Fitness Orientation

Providing an overview of the benefits of fitness activities and fitness programs is an important aspect of the orientation process. By providing detailed information you are allowing them to make informed decisions regarding their health and wellbeing. Fitness activities and programs include both physical and mental benefits:

The following video provides more detail on both the physical and mental benefits of exercise.

Requirements and expectations that may need to be clarified include:

• Fitness goals - Ask a range of questions to determine what level of fitness the client is wishing to achieve.

• Specific exercise preferences - All clients will have specific preferences relating to the types of exercise that they prefer and what they like and dislike about a range of exercises. Understanding these preferences will assist in planning a fitness program that ensures the client will be motivated and successful in achieving their desired fitness goals.

• Expected outcomes - These are the benefits or physiological changes that the client is wishing to achieve from partaking in a fitness program. It is important to ensure that a client’s goals are realistic and reasonable and that a plan is able to be made to meet these requirements. Understanding the client’s perceived benefits is an important insight into what is motivating them. Remember, if a client’s perceived benefits are misleading or likely to result in disappointment these aspects will need to be clarified and discussed.

• Cost - It is important to ensure that the program is within the client's price range. 

• Time availability - Constructing a suitable schedule that allows for regular fitness sessions at times that suit both the client, the trainer and also the opening hours of the facility is important. Client's must be aware of the minimum time/sessions required to achieve their fitness goals and the availability of facilities and equipment.

• Range of facilities and equipment - It is important to consider the range of equipment that is available and to ensure that these facilities and equipment meet the needs, expectations and preferences of the client.

Asking questions will give you the opportunity to clarify the information that is being given to you. There are different types of questions that you can use, and they will give you different responses. 

• Open Questions - The best type of questions to use, as they encourage the use of expression and thoughtful answers. They are best used to get the person who is being asked the questions to expand on the question and provide their thoughts about it. For example, "What sort of fitness regime have you done before Mary?" or "How much time do you have available for your new regime Ted?" 

• Closed Questions - Will usually invoke a yes or no answer or a short factual comment. Closed questions don't encourage clients to talk further. They are useful, however, if you want a specific answer. For example, "Do you like yoga?" or "Are you able to do morning sessions?"

• Reflective Questions - Reiterate understanding of a topic based on previous discussion, questioning and/or questionnaire completion and is usually coupled with an additional question. For example, "So Mary, you said you weren't interested in weights, can you tell me why?" or "Previously you mentioned that you might not be best doing water activities, what makes you think that?"

• Written Questionnaires - May feature a combination of open and closed questions and also allow the client to write more descriptive information pertaining to their goals or fitness history.

Effective listening skills are needed in order to fully comprehend what the client is telling you. The four key skills to remember when practising effective listening are:

• Focus fully on the speaker.

• Avoid interrupting.

• Avoid seeming judgemental.

• Show your interest.

Remember to respect privacy when obtaining this information. It may be beneficial to conduct the questionnaire in a private area or room as some questions may be of a sensitive nature.

There is a range of benefits and information that can be obtained from confirming the client's current and past physical activity participation. Some immediate benefits include understanding their experience with certain equipment, processes, rules and regulations. It may also help to ascertain their motivation and commitment levels as well as their preference for certain types of fitness activities.

Current and past physical activity participation is any physical activity that the client is currently involved in or previously participated in within the last few years, this may include:

• Memberships.

• Sports.

• Hobbies.

• Work tasks.

• Amount of physical activity undertaken day-to-day.

• Experience with exercise programs, activities and equipment.

• Experience with any rigorous or long term physical training programs.

• Current physical activity that the client is planning on continuing.

When conducting a fitness orientation it is important that the age, developmental stage and any associated conditions or limitations are taken into consideration. The program that is developed must contain physically appropriate activities. For example, when providing a physical assessment or physical training for children it is essential to take into consideration their age, maturity and motor skill development. Likewise, when working with older clients there are likely to be more physical limitations and pre-existing medical conditions that must be accounted for like osteoarthritis and/or muscle/strength loss. 

Fitness Australia has developed the children's health and fitness services guidelines.

On completion of the fitness orientation, it will be necessary to ensure that a range of documentation and records are taken and placed in the client's file to ensure they can be easily accessed for future fitness planning and referral needs. Personal records may include:

• Contact information and next of kin details.

• Financial details.

• Questionnaires relating to fitness goals and screening.

• Medical history information.

• Medical and allied health professional referrals or associated paperwork.

• Completed fitness programs.

Any written records that are created must be stored securely in locked cabinets and/or transcribed into a database that is password protected. Confidential information that has been entrusted to you or the organisation must only be shared by appropriate and authorised personnel and the client must be aware of who these people are. Permission must be sought if you are planning to liaise with any third party organisations or people, including family members and friends. 

What steps can you take to protect your clients' personal information, collected during orientation and pre-exercise screening sessions?

1. Only collect information you need.
2. Don’t collect personal information about an individual just because you think that information may come in handy later.
3. Tell people how you are going to handle the personal information you collect about them.
4. Think about using personal information for a particular purpose.
5. Think before disclosing personal information.
6. If people ask, give them access to the personal information you hold about them.

Clients must be made aware of key workplace health and safety information specific to the activity and facility. This may include:

• Demonstration of exercise equipment.

• Facility appropriate conduct. Including abiding by any signage or documented safety guidelines.

• Suitable attire and footwear.

• Pre-exercise health screening (this is discussed in detail in a later section).

This may require obtaining a signed declaration from the client that they have read and understood, and will comply with all safety requirements.