Offering Total Wellness
There is a growing trend toward obtaining health in all areas of life: physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. While personal trainers typically focus on physical improvements, there is a great deal of potential in addressing the other areas as well. Offering wellness alternatives will create new business opportunities for your future. There are many ways to take advantage of the increasingly popular movement.
Wellness Centers
Wellness centers combine the services of medical and fitness personnel with the goal of helping people achieve total health. In addition to the services traditionally offered by health clubs, wellness centers may offer services such as weight-loss counseling, smoking-cessation classes, or rehabilitation. Some integrate holistic and alternative therapies to treat stress and chronic diseases like diabetes. By doing so, they attract a more diverse group of members. They are able to attend to their clients' needs more completely than health clubs or gyms. Each center is unique in scope and practice, so it is up to you to find or establish a center that fits your belief system.
Alternative Health Options
If opening or working in a wellness center does not interest you or is not a possibility at this time, you could obtain additional certifications that will allow you to offer more wellness services. Yoga, Pilates, meditation, Reiki, massage therapy, and other nontraditional exercises or therapies can be great complements to personal training. They can help your clients reduce stress and feel more balanced. Some will require more time and money to earn certifications, so make sure you understand what type of commitment you are making.
Question
With so many supplements on the market, how do I know which to sell?
Do your research so you feel comfortable with the safety and quality of the products you sell. The nutritional-supplement industry is largely unregulated, and many products are ineffective or even unsafe. Consumerlab.com performs independent research and lists companies that pass their tests on their site. This is a great place to begin your research.
In order to practice these specialties, you will need a quiet, private space to designate for these uses. If you do not have the space available, you can travel to your clients' homes and work with them individually, or with small groups of their friends. If you do have the space available and can work out the logistics, it will be worth the effort. Your clients will appreciate the variety and convenience, and they may help you attract people who otherwise would not be interested in what you offer.
Wellness Coaching
Wellness coaching, also called life coaching, is an up-and-coming profession. It began in the eighties and is rapidly increasing in popularity. Wellness coaches are specifically trained to help people overcome barriers to success. They are professional motivators and mentors. As a trainer, a huge part of what you are doing is coaching your clients. Becoming certified as a wellness coach can improve the services you provide your clients, enable you to charge a higher hourly rate, and attract new clientele. If you would like to investigate this certification, you can log on to
Selling Nutritional Supplements
Nutrition and nutritional supplements are part of total wellness. They can be used for weight loss, stress relief, heart health, and more. When used properly, supplements can be a great tool to help your clients reach their goals. On a daily basis, you are meeting with people who want to lose weight, build muscle, and feel better. They already trust your judgment and will likely do as you say, within reason. People are buying these products anyway, so why not let them buy them from you? You can better supervise what they are doing, and you know they are using good-quality products.
Fact
The U.S. population spends over $30 billion a year on health and fitness products. You are in a position to capitalize on this fact. You have a captive audience who is already looking to you to address their health and fitness. Why not supplement your income by giving people what they are looking for?
There are many companies who supply supplements at wholesale costs. You purchase energy drinks, recovery drinks, protein bars, and vitamins, and then resell them at retail prices. For tax purposes, you will need a resale license in order to do this. Your clients will appreciate the convenience factor of being able to grab something on their way out.
If you do not have a place to keep inventory or do not want to obtain a resale license, you can use a network-marketing company. Shaklee Corporation (
