Like any walk of life, finding the right people to surround yourself with is so important. Whether that be friends, work colleagues, family, sports teams etc, the people you spend time with are the people who shape you. You may not realise this, it is subconscious, you pick up habits, your attitude changes and your behaviour is moulded. The same can be said of your decisions of services you use, especially services you use regularly and paying good money for. This is why finding the right sports therapist, physio, doctor, dentist, trainer etc is a must!
You work hard, you earn your money and it is your decision what you spend it on. So finding the right person to spend it on is essential. Lets break this down, you might want to start your weight loss journey or training journey, you have no idea where to start. You might want to see someone about on going back pain or even receive sports massage. Finding the right person for your benefit is crucial, so here is NRG's advice on how to find the right practitioner.
Are they recommended from a friend or colleague?
This is a great way to find a therapist or trainer, from recommendation from someone you know and trust. You trust your friend's opinion, they have given you an honest assessment on the service they receive and most importantly if your friend can do it then so can you. When your friend recommends restaurants you take it on board, the same can be said for trainers and therapists!
Are they well reviewed? Do your research!
This takes a bit of digging, not quite to the extent of the FBI, but have a look around the internet. Check the websites, check the social media and check the reviews. Are they respected? Do they have good honest reviews? Do they seem the type of person on the outset that you want to spend your hard earned cash on? If they do, then brilliant, you are almost on to a winner!
How much do they charge? Can you realistically afford it?
This is very important. You want to find someone who you can afford but isn't too cheap. If you are working in central London and you find a trainer who charges £20 an hour, that is probably going to be reflected in the service. Find someone who's prices are reflective of where you are and how much you earn. If you can afford to see them and it not effect your outgoings too much, that's brilliant. However you must respect the money you are paying them, they are running a business too. If you don't respect the money you pay them, then you won't respect the session, the trainer/therapist won't respect you and your injury recovery/results will suffer!
How do you book?
So you have found someone who is recommended, has good reviews, you can afford and you like the look of. Awesome, now let's book. This is your opportunity to hold the power and see how much this trainer/therapist wants your business. Personally, I would always ring them up and speak to them rather than two and fro on an email chain. Emailing never seem to get much done. I think it is so important to hear how people portray themselves over the phone. If they seem excited, happy and professional that potential customer has reached out to them, that is just what you want to hear. If you pick the phone up to a miserable, quiet, unenthusiastic drone, then I probably wouldn't pursue this avenue.
Do they know their cream from their custard?
This is crucial, does your practitioner know what they are talking about. You can gather this when you speak down the phone to them. Ask them questions about your injury, what you want and what time you expect. Listen carefully to what they say, you don't want them to go full salesman and repeat something they have clearly rehearsed over and over again. You want an answer which is organic and is honest to what you are after. Do they sound like they have knowledge? Do they sound an expert? If you get that organic answer, then start the booking procedure.
Your first session!
It's 6:30am, you have been on the central line for what seems like days, you can barely keep your eyes open as you head towards central London. You didn't realise how many people were awake at this time, you thought life started at 8am. You are heading for your first session with your therapist, you are full of motivation, ready to learn and do your best in your session. My recommendation, get there 10/15 minutes early if you can, just to see the facility and how your trainer/therapist operates. Is the facility nice? Is it clean? Can you see why you are spending money to come here? But most importantly, see if your practitioner is there. Are they with someone else? Do they seem nice and someone you can get on with? If so brilliant, another tick.
So your session has started, it's consultation time, this is where you connect all of the above together. You chat through your goals and what you want to achieve or how you want to recover. This is the most important question you need to ask yourself now. Does the practitioner in front of you have your best interests at heart? If he doesn't, he seems uninterested by you or you are just another session, then maybe look elsewhere. But if you truly feel like he is invested in your goals and targets, then you have found your person.
So you have found the one... Now what?
You have found the person that you want to invest your money in to get the best out of you. Whether that's injury recovery or training, you are convinced this person wants what is best for you which is fantastic. So now from a practitioner's point of view, here are the best ways to get the best service possible from them.
Ask them questions:
Believe it or not, your practitioner is a human. They have a life, they run a business and they don't just live in the four walls where you see them. Ask them about their life, their weekend, how business is etc. If you seem emotionally invested with them, then your sessions will be so much easier.
Be on time:
Obviously you cannot control this every time, but in general try and be on time. This shows the practitioner that you actually value the session, value your time and value their service. The more the practitioner thinks you value the service, the more the practitioner will invest in you.
Listen and learn:
The practitioner is going to expect you to do some of the work, especially when outside the session. Are you eating right? Are you doing any exercises or training he has suggested? Are you happy with your therapist/trainer? These are things you must listen to and adhere to. But most importantly, learn from your mistakes! Have you made some bad decisions with regards to training choices or diet? If so, take on board what your practitioner has said!
Enjoy the session:
Exercise or rehab might not be your favourite thing in the world, but end of the day you need it. So try your upmost to enjoy the experience! If you seem like you are enjoying the sessions, the practitioner will enjoy spending the session with you more and more, this is the best way to get the best results. If you feel negative and down every time you have a session, your results will not match your aspirations.
So there is NRG's best to find a practitioner and how to get the best of your money. This is a lot of information we appreciate that, but the money you are spending you are surely going to want the best quality service. We hope you enjoyed this article and we hope it helps you find the right people to work with when starting your injury rehab/training journey.
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