Career options in the fitness industry

The growth of the fitness industry over the past two years means there are plenty of opportunities for fitness enthusiasts.

A fitness professional can specialize in gymnasium training, aerobics, yoga, Pilate, weight lifting, dance, diet and nutrition.

So if you are passionate about exercise, diet and can motivate others too to burn calories and lead a fit life, then one can embark and enjoy an exciting career in fitness.

Educational qualification

For a career in fitness, one needs the basic knowledge of human physiology, strength training, postures, cardiovascular exercise, body types, use of right equipment and correct ways of exercise.

This is so they can plan for the client exercise regimen to suit age, lifestyle, and their health problems. There are several institutes that offer certification courses and most prefer students to be Class 12 graduates or graduates in any stream.

Special skills

Apart from being physically fit and energetic, anyone who aspires to enter this field must be hardworking and be able to motivate clients to exercise. One has to be a people person as the work involves client interaction, One must be sensitive and be aware of the client’s specific health problems and then guide them accordingly, while also exercising patience in dealing with them.

Fitness Trainers

Fitness develop and supervise activities in weight loss, muscle and strength training, and exercise to encourage and train clients to meet their fitness goals. One can work as a gym instructor and train a group of people or be a Personal trainer for a particular client and look after their fitness regime, diet and training. In an era of digitisation, one can also work as an online fitness coach but has to be well versed with digital technology.

Dance & martial arts

Dance and even martial arts like kick boxing are being popularly used to stay in shape. Fitness professionals can diversify into fields like Aqua aerobics, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Choreographed salsa/ zumba and Bollywood workouts. A training in dance and martial arts is necessary for this.

Yoga teacher

Becoming a yoga instructor offers a lot of scope, as people want to go to a studio and do yoga or have a trainer come over and teach them the asanas.

Many people either attend a yoga studio or want a trainer to come and teach them personally.

There are various yoga courses you can take to become an instructor, from a few months to one year. An aspirant must have flair for teaching and be committed.

Dietician

Those who are passionate about food and healthcare can consider a career as a dietician. A dietician provides individual dietary consultations or can work with hospitals, centres for metabolic diseases, gyms, fitness centres, food industry, nutrition clinics, hospital, weight loss clinics, sports organisations, and wellness clinics, etc.

After Class 12 in Science one has to major in Dietetics or Food Science and Nutrition to complete graduation. Then a Masters in Nutrition is needed. After completing post-graduation, one can also go in for a PhD and do research in Food and Nutrition

Sports Nutrition

A Sports nutritionist works with athletes overseeing the daily food intake of the athletes to get the best performance. Sports nutritionists are responsible for an athlete's nutritious diet, adequate hydration, bodily metabolism to increase their stamina and performance. They also team up with athletic trainers to prevent injuries and help athletes in healthy recovering.

A fresher in the field of fitness can work in established Gyms, fitness centres, wellness clubs, resorts, with sports teams, hospitals, educational institutions and business organisations or work with a successful trainer learn the skills and then rise up slowly and eventually set up one’s own centre.

One has to constantly keep learning and upgrading one's skills. The mantra is to never stop acquiring knowledge if one wants to excel in the fitness industry.