Effective date: August 2026
Last reviewed: August 2026

Michael Thomas Fitness ("MTF", "I", "me" or "my") respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information fairly, transparently and securely. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information I may collect, why I use it, how it may be shared, how long it may be retained, and the rights available to you.

1. Who is responsible for your information?

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Michael Thomas Fitness is the controller of personal information described in this Privacy Policy unless another organisation is separately responsible for its own processing.

Business / controller: Michael Thomas Fitness
Contact name: Michael Thomas
Email: michael@michaelthomasfitness.co.uk
Website: michaelthomasfitness.co.uk

2. Who does this policy apply to?

This policy may apply to website visitors, prospective clients, current and former clients, people who contact MTF with an enquiry, and people who choose to receive marketing or business communications.

3. Information I may collect

Identity and contact information, such as your name, email address, telephone number and other contact details you provide.
Client and service information, such as consultation notes, goals, coaching preferences, package details, start dates, check-ins and records relating to the delivery of your coaching.
Training and progress information, such as exercise history, programme performance, progress measurements, habits, goals, feedback and other information you choose to provide as part of coaching.
Health information, such as information supplied through a PAR-Q / health screening form, relevant injuries, medical conditions, medication, pregnancy status, symptoms, restrictions or professional advice that may affect exercise programming.
Transaction and payment information, such as payment status, amounts, dates, subscription status and transaction references. Payment card details are generally processed directly by the relevant payment provider rather than stored by MTF.
Booking and communication information, including appointment details, emails, messages, enquiries, complaints and records of communications with MTF.
Website and technical information, which may include IP address, device/browser information, cookie identifiers, website usage and analytics information where such technologies are enabled.
Marketing preferences, including whether you have asked to receive or stop receiving particular marketing communications.

4. Health information and other special category data

Health information is treated as special category personal data under UK data protection law and requires additional protection. MTF aims to collect only health information that is relevant to understanding exercise readiness, adapting coaching appropriately, operating within professional scope and helping to manage foreseeable exercise-related risks.

Where MTF relies on explicit consent as the special category condition for processing health information, that consent should be obtained through a clear and separate affirmative statement. You may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier processing unlawful, but it may mean that I cannot safely or appropriately continue to provide some or all coaching services where the relevant health information is genuinely necessary.

In a genuine emergency, limited health information may exceptionally be used or disclosed where legally permitted and necessary to protect someone's vital interests.

5. Why I use personal information and my lawful bases

UK data protection law requires a lawful basis for processing personal information. The basis used depends on the purpose and circumstances. The following table describes the principal purposes anticipated for MTF.

Purpose

Information commonly involved

Likely lawful basis

Responding to enquiries and taking steps requested before coaching begins

Identity, contact, enquiry and booking information

Steps at your request before entering a contract; and/or legitimate interests where appropriate

Providing and administering paid coaching

Identity, contact, client, training, booking, communication and transaction information

Performance of a contract

Processing relevant health information for exercise screening and programming

PAR-Q and other relevant health information

An Article 6 lawful basis appropriate to the activity (commonly contract-related processing) plus a separate Article 9 condition; MTF currently anticipates using explicit consent where appropriate

Taking and reconciling payments

Identity, transaction, subscription and limited payment information

Performance of a contract; legal obligation where records must be retained

Keeping appropriate business, accounting and tax records

Transaction, contract and relevant client records

Legal obligation and/or legitimate interests

Protecting MTF, clients and systems; preventing misuse; establishing or defending legal claims

Relevant account, communication, transaction and technical records

Legitimate interests; legal obligation; and other applicable legal bases where necessary

Sending optional direct marketing

Contact details and marketing preferences

Consent where required; in limited circumstances legitimate interests may apply where permitted by law

Operating and improving the website and understanding its use

Cookie, device, browser and analytics information

Consent where required for non-essential cookies/technologies; legitimate interests for strictly necessary operation and security

6. Where personal information comes from

Most personal information is collected directly from you, for example when you complete a form, make an enquiry, book a consultation, purchase coaching, complete onboarding or health screening, communicate with MTF, or provide progress information.

Some information may also be received from service providers used to operate the business, such as payment, booking, website or coaching-platform providers, or from another person where you have asked or authorised them to provide relevant information.

