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Fitness Trainer or Aerobics Instructor

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AVG. SALARY

$45,280

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EDUCATION

1-2 years post-secondary training

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

Interviews

Insider Info

Experts in health and fitness can have a profound effect on the lives of individuals who come to them for help. Take, for example, a client who desperately needed the guidance offered by Paul VanWiechen, a certified exercise physiologist.

"I was working with an obese mother of two who worked as a secretary," he begins. "She was embarrassed to be seen in restaurants and food courts, so she often ate alone at work. She was ashamed that she could not keep up with her young children so she would avoid family activities. She had tried to exercise in the past but was following an inappropriate program. So she decided exercise was too difficult."

After three months with the trainer, she lost about 30 pounds. Unfortunately, she could not afford to continue working with a trainer and her weight started to increase again. She also started showing signs of depression.

Then her boss bought her three more months' worth of time with the trainer. She and VanWiechen got her back on the health track and brought her weight down some more. This completely changed her outlook on her weight and her lifestyle.

"At the end of the three months, I knew she would be able to continue with her new lifestyle," VanWiechen remembers.

"She told me she rode her bike with her kids for the first time ever to the Dairy Queen. Although she could have made a better [food] choice, we agreed that the very fact she felt confident enough to engage in physical activity with her children and eat ice cream in public signaled that she had the confidence to continue to deal with her weight management issues."

As an exercise physiologist and owner of his own personal training company in New Jersey, Neal I. Pire has had inspirational clients of his own. He has worked with many athletes who were able to achieve their dreams with his guidance.

He talks about the pride of a girl who qualified for gymnastic nationals after adding some specialized training to her practice: "She made the nationals because she did so well in the vault. This had previously been her weakest event, prior to enhancing her running speed in the speed [training] program."

Pire has also helped young football players, sprinters, and track and field athletes. By adapting their training to their specific goals, they went on to win honors on the field, as well as some college scholarships.

Pire also feels fortunate to work with people with more modest, but equally admirable, ambitions: "I have worked with people who could do so little, like walking up one flight of stairs. These people met their fitness goals, whether those were losing significant weight or gaining strength. Some needed rehabilitation for a replaced knee or were recovering from coronary bypass."

These are the reasons Pire continues to stay involved in training. "I love it," he says. "As I have moved up the management ladder, I have always kept my hands in training. I will always keep actively training clients and inspiring them to strive for improved health, fitness or performance."

For VanWiechen, working with a variety of people has brought its own personal rewards:

"I am able to gain an appreciation for the unique viewpoints of the elderly retiree, the young athlete, the overweight factory worker, the worried cancer survivor, the neurotic executive, and the nervous bride-to-be all in the same day," he says. "Seeing and hearing about their lives gives me a sense of perspective I would not have had if I worked in an industry that didn't allow that interaction."

Not all of that interaction is positive: "Every client has a preconceived idea of what is appropriate," VanWiechen says. "Getting their undivided attention focused on a clear plan can be difficult."

However, the end result makes any challenges worthwhile. "[T]he most satisfying part is when you are able to get through to a client and help them reach their goals. The ripple effect of their lifestyle changes can reach an incredible number of people. And this can provide the social acceptance to change behaviors in both individual people and society as a whole."

Contact

  • Email Support

  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900

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