Doing the same physical activity week after week can get pretty dull. As a personal trainer, one of the most important things you can implement to keep your clients motivated is variety.
Helping others see that you don’t have to be in the gym to be active is important for any healthy lifestyle. And not all activities have to be for workout purposes, sometimes you just want to encourage people to get out and have fun.
To help you help out your clients, we put together a list of activities you may not have thought of but that will really help convince your trainees being active can be fun!
1. Take a Bicycle Tour
On your next date, or night out with friends, instead of hitting up a local bar or watching TV, check what kind of outdoor activities there are in your area. If you’re not sure where to start, we suggest looking for bicycle tours.
Bike tours are a great way to see many local sites and burn some calories. If you’re in Utah, one of the most unique bicycle tours we could find is a bicycle ghost tour in Provo. You can take a date or go with a group of friends. And if you don’t have a bike, don’t worry. Pedal Provo offers bike rentals for people of all heights. If you’re worried about sweating a lot then this tour is perfect because it’s at night!
2. Play Water Sports
We don’t mean boating or jet skiing. While those are great, they’re usually beyond most people’s reach. When we say “water sports” we’re talking paddleboarding, kayaking, or canoeing which are much more affordable to rent and can often be a better workout anyway. Even just going to a local river or lake and swimming around is an amazing exercise that will make you feel more accomplished than doing laps in a gym.
3. Visit a Trampoline Park
Find a nearby trampoline park and you’ll be shocked at how many calories you can burn without even noticing. This one comes with a warning though, if you haven’t jumped on a trampoline in a while you may want to take it slowly.
4. Go Bowling
This may not seem like a good way to be active, but as long as you don’t gorge yourself on nachos the entire time, it’s much better than going to a movie. Plus, you can up your step counter by having little dance parties with your friends between turns!
5. Play Laser Tag
If you’ve never gone to an arena and shot your friends with light beams then you don’t know how good of a workout you’re missing. It’s one of those things where you don’t know you’re working out because you’re too busy having fun.
6. Try Geocaching
It’s like treasure hunting but the treasure is everywhere! If the worst part of going on walks for you is that there’s no destination, then geocaching is for you.
The concept is simple. People hide little “treasures” all around the place and then mark the general area on a map. They give clues in the form of a riddle, poem, or something similar and then you then hunt around for the treasure! Once you’ve found it you can either put it back after writing your name in a book or replace the treasure you found with something you have.
Download the app to get started.
7. Get a Standing Desk
Standing desks may seem like a huge commitment but most can go back and forth from sitting to standing height. There are even electrical ones! You might want to consider one that requires some cranking to get it moving though, you know since we’re trying to get fit.
8. Play Active Video Games
Videos games aren’t all meant to be played while sitting and eating chips. There are some awesome ones out there that actually help you be active—Just Dance, Dance Dance Revolution, and Just Move are some of the most obvious.
All you need to start burning calories is a video game console with a camera attachment or sensor, which you might already have. Try looking for used games on Facebook Marketplace or Craiglist too to save you a few bucks.
9. Park As Far Away as Possible
When you go to the grocery store do you hunt for a close parking space? Instead of wasting your time with that nonsense, take the first spot you see or park in the back of the lot.
It’s still a short walk but if you do it at every store you visit, the steps will add up—especially if it’s a Target parking lot. As an added benefit, you can rest assured your car won’t get banged up by other car doors.
10. Ditch the Elevator
If you work on the 96th floor of the Empire State Building this may not be the best idea. But if you’re like us here at Insurance Canopy, we’re on the second floor; a total of 20 steps make up the staircase and it’s embarrassing how many people take the elevator.
11. Pace During Phone Calls
This one’s easy for some people because most just can’t sit still while on the phone. Give it a try next time you’re on a call, or maybe even go outside and take a walk—you might as well multitask. And lucky for us, talking and walking is something humans can do simultaneously rather well.
Bonus! Go Climbing
If you have an indoor climbing gym close by, it makes for a great workout. If an indoor gym isn’t an option you could go to your local park and scale a tree. You’d be surprised how good of a workout you’ll get. Plus, it can feel safer than scaling a cliff face while giving you some great nostalgia.
Whatever you do to try to help your clients incorporate more movement into their lives, just remember to help them mix it up every once in a while. An active, yet dull life will lead to demotivation. And while you’re out helping your clients be sure to carry your most important asset…
PERSONAL TRAINER INSURANCE
Every time you train clients and help them with their fitness goals you incur risk. Personal trainer insurance covers claims related to the day-to-day operations of your personal training business.
So, for example, if your client injures themselves while following your instructions or you damage the studio you conduct a training session in, personal trainer insurance could help cover the costs of these claims.
Take the right precautions and get insured today.
