I was privileged to be interviewed by FitnessU recently regarding my experience in the fitness industry - follow the link below directly to the fitnessU Pro
Trainer Insights blogsite or read my response below.
Name: Marg Anderson
Specialisation:
I run my own personal training business and
am passionate about helping clients with injuries and disabilities. I promote a service, which fuses
functional fitness and holistic well-being, and empowers clients to be at their
best. My other areas of specialization include Yoga, Pilates, Body Balance and
fit ball.
What is your experience in the fitness industry?
I have been involved in the fitness industry for over 30
years. During this time my qualifications and industry involvement has
incorporated gym instruction, group exercise, yoga, aqua, personal training,
through to the establishment and management of fitness facilities both local
government and private. I also work as a fitness consultant, presenter, mentor
and nutrition adviser, and have lectured in Certificate III and IV in Fitness,
Sport Development and Sport and Recreation Management for over 10 years.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in fitness?
Initially my own interest for fitness and sport became an
important part of living in a remote North West town for 4 years. It was here
that I started my career as a relief instructor and decided to pursue a career
upon returning to Perth. From humble beginnings over 30 years ago to today, the
reward of seeing clients benefit from their training, mentally and physically,
especially those with more advanced rehab conditions is way up there on the
list of reasons why I decided on this career path!
What is the best thing about working in the fitness
industry?
Flexibility, diversity and the human factor. As a PT you get
to work your own hours, and often get to train at different locations. The
variety is great. It can also be very rewarding seeing your clients make
positive changes to their lives.
Teaching group fitness classes can give you a real buzz, not
to mention the benefits of keeping yourself in shape at the same time!
Instructing classes also gives you exposure to a large audience who may be
interested in becoming future one-on-one personal training clients.
Management and/or running your own business enables
stability in the industry through regular employment along with an enormous
sense of achievement and pride.
Overall working in the fitness industry gives you the tools
to create lasting lifestyle changes for our clients to explore their inner
power and outer potential; a truly rewarding experience.
As a fitnessU pro-trainer, what advice would you give to
current or future students to succeed with their studies and future career?
First and foremost, dedication and staying true to yourself.
Enter the industry because you have a passion for it and a love for what you
do. If you remain grounded and reflect that honesty and passion in your classes
and with your clients it will be a win-win situation. Your clients or potential
clientele will see that quality in you and this will be of great benefit to
your future career.
It is a demanding industry, but equally as rewarding if you
remain focused, passionate and dedicated to your studies and future goals as
well as continuing education. Always have an industry mentor – someone to look
up to and help inspire you to do what you do every day!
How does the pro-trainer mentor program benefit not only
students but also yourself?
The mentor program is excellent. It ensures students can
keep on track with their studies, and assures them support anywhere in
Australia. I have several very isolated country students who skype mentor
sessions with me regularly…some don’t even have a gym in their town! It’s
awesome to meet these students and be able to offer help when they need it.
It also gives me a sense of self-reward to be able to do
this. I enjoy giving back to an industry that has given me a lot both
personally and professionally.
What are the qualities that really stand out to you in
fitness professional?
Honesty, integrity, a great ‘can do’ work ethic and
professional in every aspect of what they do. They also need to walk the talk!
What have been the greatest challenges in your career thus
far?
Over 15 years a go I suffered a L4/ 5-disc protrusion and severe
nerve damage. It was a devastating injury for me as I was instructing
approximately 10 -12 group classes a week, managing a 40 staff plus Fitness
facility and running PT alongside all of this. I was advised to take 6 months
off all my classes to rehabilitate and found even the day-to-day tasks of life
hard. Regular rehab sessions each week meant I had to minimize work hours,
which not only impacted financially, but the lack of normal regular exercise
sessions impacted mentally and physically.
How have you overcome these challenges?
Unbeknownst to me at the time, this injury was to change my
whole outlook on the industry as I knew it and led me to a much more holistic
mind/body pathway. I had to learn to train differently and decided this would
have a positive not negative effect on my much-loved career.
I learned a lot along the way and made decisions to educate
further in Pilates, Yoga and rehabilitation. This experience led me to see that
I could use these different training modes to train or offer my services to a
whole new target market of clients. I have never looked back! This challenge
opened new doors, allowed me to continue working as a fitness professional and
provide a more holistic and balanced approach to my life and the lives of my
clients.
Reference - Pro-Trainer Insights
Tess Wilson - Thursday, April 14, 2016
