FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
If you use your health insurance for covered services, your health insurance benefits apply first. Otherwise, I have a sliding scale based on my hourly rate, which is listed on my website. Personal training rates are listed on my website as well as other services. I do flexibility training, stability/balance/agility training, home-based strength training, and are also willing to travel to your gym if it allows trainers (such as an apartment gym). I am not interested in training under the table at a commercial gym with its own hired trainers, as that is not legit business practice and hurts the overall professional opinion of personal trainers--nor is it fair to those who are employed by the gym, those paying for those trainers, and the gym management's liability.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Update: Board Certified Specialist in Obesity and Weight Management (CSOWM) as of April 2017. This is an advanced practice credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration that requires 2000 hours of work in weight management and be an RD for 2+ yrs since initial registration to be eligible. The exam covers the literature on obesity and weight management. Update: Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) credential as of April 2016. This is an advanced practice credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration that requires one to have been a registered dietitian for at least 2 years and 1500 hrs of work with athletes and active individuals and/or equivalent educational substitution. Exam covers literature on sports nutrition and eating disorders. I recently recertified for my NASM-CPT, which requires 2.0 CEUs (20 hours). Registered dietitian requires 75 CPEs to recertify every 5 years after initially having a degree and getting accepted to a 1200 hr supervised practice program with rotations in various areas of nutrition. I actually have 82 CPE completed already (July 2015 as this is written) with 4 years to go in my current recertification cycle.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I like helping people and have always been very meticulous about learning why things work with regard to health. I think these are important assets to have in this field. I also was an athlete and interested in maximizing my performance since childhood and was affected by my grandfather's heart surgery at age 12, which made me start reading about nutrition back then. Went to college and found out you could become a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, and personal trainer.