7. Payments

MTF may use Stripe or another disclosed payment provider to process payments. Payment providers process payment-card and transaction information under their own privacy arrangements. MTF generally receives transaction information needed to administer the coaching relationship, such as whether a payment succeeded, the amount paid, payment date, subscription status and relevant transaction references, rather than full card details.

8. Booking, website and coaching services

MTF may use third-party services to operate the business. These may include Wix for website services, Calendly for appointment scheduling, Stripe for payments, email/communications providers, and a coaching platform used to deliver programmes and check-ins. The exact providers in use may change over time.

Where a provider processes personal information on MTF's behalf, I will take reasonable steps appropriate to the size and nature of the business to use providers with suitable data-protection and security arrangements. Some providers also act as independent controllers for parts of their services and publish their own privacy information.

9. Who I may share information with

Personal information may be shared where reasonably necessary with:

service providers that support website hosting, coaching delivery, scheduling, communications, payments, data storage or business administration;
professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers or other advisers where relevant;
regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or other authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law;
healthcare or emergency professionals in exceptional circumstances where disclosure is lawful and reasonably necessary; and
another organisation involved in a business transfer or restructuring, subject to appropriate safeguards and legal requirements.

MTF does not sell your personal information. Personal information is not shared with unrelated third parties for their own marketing merely because you are an MTF client.

10. Personal Training. Without the Audience.

Being a Michael Thomas Fitness client does not mean becoming Michael Thomas Fitness marketing material.

MTF will not publish your photographs, identity, progress information, measurements, health information, testimonial, coaching story or before-and-after material for advertising, social media or promotional purposes merely because you receive coaching.

If MTF ever wishes to use identifiable client material for a testimonial or promotional purpose, separate, specific permission will be requested. Refusing or later withdrawing marketing/testimonial permission will not affect your eligibility to receive coaching. Where material has already been lawfully published, withdrawal will be handled prospectively as far as reasonably practicable and in accordance with applicable law.

11. Direct marketing

MTF may send marketing communications only where there is an appropriate lawful basis and any applicable electronic-marketing rules are satisfied. Where consent is required, it will be requested separately and will not be bundled into acceptance of the coaching contract.

You can ask to stop receiving direct marketing at any time using the unsubscribe method provided or by contacting MTF. Service messages that are necessary to administer an active coaching relationship are not marketing messages.

12. Cookies and website technologies

The MTF website may use cookies or similar technologies. Some are necessary for the website to operate, while others may support analytics, functionality or marketing. Where consent is legally required for non-essential cookies or similar technologies, they should not be used until the required consent has been obtained.

A separate cookie notice or consent tool may provide more detailed information about the technologies actually used on the live website.

13. International transfers

Some technology providers may store or process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where UK data protection law treats this as a restricted international transfer, MTF will rely on an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism or safeguard provided for under applicable law, where required.

14. How long I keep information

MTF will not keep personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including providing services, meeting legal/accounting obligations, handling complaints, maintaining appropriate professional records and establishing or defending legal claims.

15. Security

MTF will use reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the information and the size of the business to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed completely secure. If MTF becomes aware of a personal-data breach, it will be assessed and handled in accordance with applicable legal obligations.

16. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have rights in relation to your personal information, including:

the right to be informed about how your information is used;
the right to request access to your personal information;
the right to ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
the right to request erasure of personal information in certain circumstances;
the right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
the right to data portability in certain circumstances;
the right to object to certain processing, including direct marketing;
rights relating to certain automated decision-making and profiling; and
where processing is based on consent, the right to withdraw that consent.

These rights are not absolute in every circumstance. MTF may need to retain or continue processing some information where the law permits or requires this. Requests can be made using the contact details in this policy.

17. Complaints

If you have a concern about how MTF handles your personal information, please contact me first so that I have an opportunity to address it.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data-protection regulator. Current contact and complaint information is available from the ICO's official website.

18. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in the services, technology providers, business operations or legal requirements. The current version should be published on the MTF website with its effective date and version number. Material changes will be communicated where appropriate.

19. Contact

Questions, privacy requests or concerns about this policy can be sent to:

Name: Michael Thomas / Michael Thomas Fitness

Email: michael@michaelthomasfitness.co.uk
Website: michaelthomasfitness.co.uk

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