Personal Trainer

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Personal Trainer
Sports Nutrionist
Wellness Speaker (Power Point)
Small Group Fitness Instructor (indoor or outdoor)
Owner of "Freedom of Fitness"
Gym Builder

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Be ready to learn, work hard & smart and have fun too!
After all, "Fitness is a lifestyle, not a life sentence!"

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. How to put all the variables together to get the goal (i.e. nutrition, weights, cardio & flexibility).

This is not a secret to me but many women are hesitant or intimidated to add weight training to their fitness programs. Often they have listened to incorrect information so my job is to educate & debunk the myths that many women have around weight training.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. 1- Where they would like to use my services (in-home, World Gym, outdoors or at The Sporting Club at the Aventine.
2- What their budget is.
3- What their goals are
It is always helpful when my potential clients journal their foods for 2-3 days before the 1st meeting. They should include the time they ate, the food eaten and the approximate portion size in honest detail.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I am very passionate about helping men and women reach their personal health & fitness goals.
I have written all of my own educational materials.
I help clients understand how to change their "lifestyle" vs promoting "quick fix" fad diets.
My stregths a a fitness professional include; weight loss & healthy weight management, strength training, changing body composition, increasing muscle mass, and improving overall health.
I have a B.A. in Recreation & Leisure Studies with a Major in Sociology.
I am an ex professional bodybuilder who has competed in the Ms. Olympia 3 times, in the early 90s.
I have 25 years of experience as a Personal Trainer in Canada & the USA.
I have been certified as a Sports Nutritionist for over 10 years.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I love to work with people who are excited about changing the bodies & their lifestyle.
I love being an educator in the areas of nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle, one-on-one, or in a group setting. I do Power Point presentations for corporations or any group that is interested in self-improvement.
I enjoy taking women into the gym and introducing them to the value of resistance training for fat loss, asthetics and minimizing the risk of oesteoporosis.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. How do I lose weight? My answer is a) increase caloric expenditure through increased exercise (aerobic exercise & resistance training) b) start improving the quality of food that they are consuming and c) cut portions. The bottom line is we have to burn more calories than we consume.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. My most amazing client was a 35 yr old woman who had 2 autistic children & 2 aging relatives, on hospice, to care for ask me to help he get ready for a Figure Competition. She worked full-time as a teacher and was new to the fitness lifestyle. She not only lost 70 lbs in a year, she also placed in the top 5 at her very first phyique event! I have told this story to clients that believe that they are "too busy" to eat right or exercise.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I am currently taking new clients. The first 30-minute consultation is FREE. I take the opportunity to evaluate the individual's current eating & exercise behaviors, discuss program options and provide tips and possible stategies we could use to obtain the goal.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I was a National Level competitive canoe/kayaker in Canada. We were encouraged to lift weights as a compliment to our sport during the winter. I fell in love with weight training, first. Decided that I wanted to do a local bodybuilding show and my passion for working in the industry grew from there.
When I became a certified Sports Nutritionist, it was as a direct result of my own personal successes with my health & bodybuilding contests. I wanted to share the wealth!

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. I built a gym for Pardee Homes at Pacific Highlands Ranch, California.
I was the Personal Trainer for the San Diego Water Authority.
I am the Nutritionist for the Sporting Club at the Aventine.
I am currently training a woman who has had 5 knee surgeries stay as functional in her lower body as possible, as she ages.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Yes, I recertified my Sports Nutrition license in Feb 2010 and am currently recertifying my Advanced Pers Training cert with AFAA.
I went to the Perform Better conference in LA in Jan. 2010. I usually do CEUs annually.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. The economy has made many in our industry change their way of doing things. Boot camps are affordable as are personal training sessions for 2-4 people at a time. Trainers have had to make PT more afforable.