Summer is over, and clients are returning from vacations and indulgent weekends. They may feel off track, but September offers a golden opportunity, a “second New Year” when people are eager to rebuild habits, reset routines, and invest in themselves.
For coaches, this is the moment to turn post-summer guilt into powerful motivation and real business growth. Position September as a clean slate, make your programs irresistible, and keep motivation front and center.
Ready to spark a “Resetember”? Here’s how.
Why September is a peak fitness season?
- Routine Resets: Kids return to school, and work schedules stabilize, making it easier for clients to commit again. With fewer hours spent chasing kids around, gym sessions can fit into a consistent routine.
- Motivation Spike: Clients want to “undo” summer indulgences and feel great before the holidays. Those BBQs and late nights are over, and a renewed sense of motivation takes their place.
- Short-Term Wins Matter: The 90-day runway until December is perfect for achieving visible results. Even with another break coming at Christmas, seeing progress in the mirror now keeps them engaged later.
- Better Workout Conditions: Cooler weather makes workouts more enjoyable and lowers dehydration risk. People are naturally more willing to move to stay warm.
This combination makes September one of the most profitable months of the year. Coaches can capitalize on this seasonal energy to boost both engagement and results.
How can coaches boost re-engagement post-summer?
Tip 1: Review your client base
There’s no need for you to start from scratch when September rolls around. Instead, if you take a look at your existing client base, you can review and look into which past clients are primed for reactivation. See who purchased it before summer, no longer actively uses their subscription, and then get in touch with them to start their September reset.
💡 Pro tip: Use Everfit’s Sales Analytics Dashboard to identify them. Create a “Back-to-Routine” promo package and target clients who’ve been inactive for 60+ days.
Tip 2: Use goal-setting tools to help clients get back on track
Clients often feel discouraged when they don’t see progress right away. Their routine is disrupted, and they need help reframing their mindset. Instead of thinking “I missed workouts, so it’s pointless,” help them focus on what’s possible now: “You can make great progress if you start again today.”
Clear goals help clients visualize success, keeping them consistent through September and beyond.
💡 Pro tip: With Everfit, you can:
- Use forms to gather their requests, and use this to alter what you offer
- Set a goal for performance tracking or as a reminder for your client
Tip 3: Focus on small, healthy habits
Consistency is key. Start with an easy workout like a stretch session, encourage simple habits like “Drink 8 cups of water a day,” then gradually build it up to “Workout 3 times a week,” or even a nutrition reset such as “Meal prep on Sundays for the week ahead”, “Prioritize whole foods over highly processed food”, “No more skipping breakfast”, “Eat 4 servings of vegetables per day”.
💡 Pro tip: To re-engage groups at scale, start a 14-day “September Reset” challenge inside the app.
Tip 4: Tap into referral motivation
Encourage them to invite a friend. People are more likely to start and stick with fitness when they do it with a friend or community, as it adds an element of motivation when they’re not the only ones involved. A referral incentive helps them kickstart their journey once more by giving them someone else to think about.
Tip 5: Reframe the mindset
Instead of letting clients dwell on “lost progress,” reframe September as a fresh start. Use language like:
- “This is the perfect time to reset.”
- “Let’s make you feel amazing by the holidays.”
- “Your summer was fun. Let’s channel that energy into results.”
This mindset shift helps clients feel motivated rather than guilty over the pleasures that they have indulged in over the summer. They are far more likely to draw a line and move on without the guilt this way.
Motivate gym or in-person comebacks
Online clients can easily log back in, but in-person clients often hesitate to return. The real barrier is walking back through the gym door. Coaches play a critical role in lowering that barrier.
Tip 1: Give them a clean slate
How to do it:
- Invite them for a welcome-back check-in. They can also invite a friend or family member to join them.
- Offer a “reset session” that is solely focused on preparing their body for more exercise, as it’s just been through a long phase of rest. This eases them back into things, making them more likely to form healthy, consistent habits.
Making the first step simple and rewarding helps re-engage lapsed members and builds long-term consistency.
Tip 2: Introduce something new to boost excitement
Instead of focusing on getting back into old routines, try to encourage your clients to try out new workouts and fitness ideas. That helps them to change their mindset from “I’m behind” to “I get to explore.”
How to do it:
- New exercise, new program
- New equipment
- New training format that they haven’t tried before
- New fun challenges
Don’t focus on the past; look forward. Avoid putting clients back into routines they disliked before, which can be demotivating. Introduce new workouts and formats so they can explore fresh options and feel their September reset is truly working.
Set up a scalable system for the future
While September is a growth season, the goal is to set up systems that will carry momentum into Q4 and the lowest season, December. You need to position September as the starting point for consistent habits through the end of the year.
Checklist for success:
- Structure onboarding process.
- Set up your monthly check-ins and progress dashboards.
- Keep the energy: Plan ideas for challenges and community activities to motivate your clients throughout the months.
- Stay visible: Create a detailed marketing plan in the next 3 months.
- Set up your referral and free trial packages to lower the barrier to trying your service.
Consider ways to make low seasons better
While September is your focus now, you must carry momentum into the slowest season. Consistent habits help, but you also need creative ways to keep coaching fun through year’s end. As the holidays approach and attendance dips, use every motivational tool to keep clients engaged and committed to their reset.
Smart marketing helps. Remind clients that quitting now means another reset in January. Try these strategies to keep them engaged:
- Progress Photos: Start progress pictures in September, and show them to your clients in December, reminding them of how far they have come.
- Festive Offers: Try running festive offers over the holiday season to encourage your clients to stick with their workouts, continuing to reach their goals.
- Dress Up Gym Sessions: To keep it exciting and fun, try dress-up gym sessions for certain classes, or one-to-one sessions with clients to celebrate the festive season.
Final takeaway
Post-summer is one of the biggest opportunities for new and returning clients, right alongside January. Think of September as the year’s “second January,” where people wipe the slate clean and commit to progress before December.
Your focus should be on motivation and retention. Reach out to clients who need a little push and guide them back into a routine.
The more appealing your sessions, the higher the engagement. Promote them on social media, keep your app experience strong, and stay active in the gym. This could be your most profitable season, so start motivating a comeback now.
