"if you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere."
Particularly true in the ever-sought-after-yet-generally-underpaid-and-underappreciated world of Group Fitness. New Yorkers have seen it all, done it all, know it all, and definitely know what they want (and, ahem, know more than you). So to those of us in the ever-changing, ever-challenging world of Group Fitness, I dedicate this Blog entry. Because at the end of the day, we LOVE what we do... and we wouldn't have it any other way.
You Know You're a Fitness Instructor When...
- The mere thought of wearing 'civilian clothes' gets you... Well, excited.
- You shower, shave, and apply makeup BEFORE you go to the gym.
- You walk around with an oversized bag containing multiple sets of the following: socks, underwear, sports bras, shorts, tank tops, water bottles, hair elastics, and CDs in case that darn iPod connection is acting up again.
- You do your absolute best to make said oversized bag look not only 'cool,' but also not burdensome.
- You always carry extra batteries - AA & AAA thank you very much
- Same for mic wind guards - both sizes
- Your monthly metro card shows signs of losing magnetism within 7-10 days
- You lose your voice a minimum of once a month
- You shower multiple times a day - then again when you get home at night. You start to wonder if you will lose skin.
- You have 'really creative ways' of staying warm in the winter - i.e. multiple pairs of pants, leg warmers, knee socks, head wear, & many (often uncalled for - but better safe than sorry) layers of shirt.
- You worry that your playlist won't be new enough, 'fresh' enough, or cool enough for the crowd you are about to teach. Then you realize you are waaaay 'cooler' and 'fresher' than they know what to do with.
- You get über annoyed when people think you have an 'easy job' because you 'only' work 'part time'
- The staff at your local Lululemon and/or athletic shoe store greets you by first name when you walk in, promptly sets up your personal fitting room, and immediately and without being asked starts pulling items 'just for you'
- The mere thought of having clean (read: sweat-free) hair for longer than 12 hours at a time sends shivers of excitement down your spine
- You can pretty much drop everything & leave for vacation at any given moment since you regularly carry a full line of travel-sized toiletries in your bag
- Your 'gym clothes to real clothes' laundry ratio is approximately 4:1.
- You could run an energy bar and raw almond distribution business out of your bag
- You don't understand what 'lunch hour' means
- You have a college degree, 463 certifications, and an MS in exercise science, but you just can't figure out how to use that damn microphone.
- You have an uncontrollable need to check your Email the moment you exit the train, lest you miss a precious subbing opportunity while having been underground for seven and a half minutes
- Your iTunes library is worth more than your apartment
- The discovery of Spotify Premium literally changed your life
- You know the entire Facebook life story of fellow instructors - their spouse/lover, children, class schedule, workouts, recipes, and food intake - but have never met them a day in your life
...this is just the few that came to mind. feel free to add yours!!
LOVE to all my colleagues in this amazing field!
