One of the most important qualities to have when you work in the fitness industry is the ability to adapt…and quickly. I 100% endorse planning for your clients and classes but you also have to be able to abandon that plan depending on how your clients show up, outside circumstances that are out of your control and the energy of a class.

I cannot tell you how many times I have had to totally change my plan for PT clients at the drop of a hat because they show up with some issue…tight backs, groin pain, kid was up all night and they didn’t sleep, headache, etc. Then there are the circumstances that are out of control…fire alarms going off in the middle of class, music or mic not working, an abundance of newbies in class, energy of class requires something different than you planned.

There was a time in my life that I would have freaked out over having to change the plan on the fly but now it comes so easy for me. I wanted to share two examples of this that have shown up in the last two days.

I was teaching circuit training at Metro last night when after I got my class warmed up, the fire alarm went off in the building. There is a pizza restaurant below so when the fire alarm goes off, I take it seriously. We all ran outside and stood around as we learned that a kid had pulled the fire alarm. The alarm couldn’t be turned off until the fire department arrived so rather than have my class continue to stand around, we moved the workout outside. There were several movements that had to be changed due to equipment but I quickly gave them modifications and got them moving. Of course it was an evening that I brought Sullie to the gym with me so she supervised the parking lot workout like a champ.

And tonight I showed up to teach my 6 p.m. class at the studio and the energy of my students was so amazing but not what I had planned. I thought I was going to do a faster flow but the class needed slower flow, longer holds and deeper work. It’s not the way I usually teach this class but for tonight it was so right. I had several of my regulars come up to me after class and tell me that it felt so good and was exactly what they needed.

I can’t really describe what it’s like to teach yoga/group ex and to SO feel the energy of a class but I do. It makes me a better teacher. It’s so important to be adaptable and to give your students what they need versus being stuck on what you want to do.

I’ll leave you with the quote that I shared with my yoga class. Today was a really good day. I so love what I do and I’m grateful for every single client and student that I have the opportunity to work with.