Personal trainers often exist in what we refer to as "survival mode." There are plenty of other terms used to say basically the same thing, "living check-to-check" being a very common one.
A simple way for a person to determine if he or she is in survival mode involves an analysis of cash in versus cash out. Out of every dollar being earned, if more than ninety cents is already accounted for, that indicates a person in survival mode.
While there is nothing wrong with being in survival mode (most of us have been there at one point or another), it is certainly not a place that anyone wants to stay for any appreciable amount of time. The following section specifically addresses the survival mode reader. If a specific amount of income must be earned quickly in order to survive, whether it's a large number or a relatively small one, be sure to read this section.