Should I Train Clients When I’m Sick?
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By Sal | November 18, 2009
Unlike denizens of cubicles in the corporate world, personal trainers and strength coaches get out and press the flesh every moment of the working days. We can’t hide behind the phone, close the door to the office and stay away from our clients when earning our living, and most fitness professionals don’t make money if they aren’t working with clients.
If you’re really in the grip of the grippe you can’t train clients. It’s not fair to the clients and it isn’t good for you. It also undermines your credibility when you tell clients not to overdo and to regularly take time off from training. Obviously, you don’t want to spread whatever ails you to clients and co-workers alike, and you certainly don’t want to make a bad situation worse by pushing yourself when you should be resting.
If you feel bad enough to even think about whether or not you should train clients, then you shouldn’t. Don’t over-analyze, if you are sick enough to consider if you should work, don’t work. It’s better to take one day off than to work and make the situation worse, feel worse and then have to miss more time as a result. And you really don’t want to spread your misery, either.
If you feel okay, but sound terrible – a situation that happens to me every now and then – tell clients the deal and let them decide. Honesty is the best policy. I’ll say, “I have this awful sounding cough (or case of the sniffles) but feel fine, but if you don’t want to train today I understand.” Use discretion, it’s your business and your health.
In this day and age where there is an extreme sensitivity to people who are sneezing and coughing, use good judgment when training clients if you aren’t feeling 100%. Keep your hand sanitizer handy and wash your hands regularly, especially in between clients. You can also minimize the hands-on aspects of the sessions in this situation.
If your clients are sick use this same rule of thumb. Discuss the issue of training when sick with your clients and you can avoid a lot of unnecessary problems with your personal training business.
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