Any fitness counselors here?

M

MattV1984

New member
Hello,

My name is Matt Velasco and I am a student at DCTC in Rosemount, MN. I am working on obtaining my A.A.S. in Exercise and Sport Science and as part of my requirements for the Intro to Human Performance class I need to research and write a paper on a specific profession in the health and fitness industry including an interview. Currently I am interested in becoming a fitness counselor so that is my chosen profession to research; I was hoping someone here would be able to assist me in the interview portion on my final project for the class. Would anyone be willing to help me with this project by answering 10 interview questions I have come up with for the fitness counselor profession? If so they are listed below. Also if you could provide your name in the reply or in a PM to me it would be appreciated as I am supposed to cite who I interviewed, if not the forum username may be sufficient.


1. What drew you to or got you interested in the health and fitness field?
2. What is it about the fitness counselor position that influenced your decision to focus on it versus say a dietitian, sport psychologist, etc.?
3. In your current position have you reached your career goals or do you still have other career goals you are pursuing?
4. What do you like most about being a fitness counselor?
5. What do you like the least about being a fitness counselor?
6. Are there any courses of study/ continued education you would like to pursue that would be advantageous to being a fitness counselor?
7. Do you have a steady client base or do you often have to go out of your way to get new clients?
8. When you first got into the fitness field did you make a comfortable living or did you struggle to find work?
9. Do your friends and family ask for free lessons all the time and if so how do you feel about it?
10. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to get into the fitness counselor profession?


Thank you for your time!
 
MattV1984 said:
Hello,

My name is Matt Velasco and I am a student at DCTC in Rosemount, MN. I am working on obtaining my A.A.S. in Exercise and Sport Science and as part of my requirements for the Intro to Human Performance class I need to research and write a paper on a specific profession in the health and fitness industry including an interview. Currently I am interested in becoming a fitness counselor so that is my chosen profession to research; I was hoping someone here would be able to assist me in the interview portion on my final project for the class. Would anyone be willing to help me with this project by answering 10 interview questions I have come up with for the fitness counselor profession? If so they are listed below. Also if you could provide your name in the reply or in a PM to me it would be appreciated as I am supposed to cite who I interviewed, if not the forum username may be sufficient.


1. What drew you to or got you interested in the health and fitness field?
2. What is it about the fitness counselor position that influenced your decision to focus on it versus say a dietitian, sport psychologist, etc.?
3. In your current position have you reached your career goals or do you still have other career goals you are pursuing?
4. What do you like most about being a fitness counselor?
5. What do you like the least about being a fitness counselor?
6. Are there any courses of study/ continued education you would like to pursue that would be advantageous to being a fitness counselor?
7. Do you have a steady client base or do you often have to go out of your way to get new clients?
8. When you first got into the fitness field did you make a comfortable living or did you struggle to find work?
9. Do your friends and family ask for free lessons all the time and if so how do you feel about it?
10. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to get into the fitness counselor profession?


Thank you for your time!
Click to expand...

What is a fitness counsellor?
 
Coach Palfrey said:
What is a fitness counsellor?
Click to expand...

Hello Coach Palfrey,

The title "Health and Fitness Counselor" is not as common as personal trainer or fitness instructor, though in some places fitness counselor is replacing the position of fitness instructor.

The description of a health and fitness counselor is as follows: "Having evolved from the more traditional fitness instrictor position, the health and fitness counselor provides counseling on a broad range of health topics in addition to conducting fitness assessments and designing exercise programs", additionally the duties include "working with clients on behavior change, stress management, relaxation techniques, time management, smoking cessation, social participation, and weight management" -Source Introduction To Kinesiology 3rd edition Shirl J. Hoffman.
 
MattV1984 said:
Hello Coach Palfrey,

The title "Health and Fitness Counselor" is not as common as personal trainer or fitness instructor, though in some places fitness counselor is replacing the position of fitness instructor.

The description of a health and fitness counselor is as follows: "Having evolved from the more traditional fitness instrictor position, the health and fitness counselor provides counseling on a broad range of health topics in addition to conducting fitness assessments and designing exercise programs", additionally the duties include "working with clients on behavior change, stress management, relaxation techniques, time management, smoking cessation, social participation, and weight management" -Source Introduction To Kinesiology 3rd edition Shirl J. Hoffman.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok. I work as a Health and Wellbeing Advisor for a multinational private medical firm - I guess a similar role to the one you've described.

Let me know if I can help.
 
Late to the show but I'd have no problem helping you out. If you're still in need of an interviewee, drop me a PM.
 
Hi Matt. Got the PM. You didn't leave me your email address and the character limit in PM is far too short. I'll just post here and if you need the word doc, PM me your email addy and I'll shoot it over.

Hopefully I'm a candidate for the interview, which is a little late to say not that I'm done it. I'm not a "fitness counselor." To be honest, I've never heard of that terminology. I'm a certified strength and conditioning coach, a certified personal trainer, and a performance enhancement specialist. The first one is through the National Strength & Conditioning Association. The latter 2 are through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

However, I've worked with multiple clients on the responsibilities you listed belonging to a fitness counselor. So in reality, I think it's just a play on terminology. Any quality fitness professional is doing the things you listed as responsibilities.

