As a student or a working person, keeping fit can be extremely time-consuming — especially if you need the income from a second job. This article will tell you how you can do both.
Something that is generally drilled into all of us from a young age is that being fit and looking in shape is important. This is something we’ve come to know and understand. But staying fit is something that takes a huge (and consistent) time commitment. If you’re already working or studying full-time and relying on a second job to provide for yourself, it’s all too easy for health and fitness to slide down to the bottom of your list of priorities. A good solution to this is to combine your fitness regime with your second/part-time job and earn some money while keeping healthy.
The Importance of Keeping Fit
If you ask yourself whether keeping fit is a good thing, you’ll almost definitely say: “yes, absolutely!” If you ask yourself why, you might take a little longer to find your answer. Keeping fit has an almost endless list of benefits, including living longer and being healthier in general. [vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dChhzNGHgnA” el_width=”70″ align=”center”][vc_column_text]But keeping fit and exercising regularly can benefit your life in more ways than just improving your physical health. Regular exercise gives you more energy – this might sound a bit odd considering you have to use energy to exercise. Here’s how it boosts energy levels: after you exercise, your body releases endorphins (or feel-good hormones) which make you feel better and give you an extra dose of energy to help you get to the end of the day. (Who needs caffeine when we can just exercise?)
Keeping fit has also shown to benefit your overall mental health and happiness. On top of helping you achieve your “goal body,” exercise promotes confidence and self-empowerment (even if you don’t achieve that dream body). This happens because when you overcome physical challenges you feel a sense of achievement and pride which motivates you to push yourself harder, and not only in your workout, but also in your day-to-day life.
It is also a good way to deal with anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that, for some people, regular exercise can be as affective a treatment for depression as antidepressant medication (say whaaaat?).
The benefits of exercise are undeniable, so how can we fit it into our busy schedules without having to compromise on something else?
Keeping Fit With a Second Job
Keeping fit requires a regular time commitment and so does earning money. There is only so much time in a day and we’re often forced to choose between the two. So let’s get smart with this. What if you were to combine the two?
Exercise and work. Work and exercising. Working exercise. Exercising at work. Sounds like a dream deal right?
By qualifying as a gym instructor, personal trainer or coach, you can work your fitness schedule into your job while working relatively flexible hours (success!). Working in the sports and fitness industry also means that every day comes with new people, new challenges and new responsibilities. So you’ll always be kept on your toes.
eta College
In order to work in the sports and fitness industry, you will need to qualify as an instructor, personal trainer or coach. eta College is a private institution that specialises in sports and fitness qualifications. They offer a wide range of courses, from sport management to exercise specialisation. eta offers their courses online or on one of their nine campuses. Most of the qualifications can be completed on a part- or full-time basis.
In order to work as a gym instructor, you can complete one of eta’s short courses. eta offers five short courses:
- Indoor cycling
- Aerobics, step and tone
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Fitness
You’re able to choose the course that best suits your lifestyle and the exercise you most enjoy doing. These courses are each priced from R4 600 – R7 500 and give you all of the knowledge you’ll need to offer classes at a gym.
To become a personal trainer is more expensive and qualifying will be more time consuming than being a gym instructor. As a gym instructor you will be expected to offer one-hour classes, usually not more than once a day. As a personal trainer you will have to spend more time with individual clients – you’ll generally want to be booked out by clients all day. A course in personal training will be more comprehensive and will be better suited to you if you are interested in pursuing a full-time career in the sports and fitness industry.
With a qualification from eta, it will be easy for you to get a second job as a gym instructor and earn some money while keeping fit and active. All while studying or working full-time. Victory is sweet.
FundiConnect 2Cents
Being a gym instructor doesn’t only mean you can keep fit while earning money, it also often means that you are able to use all of the gym’s facilities for free and as a result, save some money as well. This means that you are not restricted to only doing one type of exercise, so your fitness regime doesn’t have to consist solely of the classes you’re instructing.
