Become a personal trainer or fitness instructor

“I started work at the training studio the week after I finished working at the department store and instantly fell in love. I continued to train and a month later, got my AFAA group fitness certification to teach aerobics. Teaching aerobics was a natural step for me since I missed teaching and taking dance classes so much. It helped to fill the void and also helped get me through a 6-month deployment. [...] Every time I train or teach someone, I’m responsible for keeping them safe during their workout and can have a dramatic positive or negative effect on the future of their fitness. I could scar someone from ever getting on a spin bike again or instill fear of the weight room forever. It’s not a responsibility that I take lightly and I have to be 100% focused every time I put my teaching or training shoes on. One distraction and someone could be injured.”

“Here I was, with a 39-year-old woman that had never worked out in a gym- ever- and had only done the elliptical. What to do? Short answer: whatever I wanted. She never questioned anything I made her do. She might not have liked it, but she did it anyway! [...] People watched us train and thought we were crazy. Battle ropes, cleans, attempting to climb walls outside, pulling me on a sled through the gym. We would just laugh and say “this is the easy stuff.”