20 Things I Love About Being a Personal Trainer

Written by Simone Maglassis, CPT, ACSM, ACE
​https://linktr.ee/simonesfitfunlife

​I truly love what I do and don't see myself ever stepping foot out of the fitness & health industry. After making my list about 20 things I hate about being a personal trainer, I of course had to make a list about the many things I love. 

1. My own hours
In the beginning this was hard to achieve but now I have more control of my time and schedule which gives me total control of when I want to work. Now I take don't train clients past a certain time and I take weekends off for myself.

2. The positive environment
It's not like working in a bank or high stress level job.

My job is to de-stress my clients. That's why there's a lot of laughing, dancing, and just a general stress free environment.

3. Transformations
It's not just the "before" and "after". It's way more than that.

It's the improved sleep, reduced or eliminated back pain, knee pain, joint pain. It's the increased confidence boosts, more energy and so much more.

I'm not selling exercise, I'm selling exercise and health which is what we all need.

​To see my testimonials click here.

4. No vacation limit
It's nice to know that I'm not limited to a certain amount of sick days or vacation days.

5. I'm my own boss
This is bittersweet as it comes with other cons. However, I also work as an executive assistant at another fitness company so I get the best of both worlds.

In today's age many are entrepreneurs and for good reason.

You are in control of your destiny and being your own boss is part of that.

6. Help people in ways I never imagined
For instance, I trained one client and then his family member decided to join and then another family member started to eat healthier and it had a ripple effect on the whole family.

I also had two female clients that struggled with infertilely and I kid you not, within 2 weeks they fell pregnant!

I still talk to clients I no longer train to this day and they are happy to share how far they've come in their fitness and health journey.

7. Cancellations are oh so bittersweet
If a client lets me know at 7am that they have to cancel I get to roll over, sigh, smile and go back to bed.

However, it's bittersweet because that time slot could have gone to another client and if they cancel within 24 hours of the appointment I can lose out on income. 

8. Doing something I love
Clients often say "I don't know how you do this all day" but the answer is simple: because I love to exercise!

9. No judgment
I've had clients breakdown in tears, share embarrassing stories or vent about their day.

I provide a listening eat and they know this is judgement free zone. We're both here to work on their goals and with the mutual trust and understanding, it makes it that much more worth it to do my job.

10. My clients inspire me
When they ask me a question I don't know the answer to and seek to find it out, it inspires me to have the answer for the next client.

So many clients have inspired me to write blog posts and when a client is struggling with something I'm also struggling with, we can work on it together.

11. Working as a team
"We'll work as a team" This is what I often tell my clients because ultimately, they know their body better than I do. 

Even better, if they have a physio, chiro, osteopath or other health professional working with them, I'm able to reach out to them to ensure that we're on the same page with helping the client reach their goal. 

12. Peek into different lives
I have clients that are lawyer, work in real estate, social work and more.

Hearing about their profession is interesting and the advice they have to offer is always insightful.

13. Gifts
Sometimes it's a downright gift giving battle.

14. Variety
There's kick boxing, circuits, HITT, Tabata, yoga, Pilates, big box gym (which I don't see myself ever returning to) and more.

I'll never get bored and I'm always on the hunt for new and creative exercises and receipts. 

15. I'm more than a personal trainer
I'm a teacher, coach, detective (if you're doing everything right and not getting results, you're doing something wrong), a listening ear, a mediator (sometimes my clients family members can be hurtful), and an influencer (not necessarily in the social media kind of way).

While I specialize with clients who want to achieve weight loss, I also prescribe rehab exercises to those who need it (which is most). 

16. Busting myths 
There's nothing like explaining why what a client believes to be true is in indeed not accurate.

I provide them with the articles and resources and let them make their own decisions.

Their faces are priceless when they realize that not everything is classified as "bad" and "good".

17. I get to wear fitness clothes all day 
Have you noticed that more people are wearing fitness clothes as every day wear?

I'm one of those people.

I never have to worry about getting all dressed up to go to work because that's never been me. I am way to lazy to wear heels, make up, get my hair done all nice ugh forget it. 

18. In-home training is a growing industry 
It's sad to say, but more and more people are falling into the overweight and obese category, which means I'll never be out of a job.

Plus, the convenience of having a personal trainer come to your home and provide you with equipment and a nutrition plan AND a specific exercise program prescribed to you? It's too good to pass up.

19. CECs
This is known as Continuing Education Credits all personal trainers must stay up to date by doing new courses to reach a certain amount of CEC "points" within their certifying body. So this forces me to continue to be the awesome trainer I strive to be. 

20. I learn about myself
I don't know it all and I need to practice what I preach, sometimes my clients put me in my place (rightfully so!) and each day teaches me something new.

More specifically, I've learned to better organize my time, my client documents and sort through the never ending information on fitness and health.

​Are you in the personal training industry? What are the things you like?