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“Don’t let what you
cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
-John Wooden
I
have been somewhat concerned lately with the plethora of emails coming
in to “Ask a Trainer” and FitBit responses by trainers asking for
detailed help on clients that would be described as “Special
Populations.” When something on the medical and health history
questionnaire appears out of the ordinary, or you can determine that
the potential client would be classified as “high-risk” or “special
need” you will need to take a hard look at your abilities and
knowledge. You will have to ask yourself the tough question: “do you
have the knowledge, skill, abilities and desire to work with this
client?”
Examples of special populations
are: youth, seniors, AIDs or HIV infected, physically challenged,
athletes, women with prenatal care, osteoporosis, eating disorders,
clients with cardiac disease, asthma, back problems, diabetes, chronic
degenerative diseases, obesity, post-operative problems or neurological
diseases. The primary reason the IFPA has put together 27 certification
courses, dozens of CEC courses and the IFPA Fitness By-the-Bay
Conference is to educate you to handle these
special population groups. One quick way to answer the big question
posed above is if you don’t have the interest in learning more about a
specific group then it is safe to say you don’t have the desire to work
with that group. Your decision must be based on more than simply the
income you derive from a client.
Keep in mind that all these special
populations put together represent a small fraction of your potential
market. The vast majority of people walking into health clubs may be
sedentary, out of shape and overweight, but they don’t usually have
special needs. So you should never be forced into risking a person's
health and safety by trying to be someone or something your not.
For those of you that love a
challenge, want to expand your horizons and grow as a professional, then
please, by all means, take advantage of all the educational opportunities
the IFPA and others provide. Stretch out of your “comfort zone” and grow
as a professional.
“A ship in harbor is safe, but
that’s not what ships are for.”
Sincerely,
Jim Bell, MS, IFPA President
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