17 years ago I was the general manager of a Fitness First in Sheffield.
As with all Globo Gyms, the cancellation policy was pretty strict.
You could only cancel within the time frame that you’d signed up for with proof that you’d relocated or a doctor’s note confirming that you wouldn’t be able to exercise at all for the foreseeable future.
If people said they wanted to cancel because they moved away or couldn’t exercise, the policy was to then ask them for the above.
And I would estimate that in under 10% of cases did the member then provide that.
And I get it.
I’m sure we’ve all said something that wasn’t entirely true to try and get out of something.
I fully include myself in that.
We might not think that we’re “lying” per se, just stretching the truth a little.
Again, I get it.
But I also get that, as someone people have taken on board to help them with something they’ve struggled with before………
It is my job to help them past sticking points where they might be seeing something in a way that isn’t the entirety of the situation.
I’m not a jerk.
If someone genuinely can’t do anything at all, I’m not going to hold them into something they can’t use.
But I will question the reason they’re giving.
Because I won’t give up on them that easily.
If they’ve come to me asking for my support, coaching and accountability for something that is an 8-10 out of 10 importance to them……….
Then I will give them my support, coaching and accountability, not just when it’s easy going……..
But, especially, when they’re struggling.
I might suggest that they fill in a time log using the resources at www.myrise.co.uk/time.
Because I know everyone that’s ever done that has found it beneficial in tweaking how they reassign that finite resource of time.
I might suggest they fill an accurate food login using something like MyFitnessPal
Because I know everyone that’s ever done. It has found it beneficial for making some tactical adjustments to their eating.
I might suggest that they bring in some details from the doctor or physio as to what they can and can’t do so that we can adapt Sessions around that.
Because I know that there are very few injuries which mean you cannot exercise at all.
Sometimes people will produce the above and we will work together to find a solution.
And sometimes that solution will be freezing or cancelling their membership because they genuinely can’t do anything at all.
But sometimes people will go radio silence on the above.
And I’d be willing to bet that, in many cases, that’s at least in part because they know what it will show.
That they can do an amount that will still make forward progress.
Maybe not ‘all of it’.
But, let’s be honest, when can we actually do ‘all of it’?
Deep down I’m sure we all agree that the answer when we can’t do everything we would like isn’t to do nothing at all.
To do what we can under the circumstances to still make knowingly sub-optimal forward progress.
Much love,
Jon ‘Fox’ Hall
P.S. If you want actual accountability………. real accountability……… me calling you out on the stuff that will actually change your life……. because you actually do want to change…….. then you’ll find that at www.myrise.co.uk/apply
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RISE in Macclesfield was established in 2012 and specialise in Group Personal Training weight loss programmes for those that don’t like the gym and find diets boring and restrictive!
