Onfit Training College would like to thank everyone who entered into the nationwide competition ‘3 Ways a Personal Trainer Can Improve People’s Lives’. We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the high quality of entries and the enthusiasm and effort that went into them.

We would like to congratulate the following competition winners.  The 5 winners will receive a fully funded Certificate III and IV in Fitness and the opportunities to turn their dreams into reality.

1. Jo Higgins
2. Kerry Newitt
3. Michelle Adams
4. Jessica Ferriday
5. Sarah Savic

These deserving winners submitted excellent responses which can be read below....

For applicants that were not successful in winning a scholarship but are still passionate about a career in fitness, Onfit Training College would love to help you fulfill your dreams. Contact one of our Careers Advisors today to find out how you can still make your dream of a career in fitness a reality.

 3 Ways a Personal Trainer Can Improve People's Lives...

1. Scholarship Winner - Jo Higgins

Answer 1
   
I personally have 3 motivations as to why I want to be a Personal Trainer. Firstly is to work with children and to help combat this growing percentage of childhood obesity. To teach them that exercise is fun. To eat right, be active and take back control of their bodies.
     
Answer 2
   
Secondly I wish to work with adults with mental health and intellectual disabilities. This field is my background and from my experience, over 90% of adults with ID are over weight or obese. I wish to assist in educating them and their carers/parents/support workers etc on the importance of healthy living, healthy eating and a healthy state of mind. To give the clients control, confidence and quality of life.
         
Answer 3
   
And lastly I want people who are overweight or obese to know and feel that they are worth it. That they haven't lost the battle. For women to know that they can reclaim their bodies after childbirth. To get people to try exercise before they try pills. For all people, regardless of age, weight, sex or body type to feel the benefits of healthy living, healthy lifestyle.

2. Scholarship Winner - Kerry Newitt

Answer 1

CHANGE OF MINDSET

Answer 2

CHANGE OF HABITS

Answer 3

CHANGE FOR LIFE

I guess for me my above answer is fairly simple, but a brief background may help support my answer and give you an understanding as to how I have come to this point . My search began about 18 months ago, a search for SOMETHING…and I did not know what. All I knew is that although I loved being a mother of 3 young boys (6, 4 & 3) I was searching for more, something that was going to “make me happy” in the way of work or something for me. But why was that? After a lot of soul searching and a review of the 6 years prior, I concluded that the following events had lead me to needing more:

Jan 2001 – Resigned from my position as a senior manager to follow my husband to his new role in a small mining town in Central Queensland. Struggled with being able to start a family which lead to a number of different events to allow us to achieve our goal of a family.

July 2003 – My first son born.

Dec 2003 – Ectopic pregnancy – major surgery.

Oct 2004 – Started IVF to conceive second child.

Aug 2005 – Second son born.

Dec 2006 – Third son born.

Jun 2007 – Committed to returning my mind and body back to pre-baby state including loss of 12-14 kgs and return to running fitness level.

Oct 2007 – Returned to Brisbane – settled back into new life in Brisbane and then MY SEARCH began.

My search lead me to analyse what it is I wanted to do and although yes, I wanted to return to work, it also had to be something that I was not only good at but also felt passionate about, whilst still able to be flexible with my young family. I embarked on some study that validated that I was still current in my field of expertise being Management, Training, HR and Business Development. But I lacked a sense of passion to return to my previous field. Whilst living in a remote location, and with such a young family, I utilized Jenny Craig to help me lose my weight, purely as a sense of convenience. When I returned to Brisbane I pursued working for them as I felt passionate about the CHANGE FOR LIFE I had experienced. But when I explored this further I realized that it was more than just eating food and losing weight, it needed to be a more rounded balanced approach. Yes weight loss was a factor but a healthy balance was what I felt passionate about and about helping to break down common misconceptions in terms of general health. So whilst the last 9 months have seen me start my own event management business, and seen me return to a balance in my life in terms of health and exercise, it has also given me the opportunity to obtain clarity about what it is I want to do…

So in summary…I love the part of my life where I was able to coach, develop, even influence people through training and development, and love the people contact, but also love the imparting of information in the field of health, fitness, exercise and mind……I know this is what I want and I believe it is for valid reasons that will make a change for life.

