Careers in Exercise and Fitness

There’s more than just personal training

The fitness industry is booming and lots of you are interested in starting a career in exercise and fitness. Being a personal trainer is a great job, but there are other options out there. Expand your horizons and learn about other ways to help people get healthy and fit.

Health or Wellness Coach

While personal trainers focus mostly on exercise, Wellness Coaching goes beyond personal training. Nancy Jacobson, a certified Wellness Coach says, “wellness coaches look at the big picture…The coach and client work together to develop a program that fits the clients needs, values, and visions while helping them over come barriers that prevent them from reaching their wellness goals.”

A Wellness Coach offers advice and guidance about:

• Fitness
• Nutrition
• Weight nanagement
• Stress reduction
• Health risk management
• Barriers to reaching fitness goals

When meeting with clients, you’ll get to know them–find out what it is they need help with such as weight loss, eating habits, exercise and fitness, stress reduction, smoking cessation, etc.

You’ll help people control conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes and you can even choose to work with special populations such as teens, kids, families, seniors, etc.

Benefits of Being a Wellness Coach

• Flexibility - You can work with your clients in person or by telephone, email or fax (or all three). Nancy does much of her consultation on the phone which, she says “takes the stress out of finding the time to meet the coach like one would have to do with a personal trainer at a fitness facility.”
• Opportunities - You can work with individuals or in a corporate environment, write books or articles, teach seminars and classes and work with personal trainers, doctors, dieticians, and other health professionals.
• Income - How much you make will depend on where you live and your experience and background. Nancy mentions that most sessions run from $50 to $100 a session.
• Personal Satisfaction - You’ll feel good about helping clients reach their goals and you’ll form relationships that go beyond basic personal training.

Education

You don’t need a special education to become a Wellness Coach, however at the very least, you’ll want to get certified. There are many coaching certification and degrees available.

Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant

Offered by ACE, this certification teaches you how to develop weight management programs for clients that cover nutrition, exercise and lifestyle change. In this job, you work with clients to overcome barriers to health and fitness, so you’re not just taking clients through workouts and sending them on their way.

To become a Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant, you must already have an ACE certification for Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor or Clinical Exercise Specialist Certification.

Group Fitness Instructor

Group fitness is a popular career choice because you can do it part-time and teach whatever kind of class interests you the most.

Income will vary depending on where you work and how many classes you teach. Some of the options include:

• Hi/Low Aerobics
• Step Aerobics
• Kickboxing
• Strength Training
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Water aerobics

More Career Options

If you’re feeling ambitious, you could always go for an advanced degree at a university in something like Sports Medicine or Exercise Science. These degrees will allow you to pursue careers or other degrees such as:

• Athletic Trainer
• Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist
• Dietician
• Exercise Physiologist
• Biomechanist
• Sports Coach
• Physical Therapy

The great thing about fitness is that it offers plenty of options for career choices, whether you want to pursue a degree or ease into it by getting a certification. Many people get into exercise and get so excited about the results, they can’t wait to share that enthusiasm. If you’re one of those people, take a chance and give fitness a try!