So onto the interview...
 
1. What drew you to or got you interested in the health and fitness field?

I was a high school and collegiate athlete. Optimizing my ability on the field was an obvious interest. At the same time, bodybuilding was really taking off as a “sport.” It was hard to get away from the images of super-hero-like men in advertisements and on magazine covers. I wasn’t aware of the difference between muscular development and performance at the time (9th grade, or thereabouts). I also wasn’t aware of the prevalence of anabolic steroid use among bodybuilders and athletes.

Regardless, I aspired to be a bigger and better athlete, which led me to research. At first I simply started buying the muscle magazines. I also bought Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding.

Thankfully though, the World Wide Web entered the picture around the same time I was really getting curious about things. It gave me access to true professionals – coaches, trainers, exercise physiologists, etc. Through them I learned the importance of objectivity and critical review of peer-reviewed academic research.

They also turned me onto the resources I needed to be reading in order to build a foundational base of knowledge, which is necessary if one is to be equipped to assess the soundness of information. By the time I had graduated high school, I had already read entry level texts pertaining to anatomy and physiology, among others.

What started as a general curiosity developed into an insatiable hunger to learn. It didn’t take long to realize that much of what was being presented to the lay public was nonsense. Our culture is addicted to instant gratification and lean bodies. Yet they aren’t really taught this fitness and health stuff to any significant degree. There’s a huge void between what the public assumes to be true and the actual truth. There’s no shortage of conmen (and women) who disingenuously thrive on this knowledge-gap. They know that if they tap into the emotions of the consumer they can pretty much sell them anything.

Is it any wonder why there are endless pills, potions, programs, and gurus out there?

This was ultimately the fuel I needed to drive my career as a fitness consultant. I could only imagine what my physique and health would have been like if I didn’t find the great mentors I did when first starting my research. I wanted to be that truth for others. Plus, I had a passion for helping people reach their goals- have them be performance, health, or physique based.

The rest is history.



2. What is it about the fitness counselor position that influenced your decision to focus on it versus say a dietitian, sport psychologist, etc.?

The thought of becoming a sports psychologist never crossed my mind. It’s too niche for my liking. In addition, it wouldn’t allow me to work on developing the physical characteristics of my clients. Ultimately psychology plays a major role in what I do. But it’s not all I do. I prepare people’s minds so that they can ultimately do what needs to be done to obtain their physical goals. It’s that supervision of the actual plan that takes them from point A to point B that I love.

A psychologist would not have that function. Though I have referred a handful of my athlete to sports psychologists - I do feel it's a valuable field.

The dietitian route was definitely a consideration. Any physical goal, have it be related to performance, health or physique, depends heavily on nutrition. Without the proper nutrition, chances of obtaining the goal are slim to none. Realizing this importance, I sincerely considered taking that route. I figured, upon completion, I could obtain my certification as a trainer or strength coach and work with people in the capacity I wanted.

When I looked into it and realized the level of detail I’d need to understand the nutritional side of things in, it wasn’t attractive. I couldn’t picture myself laboring away to understand, for instance, nutritional chemistry. I didn’t see how that would apply to what I wanted to do. I’d rather know nutrition on a more global basis and when a client comes along who requires deeper expertise, refer them to a professional who’s able such as a dietitian.

Which brings me to one of the biggest problems in the fitness industry today – an unwillingness or inability to work within the confines of one’s scope of practice. When a client of mine is injured or when a client of mine has a clinical nutrition issue such as diabetes… as a fitness professional I’m going to willingly refer these people out. You can’t be the best at everything. Focus on what your expertise is in and ditch the jack-of-all-trades mentality that seems to plague this field.

My network of professionals consists of a sports psychologist, a dietitian, a physiotherapist, a chiropractor, a massage therapist, an ortho and a few researchers I'm in continual contact with.

I realize my limitations as the trainer, coach, counselor or whatever it is you choose to call me. I rely on these others to aid my client where I cannot.



3. In your current position have you reached your career goals or do you still have other career goals you are pursuing?

Yes and no.

I’ve certainly grown as a professional. When I started in this field, I was working as an employee for a local gym. I also felt that I knew enough to be competent.

Now I work for myself and realize I’ll never know enough.

Before anything else, I consider myself a student. I strive to learn something new every single day. I’m constantly browsing the academic research databases (such as ), reading journals, meeting and picking the brains of other more experienced professionals, reading books, etc. This is where most professionals mess up – they forget that this is a young field that is constantly evolving. It’s critical to be a student first and practitioner second.

I’m not sure I’ll ever reach a point where I say to myself, “I’ve reached the apex of my career and have no interest pursuing future growth.” But this is where the difference between personal and business growth comes into play.

In terms of personal growth, the aforementioned student mentality is something I’ll carry with me to my grave. Therefore I’ll always strive to learn and stay abreast in this field. On the business growth side of things, there’s a limit to how much growth you can ultimately handle. There are only so many hours in a day and each consultation requires at least an hour of time. Without franchising my business, it’d be hard to grow past a certain point.

