one pre/postnatal accreditation), aligned with their industry fitness body either in Australia or New Zealand, hold the correct insurance and proven partnerships with Women’s Health Physiotherapists to ensure the best possible standard of care for the mothers that they work with.
They share a unique bond in supporting each other through the ups and downs of running a small fitness business, mostly single handily.
They commit to regular team up-skilling from allied health professionals and they know that when they are there for each other they can be there for more and more women within their communities and beyond.
How are these trainers working together?
Body Beyond Baby Affiliate member and owner of New Zealand based Active Soul says “I belong to something bigger than just me and my business, we are a team”.
Similar words are echoed in other team members; “I’m part of an amazing group of business owners who all support and celebrate each other” Meli Comaschi-Cordoba of Sydney’s Phoenix for Mums. And Rachel Leman of Miss Motivator, Port Macquarie say’s “I share knowledge and support with others that have the same passion as me to help more mums”.
The Body Beyond Baby affiliate team understands that they are stronger together, that collaboration over competition IS the future for our fitness industry and that when they stand side by side, united in raising the standard of the way mothers are supported they send ripples into the world that have the potential to create change now and for years and generations to come.
With this approach we know that the future of our industry is bright.
About Jen Dugard
Jen Dugard is the founder of Body Beyond Baby; a brand that started life in 2008 as ‘Group exercise for mums with onsite childcare’ and evolved in 2019 to become ‘Mumfocused fitness services’ the go-to website for mums to find quality and trusted exercise options. Mums and Fitness Professionals alike can visit www.bodybeyondbaby.com.au to either find a group in your area or enquire about joining this growing team. Final 2019 Safe Return to Exercise dates are now open for booking across the country. Limited places remain. For more details or to secure your space, email Jen@JenDugard.com.
Article written by Jen Dugard for the What’s New in Fitness Magazine.
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