Have You Disqualified Yourself?
If you’ve been thinking about a career in fitness but were worried that maybe something about you, perhaps age, shape, nationality or the like, “disqualified” you. Let me assure you that you are almost certainly wrong. It’s never too late to follow your passion for fitness! If my experience is anything to go from, the fitness world is very inclusive of training, workplaces, and especially with clients. Here is my story.
A life-long love of fitness leads me into my dream role as editor of a major fitness magazine after training as a lawyer and later selling my business. I began to meet some extraordinary but, surprisingly, ordinary people who ran around the world, lost 50kgs or paddled to New Zealand.
I visited (and judged) bodybuilding shows and fitness expos and, of course, edited many workout programs while continuing my fitness journey. And the revelation began to dawn on me that I needed to know more; I needed to know the latest and best fitness techniques, so who better to teach me than one of our magazine’s most successful clients, The Personal Training Academy.
The Realisation
When I started my Cert 3 with PTA, it was just out of personal interest, but I found two things as I progressed firstly, that I loved it, and secondly, that far from being the only older person in the course (I’m 55) there were actually a few of us. Believe it or not, in my small group, there were two other lawyers or former lawyers (think that says something about the job pressure of being a lawyer!).
By the time I had finished my Cert IV, I was hooked, and one of the instructors got me an interview with a major fitness chain with “First” in their name. This interview turned into a job, and then just recently, I took the major step of becoming a “Franchised” trainer, which means I am now running my own personal training business out of one of their many locations. Not only that but I was recognised as the best new recruit and awarded a prize for further training with some elite trainers.
The Industry Needs Your Unique Qualities
The Industry Needs Your Unique QualitiesAt 55, I am in a demographic with over 25% of the population, yet only 5% of trainers are currently my age or older. Opportunity! What about you? Do you speak Chinese? One of the people I met had more clients than he could manage because he was the only one in his club who spoke it. Have you had to battle with weight? Your empathy and experience will make you a better trainer and very attractive to many of the clients at your gym.
So come on, don’t disqualify yourself – it is most likely that the very “challenge” you think may limit your chances to make it as a fitness professional, in fact, will increase your success!
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