Posted on August 19, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

“Is everyone fit and well? Does anyone have any injuries or illnesses that I need to know about before we begin?”

Silence.

Blank looks.

If this was a western, tumbleweed would be rolling in front of the class.

But this is the question I ask at the start of every class, and for the most part, this is still the response I receive. And the worst thing, despite this being a serious and important question – I know that someone in that class is not being forthcoming with the truth!

In the 4 years that I have been teaching Group Fitness I’ve encountered participants having epileptic fits, fainting, hypoglycaemia, asthma attacks and aggravation of existing injuries – and I wasn’t privy that they suffered from any of these prior to the class starting. I’ve also had people after a class inform me of heart defects, recent surgery and pregnancy.

Don’t misunderstand me here, I’m absolutely NOT saying that if you have any of the above that you can’t participate – there is no reason why EVERYONE can’t do some sort of physical activity! It’s about letting the instructor know so that they can determine what each person is capable of doing. We need to ensure that our programmes and routines are safe and effective and therefore suitable for everyone. We plan our sessions based on the assumption that we are teaching “healthy” adults (or children) of all ages.

I understand it’s a personal thing. I used to get embarrassed when I went on Fitness courses and had to tell the tutors I was asthmatic. It was hard enough to tell the tutors, why would I admit something like that to the whole class and draw that attention to myself? I didn’t want to be looked down on or to be treated differently or be made to feel like I couldn’t do anything.

But that’s not what the Instructors will do – and that’s a promise. We screen a class to ensure safe exercise participation. Whilst we are trained to observe our classes, it’s about recognising symptoms for that individual.  It’s about being able to offer informed advice, offering alternative exercises or options. It’s about making you still feel part of the class rather than ostracising you with something you simply can’t do.

And if you don’t want to tell the whole class when the screening is performed, go and have a quiet word with the instructor before the class begins – its ok! The point is, you may be in a Group Exercise environment, but you have to be the priority. Look after yourselves, but tell us so that we can help you to still have fun, participate and achieve your goals – safely.