So following on from my last blog, I thought I’d dive into the world of fitness presenting… everyone wants to be on that stage at an fitness convention and all most people see is the glamorous side of it all. I had a fantastic 2016/2017 presenting and loved every single minute of it, and yes it is like a drug, once you’ve done it you get a buzz from it and want to do it all again. And yes I’m not going to lie, I do miss it and hope to do it again in the future.

Before I was a presenter, and since, I have and still continue to notice brands not fully showcasing there brands in the best light. Why have 3 presenters on stage doing exactly the same thing? If you’ve got 3 presenters on stage, one should be showcasing low impact, medium impact and high impact. You’re showcasing it to fitpros who may be put off high impact. As a rehab instructor, people are moving away from high impact due to the amount of pressure it causes in the joints. Especially your hips, knees and ankles. Use your special population instructors (eg disabled instructors) that you may have teaching your format to present on stage with you. This truly showcases your brand in the best light.

So the world of presenting is not as glamorous as it looks, you have the hours of learning new choreography or even creating it first, sourcing the right music and playlist for the event itself. Learning how you will present it and what cueing style you will use, do you need to go through technique at the very start, or as you go, do you need someone to stop the music as you go. Combating the nerves, even the most polished pros that have done it for years still get nervous. I always got very nervous the closer it got to me going on stage and my way of combatting that was either to stay busy or just pace up and down. Once I was on stage and past the warm up, I was fine and then my true presenting personality would come out. When not presenting, time is spent on the stand pushing the brand itself. This is where you are stood up for hours on end, trying to get people to engage with you. Some brands have mini demos on there stands or where you can go (mainly the rebounding or hula hooping brands) – this is part of the down side people do not see.

You also have hours of travelling – driving, getting stuck in traffic. When I was presenting at Ribby Hall near Preston – it took me over 8 hours to drive there due to the M6 being a car park, despite prior warning and coming off and going the back roads – so did a lot of other people! You could be at the event on your own, staying in hotels by yourself, living out of a suitcase. Or you could be sharing a cottage with other presenters from other brands. The whole event you are on ‘duty’ you are representing that brand the whole time you are there. Even though you may not be on stage, and sat in a Costa – you are always representing the brand you are with and being professional the whole time is vital. Yes you can let your hair down and have fun, but it’s the way you do it. You always have to be happy and have lots of energy regardless of how you may be feeling. I know when I was presenting Clubbercise at the Instructability awards a few years ago, I was really ill. Whilst driving to Watford, I started to feel very ill. I took some tablets, put on my instructor face and carried on like there was nothing wrong despite feeling awful. When I got back home the next day and collapsed I had what was the start of full blown flu. Seeing the pictures of me after and how pale I was I can see it on my face. Only those that knew me, knew how I was truly feeling.

You spend a lot of time away from your own friends and family, which at times can be very isolating and lonely. In 2017 I presented at 3 fitness conventions for 3 weekends on the trot, I was up in Lancashire for 2 weekends continuously. Yes I had to come back and work in between too. So I was working for 4 weeks continuously without a day off, teaching my own classes in the week, still doing my day job and prepping for the next event making sure you nail it! Making sure that you have enough clean clothes ready for the next weekend and making sure you are wearing different leggings etc. Also the weekend events always have a themed meal you attend, so even if you don’t dress up for the theme you still need to dress appropriately as you are still unofficially working!

Yes I have been working hard to get myself the right qualifications to launch my own brand. I want to be a qualified tutor before I do so, which I am in the process of doing. IncluSeat is coming guys, the name fits in with my business name InclusFit and I’m hoping to do some Masterclasses soon. It’s a seated concept that will include dance, combat, balance, strength and conditioning. It’s going to be amazing. If you would like to host me and my concept for a masterclass, or have me demo at your event, then please contact me.