Time for a change and to help others - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[Heidi]

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself and get a bit of feedback if possible. I have been an admin assistant all my working career and it is time for a change. I have always been interested in fitness and nutrition and always want to look and feel myt best for myself. I am 5'5 and weight about 119 which is average for me. We all have our problem areas and thus I have tried every diet plan and pill growing up. I have had several personal trainers and have done every group class and what not out there. I do not have any professional training or certificates but I would love to become a Life Fitness Coach. I love to work one on one with people and I would like to particularly work with the extreme overweight who basically need their hand held in order to lose the weight and change their lives for the positive. I have seen all sorts of methods out there and I believe that I could help anyone needing to make that life change. I am not going interested in this for the money. I am truly interested in helping out those that cannot seem to help themselves due to lack of interest, self esteem, motivation or whatever the case may be. I really am not sure where to begin though and would love to hear your imput. Thanks for listening.

[megfit]

Hi Heidi,

It sounds like what you are most interested in is life coaching? That's what I think I hear in your message. Personal training would be a good complement, but don't rule anything out at this point. Full investigation will help you make the best choice for the next phase in your life.

If that is the case, I would suggest you look into life coaching! And, since you are particularly interested in wellness/fitness coaching, a good place to start is to investigate Wellcoaches (www.wellcoaches.com) and Intrinsic Coaching (www.totallycoached.com). Both offer (as all coaching schools do) a free introductory call. Spend time on their websites.

I'd also suggest you spend some time on www.teleclass.com and see if there are any free teleclasses that interest you. Here is why I suggest that; you will see coaches in action. With a quick search, you may find some classes on health topics, get a sense of what coaches actually do, and you can start to meet people around the world with interests similar to yours.

Two other resources is Coachville (www.coachville.com) and the International Coach Federation (http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/). Coachville has multiple 'communities', and unless it's changed, membership is free. ICF is the premier organization for coaching certification. On their site you can learn about the many schools that are accredited through ICF (which just helps streamline ICF certification).

Margie

[Heidi]

Margie, thank you for the response. I am noticing as I am reading about Life Coaching that much of this in on the phone. I am more interested in working one on one with people in person on changing their lifestyles. I was thinking of some sort of program where you would work with this person one on one the first week or so a few hours days going over their goals and then help them with their exercise by working out with them the first week and then getting them on a schedule, helping them change their eating habits by grocery shopping with them and teaching them how to cook healthier well balanced meals. I think so many of these people need the hand holding to get them started and I would be willing to do that for however long it took but I would start with a time frame and then have a maintenance program. I would like to charge one fee up front and then give them this in return. I am trying to come up with an appropriate program so this could work. I really think their is a need for it and I would love to help others achieve their goals but I guess I am not sure how to get this up and running.

[megfit]

Hi Heidi,

You are right; a lot of coaching services are done over the phone. However, not all coaches just coach over the phone. In fact, traditionally, from the history of executive coaching, it was all done in person. I, on the other hand, only coach via phone, but my coaching school was live, in person, which was an incredible experience.

It's good that you have a vision of what you want to create. Now your challenge is to take all the information/advice/comments you receive from asking TONS of questions (highly recommended) and figure out how to create that vision. I have no doubt you'll succeed. Just don't give up. Often, the things we want the most are what we struggle the hardest to create. The struggle is part of the path..

I know the above helps in no substantial way, but just do your research and it will come together. Investigate the different personal trainer certifications: Top ones I would recommend are through ACE, NSCA and ACSM. The rest are fine, and some may help ease you into the field, but these are the top three. Again, investigate what each organization is about and how they 'feel' to you before making a choice. It's all a learning experience, so don't worry about making the WRONG choice. Often that's the biggest limiting factor when people are at the stage you're in.

Margie

Margie