3. Scholarship Winner - Michelle Adams

Answer 1

They encourage people's STRENGTH - not just the muscular kind, but the mental and emotional kind as well. Working hard to overcome obstacles, whatever they may be, builds so much mental and emotional strength and exercise is a great format for this! The physical aspect is only one part of the journey...
 
Answer 2

They develop people's SELF-BELIEF - from setting achievable goals and progressively moving the target, people can see that they CAN achieve and have motivation to continue to achieve. This translates into other areas of life, work, lifestyle and so is really is 'gift' that is unlimited...

Answer 3
 
They provide the opportunity for people to experience LAUGHTER and JOY - from the beginner who has trouble getting the moves, to the mums who are trying to shape up together whilst comparing baby stories, and so on... a personal trainer can bring support to the individual, bonding to a group, and create a fun atmophere that makes people comfortable to laugh and have a good time. This can be infectious!

PS - My boyfriend believes I've written too much information and he thinks that a most significant and fundamental contribution from a personal trainer is that they can help someone look good in lycra - true, but that's just one of the by-products of all of the above.

4. Scholarship Winner - Jessica Ferriday

Answer 1

Personal trainers are experts at body transformations! They know how to make positive changes in your body via exercise, health and nutrition in the most effective way. Whether your goal is to lose weight or to enhance sports performance, Personal Trainers can help you achieve your goals. Attempting to ‘get fit’ without the assistance of a PT is like learning how to drive a manual car without having lessons. The journey will go a lot smoother if you have someone to train you along the way.

Answer 2

Personal Trainers can improve your life by keeping you motivated & on track whilst you are on the road to progress. Lack of motivation is one of the key reasons people stop leading a healthy lifestyle. Personal Trainers are one of the key ways to maintain motivation, and they will help you to follow through with your intentions. A Personal Trainer’s job is to get you results, and they have the knowledge and the experience to be able to get you positive outcomes.

Answer 3

Personal Trainers are adept at improving people’s lifestyles. From the pantry to the pant size, Personal Trainers can help you make smart, life-lasting decisions to improve your health and fitness. Ideally, a Personal Trainer will have a contagious passion for fitness that will cause you to catch it and keep it for good too.

5. Scholarship Winner - Sarah Savic

Answer 1

Make it fun!
 
I want to teach clients to enjoy fitness and get more out of their lives than they dreamed was possible by finding creative ways to make exercise fun, since a lot of people, especially the long-term overweight, may never have seen it that way.
 
Answer 2

Provide accountability, encouragement and support.
 
It's a well-known fact of human behaviour that we all do better in breaking bad/old habits if we have someone to be accountable to, and I would be that person for my clients whilst also encouraging them and supporting them to be the best version of themselves they can be.
 
Answer 3

Foster optimal health and well-being through best practice technique.
 
Certain key exercises are really only truly beneficial if done using correct form, and this is how I would set my clients up right from the start.
 
About me!
 
Four years ago I was extremely unfit and very overweight, but today I am fit, healthy and in the correct weight range for my height. I myself have had a personal trainer for the past four years and it has made a huge difference to my success. When I was over 126kg, I joined Fernwood, found a great trainer and starting eating well and exercising five to six times a week. In two years I lost 55kg and found a whole new life. The various PTs I had all helped me with accountability, support, encouragement, techniques and all sorts of advice, and I think they are an invaluable asset to anyone undertaking a weight loss/fitness journey.

I am now so passionate about fitness and I want to share my passion with others in a professional way. I like to encourage people and I want to make a difference by completing my Cert III and Cert IV. I really feel I can help those who are like I used to be. Many overweight people would love to go to a gym and train with a PT, but are put off because they don't think most trainers could ever understand what it's like to be unfit, signficantly overweight, or of a more mature age, or all three! Those are the people I want to reach out to because I have been where they are now and I DO know what it's like, and also what it takes to change their lives for the better for good. Finally, I am focused, disciplined  and committed!