If you’re passionate about building a career in health or fitness, you might be wondering where to start.
Whether you’re looking at becoming a personal trainer, dietician or a healthcare assistant, here are four tips for building your dream career path.
- Complete a Distance Learning Degree
When considering a career in health, completing a distance learning degree might help you to get some relevant qualifications under your belt.
Certain job choices may require academic qualifications to progress, and completing a distance learning degree will also teach you transferable skills like time management, crisis management and communication skills.
Universities like Anglia Ruskin offer a wide range of courses including Management and Leadership in Health and Social Care, and Healthcare Management.
These qualifications will enable you to progress through a career in health and fitness while having an academic understanding of the industry.
- Gain Work Experience
If you’re lacking in previous experience, working as a volunteer can help you get on the employment ladder if you don’t have the relevant skills or qualifications straightaway.
Some roles will even allow you to learn on the job with a BTEC qualification or apprenticeship, and some volunteer roles may open up opportunities for paid employment.
It may also help you to speak to existing health and fitness professionals in the industry to find out how you can join your desired career path by following in their footsteps. Whether you need to gain a qualification, take on some work experience, or choose your A Levels accordingly, you can get a much clearer understanding of how to achieve your goals.
- Get Fit and Healthy
If you’re looking into a career in the fitness industry, it may be a good idea to join a gym or fitness centre to work on your own personal goals.
Alternatively, if you don’t have the budget to make room for a hefty gym membership, you could make your own home gym by using free home workout videos on YouTube and investing in some weights to lift.
Retailers like Argos can supply you with weights to purchase and use in your home gym depending on your strength and personal goals.
Alternatively, if you enjoy spending time in the fresh air, you can take regular brisk walks. Many believe you need to be able to travel to the countryside to take part in a rambling walk, but that’s not the case.
There are many walking routes available in cities, or the suburbs for every ability. To find advice about walking for health, you can visit the NHS website to find out more.
- Research Your Field
Whichever career you’re looking to choose, researching the field can be a great way to create targets that will help you achieve your goals.
For example, if you’re looking for a career in fitness, you might want to start by gaining any relevant qualifications or getting a job that’s relevant in the industry. If you voice your ambitions to your line manager or tutor, you may find they can help to guide you in the right direction towards success.
Alternatively, if you’re wondering where to start, you can use government resources like Prospects to check for current opportunities. This government-created tool is a hub of information that can help you discover which path to take to help you on the way to your dream career.
- Change Your Diet
If you want to understand the health and fitness industry better, you may want to research how changing your diet can help you to see how food can fuel exercise.
By reducing your intake of refined sugars and carbohydrates in favour of wholegrains, increasing your fruit and vegetable intake and drinking plenty of water throughout the day, you can improve your diet. You may also want to consider trying other healthier alternatives like cutting down on your meat consumption.
Alongside regular exercise, you will find that your energy levels increase, and there may be other health benefits including clearer skin, greater muscle tone, and heightened stamina.
About the Author
Daisy Carr has a degree in English from the University of Leicester, works in digital marketing and has been writing all her life. She enjoys rambling walks in her spare time with her dog and lives in the North East of England.
