I Was Fired from a Fitness Studio for Not Being Active Enough

@ctian25 I’m going to tell you what my dad has told me, “Don’t let the bastards get you down”.

Go to the November Project and have fun! If you see them there, don’t engage. Just enjoy your time there. If they say hi, say hi back, then get back to having fun! You don’t owe them anything. It’s not worth your time and energy to worry about them or engage with them if you see them.

Work on letting it go. Acknowledge your anger and nervousness. It’s ok to feel that way. After you acknowledge it, let it go. You’ll feel so much lighter after you do!
 
@ctian25 It's a fair reason not to hire someone but a shitty reason & way to fire them.

However a good lesson about how things like a "quick dinner" with your boss isn't ever just that. They're not your friend.
 
@ctian25 I get the insecurities about running into them and I actually think it's a GREAT idea to keep up your fitness and kick some ass. What better way to prove their mistake than to demonstrate that you ARE working really hard to be active in the community? It's their loss. Don't let them keep you from taking good care of yourself and getting your workouts in. Turn those insecurities into anger and get your body moving. And then come back and tell us how awesome you are. :)
 
@ctian25 That sucks! I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’ve worked at several gyms and I’ve never had anyone take into account my workout schedule as a factor in my employment. The gym and classes were always free. I was required to take each class at least once so that I could explain what the class entailed but that’s it. Go get another front desk job and forget about these people.
 
@ctian25 First, I'm sorry that this is bringing up old insecurities for you. That's a tough spot to be in.

I agree with PPs, though, that the issue was most likely that you weren't doing *their* workout (or possibly other local boutique fitness studios). I take classes regularly at one of those pricey boutique studios, and the people working the front desk are either a manager, coach, or one of their regular clients (who probably works PT as you did). And the latter are regulars I see often and who are very enthusiastic about the workout. They want their front desk staff to sell their product, and it's hard to do that if you don't take their classes regularly.

So, I don't think it has anything to do with your worth as a fit person, it's about someone who's going to rave about how awesome they are and how much you love their classes. I could be wrong, of course. I would absolutely still go the November Project (which I'd never heard of but sounds found as per the Google). You're plenty good enough and deserve to do whatever workouts you want to do, even if that specific workout isn't your preference. Take good care.
 
@ctian25 You have every right to be upset. I know if I were in that position I would feel hurt and insecure, too.

That being said, this is pretty standard in the workforce. I've worked for many companies that fully expect employees to embody the company's vision/culture and "drink the kool-aid", so to speak. When people come in your appearance and energy are the first thing they see, and it represents the business. I've quit a couple places like this because I couldn't stomach the bullshit, my goals and aspirations just didn't align with the company. They probably sensed that in you and chose to follow-up in order to make a decision.

Be careful what you divulge to future employers. Don't be deceptive, but hold your cards closer. They're not your friends.

Did they not offer discounts/free classes because you're part-time?
 
@ctian25 Small boutique gyms typically rely on employees helping to spread word of mouth and to be visible to the members. Usually just working the front isn’t enough- they want members to see you choose to work out there too. It sucks if you have an interest in doing other activities or don’t live conveniently close to make it part of your regular schedule.

I used to work for a smaller gym and we got to come to classes for free, but it was expected we hype the hell out of our classes and ones we attend on social media. For many reasons the gym fell under, and the one I’m at now is much more reasonable.
 
@dawn16 I've had the same experience, and in fact, we mostly hired from within our existing client base or word of mouth from the community, who often knew of interested applicants from their own fitness circles. I rarely had to advertise job openings, because we had people lining up.

Everywhere I've worked or been a member, if you're not taking the classes, you're at minimum expected to be an engaged member of the community who knows the members and vice versa. There's very little room for anonymous desk people in this environment.
 
@dawn16 Came here to say almost this. I’m a former boutique fitness part time employee. They absolutely wanted us to be brand evangelists — to the point where staff was asked to not make mention of any other boutique fitness classes that we participated in as a client or taught on our personal social media.
 
@insearch4god
They absolutely wanted us to be brand evangelists — to the point where staff was asked to not make mention of any other boutique fitness classes that we participated in as a client or taught on our personal social media.
Click to expand...

Yikes. I think it's 100% reasonable for them to expect you to promote their company, but censoring any other fitness class seems ridiculous. Especially since these boutiques are so hyper-focused in their offerings, I sort of assumed most people aren't getting their exercise just there!

I have ClassPass right now because I can't imagine taking only hot yoga or only barre. Oh and because they're like a million dollars for a membership.
 
@marklee Class pass was great in the Bay area for me to get a proper sense of all the different aerial studios without spending a fortune on drop in fees! And I never ever would have tried flying trapeze if I hadn’t been able to do it so cheap.
 
@marklee I’ve had it for about two years and I love it! I have an unlimited membership elsewhere now, but CP really help me figure out what kind of workouts i preferred when i was a newb. I still go because i like to supplement my regular workouts with the specialized classes like yoga and Pilates.

Pm me if you want a code to get a discount on your first month (full disclosure I’d get a discount too- though i still 110% recommend trying even if you don’t use my code). Also if you try it, then cancel, you’ll likely get an email a couple months later for discounted rates. Happened to me when my budget forced me to cancel. Got 3 additional months for 50% off.
 
@marklee I've only had it a month but I really like it so far! It makes financial sense for me because in my city $35 gets me 20 credits, which works out to around a class a week. (I have other fitness stuff I also do like running and a regular gym membership.) Those same classes would probably cost me $25 apiece as a drop in!

I think in other cities though ClassPass is a lot more expensive so it might not be worth it there, I'm not sure.
 
@ctian25 As a front desk worker, they may have considered you the first contact for a potential client and not felt that you were either demonstrating or showing the proper enthusiasm for fitness (?)

Were sign ups or other aspects of salea part of your job duties?
 
@ctian25 Remember: Your boss is not your friend. Your boss is never your friend.

Get a new job, and if you see them again just gush about how you love your new job and how everyone just respects you and treats you like a human being instead of an employee (even if it’s not true).
 
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