How did you get into fitness?
I’m feeling a little nostalgic today since it’s the 24 year anniversary of the first full class that I taught. So I’m wondering, how did you decide to join the fitness industry, whether you do it for a hobby or as a career?
For me, I had been in gymnastics and drill team for years, including choreographing and teaching routines. When I got out of college, I bought a fancy membership at a women’s only gym and took a few classes. They weren’t fun. I found myself thinking of different things I would do if it were my class. Then I stopped going to classes, and no one had taught me how to use the weight machines. So, in order to keep healthy and to keep interested, I attended a several-week training that was being provided by a regional chain that was offering it to build up their instructor base. After our team teaching, I got a job at a club closer to home. That was in the day of leotards and tights, hi/lo, aerobic steps made out of wooden boxes, and cassette tapes that weren’t 32-beat mixed.
Here’s to another 24 years! What a ride it has been, and still is.
Hi Nancy,
For me it was a natural transition after 15 years of competitive swimming. I’m competitive by nature and I always try to find ways to keep myself challenged. I could not see myself sitting behind a desk or surrounded by four walls, so the best way to continue with the energy and lifestyle from my swimming career was to follow a career in the fitness industry. I learned a lot of valuable lessons and I had many great mentors along the way, beginning with my first swimming coach to the strength and conditioning coaches at the University of Alabama where I was a member of the swim team.
Best,
Harris