I have some other ideas that extend beyond typical consultative services but they're solely in the "idea phase."

I plan on pushing the envelope to a point just before fitness consulting feels more like work than fun. I'm certainly not there yet.
 
4. What do you like most about being a fitness counselor?

Keep in mind that most folks come to me after spending years listening to the misinformation I mentioned earlier. They’ve struggled and struggled and when I equip them with objective, evidence-based, and effective information, good things happen. It’s also a matter of aligning their expectations with the realities of their situation.

When I get things dialed in on all fronts (information/education, expectations, etc) and the divide between where they're currently at and where they’d like to be starts shrinking, it’s about as rewarding as it gets.


5. What do you like the least about being a fitness counselor?

Hmm, that’s a tough question. First and foremost I’d say it’s being associated with the industry in general. I’m sure a theme of dismay towards the industry as a whole is becoming apparent to you throughout this interview. In real terms, the vast majority of folks calling themselves professionals aren’t qualified. They really make a bad name for people who are qualified and because of their prevalence; it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. In a sea of quacks, the lay person has a hard time picking out the worthy professional. I’ve an extensive article series going on this very subject on my website right now.

Secondly, it’s not fun dealing with unmotivated clients who claim to want something, yet aren’t willing to put forth the effort to obtain it. I have no problem if your physical goals are a pipe dream that you never plan on actually realizing, but don’t hire me and waste my time if you’re not planning on putting in the actual work.

Granted, I’m willing to work with people. I’m willing to stand as one source of motivation and accountability. I’m not a cheerleader though. If I’m the only one bringing desire to the table, chances are it’s going to be a short-lived relationship.

I've no problem firing a client. I'd expect a client to do the same to me if I wasn't keeping up with my end of the deal. This is one of the reasons I have my in-person clients sign a commitment waiver.


6. Are there any courses of study/ continued education you would like to pursue that would be advantageous to being a fitness counselor?

I started the process of obtaining my masters in exercise physiology. I can’t say it’s been overly helpful yet. However, I've taken a different path than most "students" of this information since I started so young.

The only continuing education I’ve found utility in is seminars and workshops put on by various associations and/or professionals. At these events, various industry personalities give lectures, hands-on sessions, and educational discussions. When you have live professionals dishing out applicable, in-the-trenches knowledge, it’s hard to go wrong. I encourage anyone to get affiliated to an association such as the National Strength & Conditioning Association and attend their national conference.

As mentioned earlier though… I’m a student first and foremost. Continuing education happens every single day. I have a small library at my house.


7. Do you have a steady client base or do you often have to go out of your way to get new clients?

Beyond my website and handing out free t-shirts, I don’t do anything to bring in clients. I focus on the clients I have doing the best by them. Invariably this sort of approach leads to repeat business and referrals. I’d much sooner rely on my work and professionalism than fancy marketing to get new clients.

My book of business changes throughout the year. There are times I have too much work to deal with. There are other times I could use another client or two.

I do have a core set of repeat clients though that maintain my financial stability.


8. When you first got into the fitness field did you make a comfortable living or did you struggle to find work?

Around here fitness isn’t held in as high a regard as other places. I’m in Pennsylvania, United States. The trainers who are in the larger cities such as New York or beach areas such as California or Florida can make loads of money right off the bat.

Trainers who aren’t in these areas generally wind up working for a big box, chain gym. And in my experience, the pay is horrible. This, among other reasons, is why I strived to move away from that setting and work for myself.

To answer your question, in the beginning it was a struggle. So much so I was carrying two jobs. I still do two jobs but that’s by design – not necessity.


9. Do your friends and family ask for free lessons all the time and if so how do you feel about it?

Incessantly they do.

I never mind helping out friends and family. But there’s one huge caveat to that – they have to listen to me. More times than not friends and family come to me for help only to return the following year looking exactly the same asking the same questions.

Some might think maybe I'm a poor communicator or teacher. Maybe. But I don't have the same problem with my clients. Frankly, most people who aren't going out of their way to hire a professional only pick his or brain in order to validate what they're already doing. They're not genuinely interested in learning.

I think proximity bias plays a large role here as well. That and most people are looking for the easy answers. They assume because I’m a professional that I have some secrets that will help them expedite the process of getting in the shape they desire. When they realize what I’m proposing requires a lot of commitment and hard work, their ambition generally fades after a couple of weeks.

No fears though... there are hundreds of "professionals" who will tell them what they want to hear.


10. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to get into the fitness counselor profession?

Pace yourself. This isn’t a foot race to see who can be the biggest name on the scene or make the most money the fastest. These mentalities are what fuel the “sell out” we see so often in the industry. This is why there are so-called professionals who’ve never actually trained anyone who are selling products.

Decide what role you want to play in this field. Figure out what sort of knowledge you need to play that role. Obtain that foundational knowledge. And never ever take off your learning-cap. Be a student first and a practitioner second.

Lastly, put your clients best interest before your own.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top