Shape Up Your Career... As A Personal Fitness Trainer
By Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer
Fall 2008
“I’ve always been involved in fitness in one form or another,” says Phyllis Ward, Army spouse and personal fitness trainer. “I started part-time in 1981 as an aerobic instructor and then went into personal training. In 2001, I took the leap of faith, quit my office job and went into training full-time.”
Like most other mobile careers for military spouses, personal fitness training as a career choice is motivated by personal passion and lifestyle choice.
“After working as a registered dietitian for 18 years, mostly in hospitals, I decided I didn’t like working with sick people as much as I liked promoting good health,” according to Maria McConville, Army spouse, dietitian and personal trainer. She envisioned a career as a perfect match between her nutritional counseling skills and lifelong interest in exercise and physical fitness. Maria decided to earn certification as a personal trainer from the American Council on Exercise so she could consult, speak and promote health-related topics.
Army spouse Julie Hurd came to personal training through an important life change. After losing 45 pounds, she wanted to help women achieve similar results – and keep motivated to stay fit.
“The journey is hard and often heartbreaking, and I couldn't have reached my goals without my friend supporting me,” Julie says. “I have always felt that the hardest part of fitness was doing it alone, not knowing where to start and trying to filter through all the information to know what really works and what is just propaganda.”
It’s crucial to understand that education and certification are two important yet separate steps. There are many ways to educate yourself: weekend workshops, self-study book learning, working with a personal trainer, taking short-course college diploma programs. The key is finding an outstanding education program.
Once you have built a knowledge foundation, one of the biggest challenges is to choose one of the many certification companies. The Starting A Personal Training Business website (www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com), created by a community of personal trainers who share their knowledge, includes a comparison chart and marks whether a company is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. It’s also a good idea to talk to other trainers to learn their experiences.
“My initial resource was a friend who owns a large physical therapy company with offices throughout our county,” says Beth Graff, owner of Strength for Life in
Military spouses can take comfort that most training programs are available online and can be completed at your own pace. Many programs also offer two- or three-day workshops for those who learn better in that format.
With her husband’s Army schedule and four children at home, Julie says she opted for the American Council on Exercise because she could complete it as a home-study program.
Besides study and certification, trainers suggest shadowing other trainers, working with a mentor for hands-on experience, and finding ways to gain practical experience before taking on clients.
“Once I got certified,” says Nikki Glor, personal trainer and fitness columnist at Military.com, “I volunteered for an organization helping needy women live healthier lives. It allowed me to learn from the more experienced trainers I worked with before I ever charged a client.”
Personal fitness training is a fast-growing field. As Beth points out, “Personal training has so many opportunities today: fitness centers, home sessions, healthcare organizations… even insurance companies are covering some personal training.”
You can use your skills and certification in your own business or as an employee or contractor with an organization. Phyllis has used each of the approaches, depending on her location, opportunities and life situation at the time.
While living in
“Moving to Fort Leonard Wood meant that I did not have the affluent clientele I had in
Working with MWR opened up another opportunity: in
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds – probably thousands by the time I leave – of Marines and soldiers,” Phyllis says. “It’s invaluable experience.”
Not to mention a major selling point: She found that her clients in
Maria also has worked both independently and as an employee with a fitness facility.
“One advantage of an independent contractor,” she says, “is that you can usually set your own schedule. But you have to market for clients, do all your own paperwork and have your own insurance. If you work for a facility, you are generally paid by the facility and covered under their insurance.”
It’s clear from the experiences of these women that the mobility of the personal trainer career requires much flexibility and creativity – like most military spouse careers.
“My business is constantly growing and changing shape,” Maria says, “depending on our situation – where we live, deployments, the economy…”
“It has been difficult to move my career,” says Phyllis. “Trainers have a client base, so with each move it’s like starting a new business. Also, I have to re-establish my expertise each time. Training is a highly competitive field.”
Creative marketing and networking can help – a lot. Nikki writes articles, maintains a website (NikkiFitness.com) and has created a DVD (NikkiFitness Military Wife Workout). Maria speaks publicly about nutrition and fitness. Beth gains most of her clients through cycling classes and competitions.
“Research your target market,” Phyllis says, “and then become a part of those groups, get involved in volunteer work they are involved with, and get on committees.”
She suggests a marketing idea that proved her best route to clients in
“I offered a complimentary training session to their clients,” she explains, “and then usually turned them into my clients. Some I worked with for the entire four years I was in
“Creating a business is never easy,” Phyllis adds. “It takes a lot of work and perseverance. You have to really want it – and never, ever give up.”
“There is professional satisfaction in watching someone achieve their goals,” Julie says, “but training goes beyond reaching goals. The personal satisfaction comes when everything comes together. When someone sees the beauty within themselves or when they realize how much exercise benefits their life outside of the physical image, it becomes a greater journey.”
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Military spouses Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer are public speakers and co-authors of the second edition of “Help! I’m a Military Spouse – I Want a Life Too: How to Craft a Life for You as You Move with the Military.” For more information or to request a presentation at your community, go to www.militaryspousehelp.com or send a message to kathie@militaryspousehelp.com.