Pursuing a fitness career sounds like the dream right? For some people anyway! Being able to combine your career alongside fitness can be great to keep yourself healthy while providing opportunities to others who are looking to get fit and feel better within themselves.
As a career choice, it can be highly rewarding, especially when you’re able to see the fantastic results that many of your clients are likely to achieve through hard work and perseverance.
So how do you pursue a career in fitness? What type of fitness niche do you go into? This guide will provide you with everything you need to know when it comes to finding a career in the fitness industry this year.
The basic steps to take when pursuing a fitness career
To help pursue a career in fitness, alongside maintaining your own health, you’ll want to focus on getting yourself certified as a personal trainer or an expert in whatever fitness program or sport you’d like to offer. For example, the journey to become a Pilates instructor will be different than the one that you’ll take to become a scuba diving expert.
With that being said, here are some of the basics to pursuing your goal of a fitness career.
Find your specialism
What do you enjoy most when it comes to fitness? Maybe it’s the ability to interact with a variety of different people every day. Or it could be that you want to create a network of clients that you work with on a regular basis.
The specialism you go down will depend on what you’re after from the job itself. Everyone is different and therefore the fitness specialism you’ll explore will likely be down to your own personal preferences.
You’ll also find that when it comes to fitness, there are lots of different sports that you can partake in and while some might be up your street, others might be something you want to avoid entirely.
Consider what areas of fitness appeal most to you and figure out which one is most suited to what you could see yourself doing in the long term.
Get certified
Certifications are important when it comes to fitness because much like many industries that assist with the health of others, there are certain health and safety risks involved. When clients or customers come to you for fitness advice and guidance, you’ll need to be able to provide them with accurate and safe practices.
Getting certified not only provides all that but it will also set you apart from those who choose not to get certified. You’ll likely find that prospective clients or customers will be looking for the relevant certifications before committing to you, so it’s good to be mindful of what these are and how you’ll go about getting them.
You may also need to do a few training courses in order to get the certificates and qualifications necessary. Therefore it’s a good idea to be mindful of the cost and the time restraints that you may be committing to as a result of this. Sometimes, certain professions will require a long period of time to learn before you get to do the job itself.
Build your knowledge
Building your knowledge goes alongside acquiring the accreditations needed for the job. Think about what sort of knowledge gaps you have and how you could go about getting them. This might be through online and in-person courses but also through the free resources available online and through books.
You might wish to acquire a mentor, someone who perhaps is in the role or position that you are aiming to get one day. Just like yourself, they had to start somewhere and likely relied on the help of others to achieve it. As such, you may find more people are willing to become mentors for yourself than you think.
Gain experience
The experience that you need to fulfil any role is something that comes with opportunities and time. No one who is newly qualified will have all of the experience to begin with to pursue the role they’re after. Some might have to put in the hours first until they get to the point of being able to offer certain services or get into the interview room for a job.
Therefore, you should look at ways you can gain experience. Look at what opportunities are out there to learn and gain the experience necessary to step up when the time is right.
Start networking
Networking is a great way to connect with others in the industry and that can be extremely important when you’re looking to find success. It’s often the case within any industry or business that it’s more about who you know than what you know, so it’s good to get to know people.
Look at what type of networking events are out there within the fitness realm. Explore these options and get in with the right people so that you have the opportunities available to you which can be leveraged to gain a step up in your career.
If you’re not someone who’s experienced particularly in networking, you might look to go with somebody in order to gain confidence and find your voice. Find someone who is equally interested in the world of fitness or is already in the fitness industry in some capacity.
Build a personal brand
Whether you become a personal trainer or own your own hot yoga company, building a brand is key to your success. Many careers within the fitness world rely upon the way you market yourself to the outside. This is particularly true in the case where you need to acquire attendees or clients on your books.
Think about how you could elevate yourself as a brand. Get yourself on social media and start promoting yourself as a product rather than just as an individual.
How to maintain your own fitness and health within this career
While pursuing a career in fitness is great, you also want to look after your own health and maintain the fitness goals that are personable to you. With that being said, here are a few ways to prioritize your own fitness and health alongside a career in fitness.
Make time for your own fitness sessions
Try to find time for your own fitness sessions whether these are fitted around your clients or on your days off. Ideally, you want to do fitness that you enjoy and that helps you to achieve your own physical goals.
It’s often the case that when you’re doing something you already love and enjoy as an activity in your day-to-day life come loses its appeal when it becomes your full-time job. With that being said try to do activities and fitness that are different to the fitness you provide within your career.
Work out with your clients
You could kill two birds with one stone and work out with your clients. This can be a great way to fit in your own workouts, while also encouraging your clients to push themselves further. As a client, it can provide great motivation to see a trainer or class instructor partaking in the fitness itself.
Try not to let your own fitness objectives during your interactions with clients overlook the job you’re trying to do for them. While it is good to make use of the time full the benefit of your own fitness it’s important not to lose sight of who is the priority between you and your client(s).
Remember to rest your body
Whenever you’re working out you should always make time to rest your body. With a career in fitness you may find yourself more active than normal yet it is still essential that you rest your body where you can.
Find the time to rest whether that’s on your days off or in between job-related activities. You can easily find yourself working out constantly when you have a job in fitness and you may then become more susceptible to injury as a result. Remember you’re a role model for your clients so be sure to follow your own advice and guidance that you give to your clients when working out.
Careers to explore within fitness
There are many careers within fitness that are worth considering. This will depend on your personal preferences and objectives of course. If you’re looking for inspiration here are a number of careers to explore within fitness.
- Yoga Instructor
- Personal trainer
- Lifeguard
- Sports masseuse
- Physical education teacher
- Dietitian
- Fitness consultant
- Health Club manager
This list isn’t inclusive of all the options that are out there. It’s worth doing your own research to discover what careers are possible within your current skill set and what might be achievable with further education and certifications in place.
If you’re looking to pursue a career in fitness this year and stay healthy. Follow these tips and invest your time wisely so that you have the best chance of succeeding.
