'I'm a personal trainer and gym owner. Here's the truth about working in the fitness industry.'

If you have concluded that your new year's resolution and/or existential crisis is a career change into the world of fitness – sit down right now (with your belly braced and knees over toes), because this is what the marketing doesn’t tell you.

It seems glamorous doesn’t it? Working in the fitness industry. Flexible. Rewarding. Doing what you love.

And it can be. And it is. And it isn’t.

While you're here, here's the story behind Katherine Sabbath's last-minute career change. Post continues below.

A line from a Hilltop Hoods song says it best: “they say if you do what you love you never work a day in your life, feels like I’ve been working my whole life.”

The truth about 'flexibility'.

I commenced writing this piece at 4.19am before I started work for the morning (my “late” start). 

If that sentence sends shivers down your spine, it should – I too am surprised I am communicating semi-coherently at this time. 

This brings me to the first point for your consideration before you jump into the fitness industry: flexibility. Or the perception that the hours in the industry are flexible. 

“I’ll just train people when I want to. I’ll teach my classes when I want to”. Cool. But unless you are flush with cash already and can afford to be that choosy and/or charge $380/hour, your hours are as flexible as working at dawn, working at lunch, working in the evening and scrambling for other scraps in-between. 

The fact is this is when most normal working folk can exercise: before their normal-person working hours, in the middle of their normal-person working hours, and after their normal-person working hours. 

Sure, this is starting to change with more flexible working arrangements, but this is making it even more difficult to plan your hours as now you have zero indication when clients might be available. 

In essence, what I’m saying is that you will need to be working when normal people are not…whatever that looks like.

The truth about 'a rewarding career'.

Another popular motivator to enter the fitness industry is how rewarding it can be. And wait for it: it is. 

You can change the course of people’s lives. Sometimes you literally save them. Plus all the smaller achievements you share with them in between. 

Honestly, it’s beautiful and hand-on-heart, it's what has pushed me through 4:19am starts for close to 18 years. BUT. I’ve always said this and I’ll say it again: the business of fitness has nothing to do with fitness. 

This doesn’t take away from the aforementioned rewards, however if you’re running your business (even as a personal trainer working for yourself) there is a tonne of “business” you need to plough through every single day before you even get to fitness part. 

How are you going to gain clients? Where are you going to promote your services? Have you reconciled your receipts? Where the f*ck are my receipts? When are you going to post that video to Instagram? Shit. I was meant to make a video for Instagram. 

Who paid me this $50 cash in my pocket? Did Sue pay for her session? I’ve got to chase up Bob for his. Ok, I’ve had a cancellation. Did I respond to John’s message he sent to me at 11pm last night? Where was that? Messenger? My emails? SMS? Or am I hearing voices in my head?Probs.

So before sashaying into the fitness industry with the (mis)conception that you will be training clients every hour of your working day, the truth is you will not. A large portion is admin and hustling for clients – and that shit sucks.

On this episode of Fill My Cup, Allira Potter is joined by Sarah Davidson, author, podcaster and entrepreneur, to talk about burnout in the workplace, why it's so hard to manage and what you can do to prevent it. Post continues below.

The truth about 'doing what you love'.

The last question I want to pose to you before you consider entering the fitness industry is this: do you really want to turn something you love into a paying job? 

Assuming the love of fitness is the reason you want to enter the industry (honestly, is there even another reason?). 

If you are entering the fitness industry because you like “helping people”, trust me there are other industries you can help people that do not require a 4:15am, 4:17am, 4:21am starts (#IYKYK). 

There is a switch that flicks when you do something for the pure love compared to doing something for the money. It suddenly becomes stressful. An obligation. 

The thing that you used to do when you wanted to destress, escape and have you time, will literally never be the same again when you are spending the better part of your waking hours at “work” in the gym.

I’m not trying to be doom and gloom here or trying to dissuade you from entering the industry. I clearly love most aspects of the industry after all these years and cannot imagine doing anything else. All I want you to do is go in with your eyes wide open (unlike mine at present).

Marie has been a fitness industry professional since 2005. Her book, “12 hours in the life of a fitness professional (because I’m too tired for the other 12)” can be pre-ordered now. For more from Marie, you can follow her on Instagram.

Feature Image: Tina Nikolovski.