Career Map: Fitness Professional
Education Options: You are eligible to get your training certification at 18 yrs. old. Continuing your education at a 2-yr college or 4-yr university will add and/or diversify your blooming career! (see Lauren's choices below)
Salary: $$,$$$ - $$$,$$$
WATCH LAUREN'S COOL-CAREER VIDEO HERE!
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Fitness Professional, Blogger and YouTuber, Lauren Hefez
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Are you a people person? Do you love the spotlight? Are you a natural leader? Do you want a career that is varied, lively, fun and healthy? Then you might consider a career as a: Fitness Professional.
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Meet Lauren Hefez, Fitness Professional
CAREER: Fitness-Class Trainer, Personal Trainer, Certified in Pilates, Pre and Post Natal Fitness. Creator of LaurenHefez.com and 'Sweat With Lauren Hefez TV'
In Lauren's world she calls the shots. She makes her own schedule based on the classes that she chooses to teach or the amount of people that she chooses to train. She has combined her love of dance with her degree in Communications and previous plan to be an on-camera, television personality to create her own 'DREAM JOB'.
By day, Lauren is constantly creating new routines based on her knowledge and interpretation of each of her classes. However, when Lauren's day is done at the gym - it's only just beginning for her as a business person.
Once back in her home office, Lauren creates and shoots new fitness videos for her followers on her YouTube channel. She also manages her social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
Passionate about healthy eating, Lauren also spends much of her off-gym time in her kitchen creating healthy options of her favorite treats. (Her mantra? 'You CAN say YES to muffins!')
BEST PERK: Lauren's career is not a typical 9-5. She's constantly active and on the move. No two days are ever the same. She dreams to one day teach a class in every major city in the U.S.!
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Lauren's day doesn't end at the gym… As a business person, she creates her own YouTube videos, monitors her social media, answers emails and even creates healthy versions of her favorite recipes.
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FIRST STEPS: You're never too young to begin exploring a career in fitness! Start now by finding out what your favorite fitness is: HITT Training, Spinning, Yoga, Boxing, Barre, Zumba, Pilates, Dance etc.
When you turn 18 years old you may apply for your Certified Training Program. From there - you can add extra training and education to grow as a personal trainer, a group fitness instructor, a corporate wellness professional or a hybrid of several types of training. You can even pursue a more academic route and study anatomy and physiology leading to a career as a physical therapist and beyond. Add nutrition studies to your game to really round-out your expertise.
SCHOOL: Lauren combined her college degree in Communications with her passion for dance to create her in-person and online training career.
CERTIFICATION: You must FIRST be certified in CPR and AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). From there, you can choose from a range of PROFESSIONAL TRAINER CERTIFICATIONS such as ACE and ISSA. Search many different Fitness Certifications, Training Groups and Universities here.
PRO TIP: Consider an internship at a favorite gym, community center, church or youth-group. BE A SPONGE! Learn different techniques from the various instructors you take classes from. Take as many different types of classes and training as you can to determine the type of fitness you want to pursue.
Lauren works daily on BUILDING-HER-BRAND _______________________________________________________________________
BUILD YOUR BRAND! Get on Social Media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest etc). Post tips that you've learned, link to articles that are inspiring you, Shoot 'Selfies' of yourself in your new workout attire and let your followers know the deal you got by searching the sales. Create your own YouTube videos like Lauren and begin to BUILD YOUR BRAND! (and MAKE YOUR BUSINESS CARDS!)
SALARY: Fitness Training is a fast-growing career. Since you make your own schedule - according to how many clients you choose and when you choose to train them or how many classes you choose to teach per week - your salary is up to you and can be anything from a second-income to a full-time 6-figure career. $$$.$$$! #ChaChing
DEGREE: You can begin your fitness career right out of high-school or you can choose to further your studies in a 2-year college or even 4 year program where you can focus more on the science behind training and really see how the body responds and what it needs. Here's a few ideas.
DUTIES: "Doing what I do now is BEYOND what I thought it could be!" Lauren says... "I've combined my passion for dance with my Communication degree and have created my own YouTube Channel where I post my personally created workout videos for my clients, fans and followers to see. I have truly CREATED my DREAM JOB".
FIRST JOBS: "My first job was an ice-cream scooper. I worked at an ice-cream shop". I also always danced. From my senior year in high-school and all through college I worked with a DJ as a 'Dance Motivator'. My job was to get people out of their seats to get up and DANCE! That job actually translates to my job now! Now my job is to motivate people to work out to their potential in class, exercise, enjoy themselves and smile!"
LAUREN'S TOP TIPS:
1. TIME MANAGEMENT: "I make my own schedule. That can work for you or against you. I choose to make it work FOR ME. My top tip is to MAKE A LIST. I literally write my entire day down on paper so that I don't miss a thing. And not just my class schedule - I write down EVERYTHING. What time to send an email out. What time I will shoot my online video classes...EVERYTHING. Not only does it keep me on track and motivated throughout the day but every time I scratch one item off the list it's a WIN! Being able to see your little accomplishments all day long is a great motivator and mood lifter!"
2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: "As I go from class to class - I make sure and take the time to THINK ABOUT WHO I AM GEARING MY NEXT CLASS TOWARDS. This informs my teaching and makes sure that I am present and giving my students what they need according to their physical needs and even the mindset of the group."
(NOTE: This TOP TIP applies to every career, job, interview or meeting. GIVE 'EM A GOOGLE! Do some research (Internet… holla!) on the company that you plan to apply to, the interviewer you will be meeting and the company's vision and principles beforehand. A little background knowledge will show your enthusiasm and give you a leg-up on the competition.)
3. ADD VALUE TO YOUR CLIENT'S LIVES: "As a fitness professional, I am always telling my students to EAT CLEAN - to EAT WHOLE FOODS and to EAT FOODS IN THEIR MOST NATURAL STATE. Little tips and reminders to my clients - for example, "To make sure they add a bit of protein to their juice or smoothie with a few almonds or cashews, shows that I am truly behind their health goals."
4. NEVER STOP LEARNING: "It's very important in my field and in every field to be on top of your game when it comes to new information, new technology, new fitness classes, new ideas."
5. LOOKING GOOD DOESN'T HAVE TO BE $$$: Lauren's favorite place to shop for her fitness clothes? TJ Maxx!
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