Personal training careers 1 | Page 8

insurance to protect yourself in case of a lawsuit. Even if you are the best trainer in the world and have the nicest clients ever to exist, things happen and you need to be ready – just in case. Purchasing Personal Trainer insurance is essentially purchasing peace of mind. You may be able to purchase discounted insurance through your NESTA certification. Check their website for details. Another thing you may want to consider is Personal Trainer liability insurance. As a Personal Trainer, your body is your office. Meaning, the demands you put on your body every day – from training yourself to regularly training multiple clients day after day is rough. There may be some days that you do not even get an opportunity to sit down for a lunch break. Any time you see a Personal Trainer eating, he or she will probably always be standing. There is not a lot of down time in this industry. So, if you get injured – either in the gym or out – and are unable to train and run the day-to-day operations of your company, then you will not be able to make money. By having disability insurance you will be covered while you are not working. Disability insurance typically costs less than liability insurance (anywhere from $1/day to $1/month) but it is worth it if you find yourself disabled and unable to work. When you get your Personal Trainer Insurance, check the NESTA site to see if they give discounts on this as well so you can easily add it to your policy. Daily Schedule One of the many perks of working as a Personal Trainer is your schedule. Although you may start your day early and end in the late evening, for the most part, you make your own hours. The peak hours for a trainer are before and after the “typical work day.” Meaning, you will be busiest before 9am and after 5pm. A successful personal trainer makes the most of this prime time. Of course you will have trainers at other times too, including the weekends. Mid-day is an off time, but you will find that you can work out during this time. People who work from home, have a flexible schedule, and many stayat-home moms will work out in the middle of the day. These types of clients are great because they are not working around the schedule of their desk jobs. They are perfect to place in time slots that are harder to fill such as 11am and 3pm. Unless you work at a gym, studio or spa that pays you for floor hours or has a base, you will not make money unless you are training. This is especially true if you work for yourself. You will need to make the most of your schedule and be efficient with your time. That said, it is also important that you allow yourself to take breaks and days off. It can be very easy to want to work all the time, but you also need to make time for yourself. If you let yourself get run down, you will get sick, and then you won’t be able to work. To stay healthy, motivated and avoid burn out, it is very important to take time for yourself.