1) What is GoodLife Fitness?

GoodLife Fitness Clubs provide many services and products for all members including personal training, tanning, weight and cardio equipment, yoga and group exercise studios, steam and sauna rooms, as well as registered massage and acupuncture therapists at select GoodLife Health Centres. The company values combined with a positive attitude allows for associates to support and contribute to achieving members personal fitness and health goals.

2) What interested you in working for GoodLife?

Belonging to an organization where individuals are committed to education, personal fitness, and service facilitates professional development through the core competencies stressed in the co-op program. 

3) What was your role and what were your responsibilities?

Employed as a personal trainer, it was my responsibility to build a client base through sales and help those clients achieve their fitness and health goals through weight training, cardio training, and positive life choices. Personal training can be broken down into two components: sales and service. Learning the sales process was something completely new to me. It took time and practice to gain confidence before I started to make sales regularly. Reflecting on social marketing and principles of behavioral change provided insight into the psychology of selling. Understanding social marketing principles allowed me to present personal training as a viable, great opportunity for individuals to achieve their life-long fitness and health goals.

4) What were your favourite parts of the job?

Servicing clients as a personal trainer seemed second nature to me. Drawing on many of my academic studies accelerated my service to a high standard. Exercise prescription, strength training, anatomy, and physiology were all courses that fueled my knowledge and drive to deliver world-class personal training. My academic studies allowed me to develop individual periodization and implement each workout with the clients goals in mind.

Continuing my passion for education, I took on the responsibility of leading team development meetings and one-on-one professional development with my manager. Researching, learning and presenting the latest academic work on exercises, stretches, supplementation, anatomy, or physiology was generally the topic of team development meetings. One-on-one professional development focused on improving sales or service aspects and how to run your own personal training business.

5) What competencies did you develop?

Personal training has provided me with an opportunity to develop many core competencies and gain professional workplace experience. I have expanded my professional network into the fitness and health field opening many opportunities in the future. Ultimately, as a personal trainer for GoodLife Fitness, I have followed my passion for fitness and health, continuing education, and business acumen.