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Career Path for Personal Trainers

How to Fortify Your Purpose and Bolster Your Business

It was 2014 and Jill McKay was at a critical juncture. For the past decade, she had thought of herself as "just a mom," yet recently the idea of founding a fitness organization had begun to consume her. The problem? McKay lacked both confidence and the know-how to get started. Soon, however, she'd find her first step—and the catalyst to fulfilling her aspirations—underneath the Christmas tree.

Educate Yourself, Evolve Your Business

The most successful entrepreneurs know that education is a cornerstone of building a strong business. Your chance to elevate your game is right around the corner at IDEA World Fitness Convention™.

“What’s the Best Piece of Fitness Industry Advice You’ve Ever Received?”

The best fitness advice that I have received is: Don’t be afraid to be creative. I was nearing the end of my education in the fitness field. The advice was just what I needed before returning to my hometown to start training a full client list. I was at a “hands-on” retreat to get practical experi- ence in training.

Nutrition Coaching Primer
Nutrition Coaching: A Primer for Health and Fitness Professionals

Fitness professionals should discuss nutrition with their clients. 


Historically, many fitness pros have either avoided nutrition
discussions for fear of straying outside their scope of practice or gone
overboard by exceeding their scope of practice—recommending nutritional
supplements or individualized meal plans. 


There is a better way: Staying within scope of practice while adopting a
coaching philosophy that uses proven methods of behavior change. 


Corporate Fitness Wellness Programs to Experience Growth

Have you thought about throwing your hat into the corporate wellness ring? Perhaps now is the right time to get involved.

According to the research company IBISWorld, the U.S. gross domestic
product is expected to rise 3.9% per year over the next few years. That means corporations could be allocating extra funding toward health and wellness program- ming, suggests the research organization. IBISWorld believes that, as a result, the corporate fitness and wellness industry will see marked financial growth. Here’s
a rundown of the findings:

“The Super Bowl of Fitness”

With over 12,000 personal trainers, group fifitness instructors, mind-body professionals, business owners and managers, and experts from every corner of the globe, the IDEA World Fitness Convention has been called “the Super Bowl of Fitness.” Fitness pros who attend gain valuable education and strategies to expand their skill sets; they discover diver- sity that evolves their careers or businesses; and they establish expert connections that open doors and offffer new opportunities.

Educate Yourself, Elevate Your Business

SEducation is a cornerstone of a profitable business. Whether you’d like to update your coaching skills, learn new ways to manage staff or learn how to work smarter and not harder, the 2015 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute has everything you need to build a better business.

Health Coaching vs. Life Coaching

Coaching is not a new field. “The general consensus is that personal life coaching evolved in the early 1990s out of the coaching techniques being used to motivate business executives in the 1980s,” says Mary Bratcher, wellness coach and co-owner of The Biomechanics Method in San Diego. “The application of life coaching to the health and fitness sector began to happen in the early 2000s.”

Ask The RD

Question: I’m working toward a career change to health and wellness, and I have a particular interest in nutrition. My interests are in coaching individuals to adopt healthier eating patterns (I’m currently an ACE-certified health coach) and lose weight, and in working with people whose doctors may have suggested “lifestyle changes” to help prevent cholesterol or blood sugars from creeping up further, but who have not yet become diabetic or developed serious heart issues.

Staying in the Fitness Game
Staying in the Fitness Game

How do you succeed in the fitness profession? Whether you’ve just gotten certified, you’re returning to a fitness career or you’re an experienced pro who wants to develop new skills, the answer is the same: keep learning. Continuing education is a career necessity that becomes increasingly important as the fitness industry grows more sophisticated, diverse, specialized and evidence-based.

The Strategic Acquisition of CECs

The fitness industry has come a long way in terms of credibility and standards since the days of fuzzy leg warmers and terry cloth sweatbands. In fact, industry standards have risen so much in recent years that many companies will hire only those fitness professionals who have obtained their certifications from organizations approved by independent entities, such as the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

Personal Trainer Certification

There is much talk about certification, accreditation and licensure in the fitness industry today. Whatever might be said about this trio of topics, a couple of points can be underscored:…

Juggling & TrackingYour Fitness Certifications

our fitness director at the club just called with a reminder that one of your primary fitness certifications is about to expire. Somewhere in a pile of papers, you have the renewal notice sent by the certifying board. You meant to track your renewal, but somehow it just got away from you. Now you might be pulled from working with clients unless you hurry to update that primary certification.

Pilates News

The Pilates Method Alliance® (PMA™) intends to offer the first national certification exam for Pilates instructors in August 2005, according to Kevin Bowen, PMA’s chief executive officer and cofounder. Bowen says, “Our goal is to create a professional standard for the industry and give consumers greater protection from incompetence. We are encou…

Navigating Personal Trainer Certifications

Mainstream consumers are starting to embrace personal training, currently one of the leading growth trends in the fitness industry. Once considered within the reach only of celebrities and wealthy socialites, personal fitness trainer (PFT) services are now valued by more people, and more of them are willing to pay. Leading fitness centers throughout the U.S. have thriving personal training programs.