How do I at 53 years old, break into the fitness industry myself?
Female, employed, fit, newly single, enthusiastic and motivated and do not want to be in a personal training class or school where all the students and instructor are much younger with completely different goals than myself simply due to our different stages in life. I want to help baby boomers like myself live life to the fullest! I live in Houston, Texas
There are certainly a lot of young people in fitness, though my experience has been that there are quite a lot who are middle aged or older. At 54 I am not the oldest teacher on staff at any of the places where I teach, though I have many colleagues who are in their 20s.
I would like to suggest that you do a little research before you start your training. There is a lot of money in providing training and certification so there are a lot of trainings and certifications…. you could spend many thousands of dollars….
Think about exactly what you want to do. You say you want to work with an older age demographic, but do you have a particular focus? You could go for a cert. in personal training, or in group exercise (think silver sneakers, fit for life, etc), or nutrition…. or a combination… you could do a cert. in Pilates and specialize toward a particular age group.
Then look at actual places that are near where you live where you might like to work…. see what opportunities there are, what pay scales are like, and what sorts of certifications the places where you would like to work require. If you are thinking you want to run your own business I would suggest taking at least a little time working in someone elses business… it can cost a lot to start up, and having a bit of experience is really helpful.
ACE and IDEA both have tools on their sites that let you compare certifications by a lot of variables. these can be very helpful. Do certify. The standards these days in a very competitive market are definitely that you need a nationally recognized certification or a degree in a fitness related field.
Spend time creating connections with others in the fitness fields that interest you. Social media can be really helpful, and doing regular one day trainings not only helps give you good information, but helps you to get to know others in your area and field. And it has been my experience that the kinder and more helpful you are to those with whom you work, the more you try to connect people with other people and with opportunities, regardless of whether it will get you anything in return the happier you will be, and the more people will kindly remember you when they hear of open opportunities. In yoga we call it karma.
Good luck
Hello Kim Gloger,
I am so grateful for the ACE Personal Trainer course offered at a college. I was pleasantly surprised by the very diverse group of students…we all learned from each other.
I understand what you are feeling; I also felt that way going in; but, it was not that way at all: all age groups, male and female, entering the field for different reasons. The instructors are also very experienced and knowledgeable.
I poured whatever energy I could muster up into making sure I passed the course and tests the first time and could not be happier.
No worries; but, I do recommend taking a course with some help from somewhere to be sure you are educated as much as possible; since, this is a career dealing with others’ health.
Good luck to you; I am sure you will also be pleasantly surprised.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.
Hi Kim,
I agree with the suggestions already mentioned here, but I want to give you one more!
I think your age is actually a benefit. If your goal in the fitness industry is to help other babyboomers, then you can really relate to others and their stages of life/fitness/goals.
You have real-life experiences because of your age that others can relate to–and that will help people feel more comfortable with you.
Sounds like you have a real passion for fitness, and that alone will take you far.
Do not let age be a factor for you, I say go for it!
Good luck!
Christine
It seems as though you’re concerned about taking a college / community college / independently provided educational program. You’re right; you can not control who your classmates will be, and many of them will have different goals than you.
THAT’S A GOOD THING!!! First of all, the age of the trainer doesn’t necessarily match to the age of that trainer’s clients. I know some young trainers who target Boomers and are wonderful with that demographic. Second of all, even for young trainers whose goals are different than yours, it might expand your ideas of how to train your target demographic by adapting some of their principles to your clientele.
Once you’ve obtained whatever training you choose, you can definitely control the clients you attract once you get into the field.
I’m near 50. Everyone is different in how they position themselves. What I’m finding is that I don’t sell well to the big box McGyms that sometimes consider appearance equally with education. I do very well at privately owned boutique facilities where clients value experience / education and are willing to pay more for it. I use my age to my advantage, rather than getting upset about where it’s not appreciated.