Fitness Jobs

Today I am linking up this post with Jill Conyers for her Fitness Friday Linkup.  If you have your own fitness related post, make sure you stop by her blog and add yours to the link-up!

I decided to do something a little different.  A lot of us love health, sports and fitness.  Have you ever wondered if you could turn your hobby or sport into a job you love?
If you were to think of a job in the fitness field most would likely first think about Fitness Trainers, but their are so many other options.

Maybe you are due for a job change, or have hopes of finding a job one day that you can relate to and enjoy much more than what you are in now.  In case this may be something you might be thinking about I thought I would share a few options that you may not know about.

Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy & Sports Medicine - Want a career helping people get back to living an active lifestyle?  One of these may be the job for you.  They will require college and certification programs.

Supplement Companies - Maybe you've tried them and maybe not.  But their are hundreds of different sports supplement companies out there to help athletes recover faster, workout longer.  They have jobs in administration, outside sales, even work from home jobs.  Although management levels may require additional education or experience.  Most positions are entry level that you can work your way up.

Coaches, Umpire, Referee - Although some coaching jobs especially in schools will require a college education.  Did you know that you can get jobs within your own community, working for your local county or city in these jobs?  Although some may be part time or seasonal, there are paying jobs in these fields.  Some may require certifications and a lot of them may provide the certifications for you upon hire.  If working with children, teens, adults in various sports is something that might interest you, you should look into these jobs within your area.

Personal Trainer, Yoga, Pilate's, Zumba - It is true for these jobs they'll require some education and certifications.  But if having a job in these area's is something that interests you, you can look into community education training programs in your area.  These programs cost a fraction of what you would pay if you went to a college, and you can get the same certifications to teach these and other fitness classes.

Fitness Directors and Gym Managers - Some of these may require a degree in management, however others are just looking for dedicated individuals who love life, health and love to share it with others.  These are usually full time jobs, that pay quite decent.  You can look for these types of jobs in your local gyms in your area's or within your city and county rec centers.

Sports Retail Stores - Running Specialty Stores - You may think that having a job in retail store is something that would only provide you with minimum wage.  However, what you may not know, specialty stores often look for more experienced individuals who are looking for careers. The pay and benefits are likely much higher than you would assume.  Sometimes your own running and sports background can put you into the expertise these companies are looking for.

Gyms, Cruise Ships - Their are so many jobs in these places that are everything from full-time to part-time, and most don't even require any specific higher education.  Others will even pay you to go and get your CPR and other certifications to have these jobs.  You'll find jobs from minimum wage on up, however one thing to keep in mind with these jobs.  They may also provide you with free memberships, free travel and room and board.

Sporting Goods Distribution - Ever thought about the companies that make everything from treadmills to backpacks?  Well these companies have hundreds of various different jobs everything from entry level to management.  Some even send you out to travel to different expo's and places to present and show off their products.

Recreation Coordinator - Most communities have different recreation facilities whether that be gyms, tennis courts, tracks, parks, etc...  These places need recreation coordinators to help promote healthy lifestyles for the residents within the community.
Additionally, did you know most companies employ at least one or two individuals to help promote healthy lifestyles for their employees?  In most states it gives them a tax break to do it, so don't rule out the company you work for now, maybe its a change in positions you can look forward to in your future.  Maybe you can even create this job within your current company!  If you can propose a way it will benefit them cost wise, and health wise you may have a pretty good chance.

Sports Reporter - Although it would be awesome to be a famous sports reporter like the ones you see on TV.  Did you know there are numerous other ways you can get paid to be a sports reporter?  Newspapers, Online News, Local & National.  You can sign up with different papers and news area's to be a journalist, or even a freelance reporter.  You can even get paid to write content for larger blogs, fitness sites.  Sometimes all you have to do is ask, instead of wait to see a job opening in these areas.

Race Directors & Coordinators - You run races, you volunteer.  But have you ever thought about getting paid to help put these races on?  Sure they are high stress, but they have dozens of positions that are paid, and believe it or not most medium and large races and organizations hire full-time individuals.  If it is something you love, you might not even mind the stress and just enjoy the environment.

School's Colleges Fitness Programs - Most public schools require degree's for these positions.  But did you know that private schools do not necessarily require a degree to teach these programs?  I know crazy huh, but it is true.  This is something you'd have to look into, and each school is different.  But there are many jobs available in schools and colleges that will allow you to get hands on with involvement in the health and fitness lifestyle.

I listed a few options above to get your mind thinking.  However, if you dig into it a little more you will discover as I have that the opportunities within the Health, Fitness & Sports industry are vast.

My advise if you are looking to change jobs, or thinking about these for the future:

- Decide which jobs you would most like.
- Look into what skills, education, qualifications you will need.
- Start working on those skills and qualifications as you have time.
- Keep your eyes open for ways to volunteer gain experience that will beef up your resume for when you are ready to apply for jobs in this field.
- When your ready, apply and keep your mind open to looking within your community for different places and options you may not be aware of.
- Go out and get it, don't let fear or uncertainty keep you from finding a job that will provide you with happiness.

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CURRENT GIVEAWAY

I'd also just like to quickly mention there are a few days left to enter the current giveaways going on right now for the Heat it Up Health and Fitness Giveaway.  14 bloggers and over 14 awesome health, fitness and running related giveaways.  You can visit HERE TO ENTER.

BLOGGERS WANTED

If your interested there are a few days left to add your blog to the list, for the giveaway blog hop that starts July 7th.  Make sure you read and agree to all the rules  HERE before you add your name to the list.

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So tell me, do you already have a job you love?  Do you have a job in the health and fitness industry?  Is it something you'd like to look into for your future?

My Review on ORAL I.V.

I received an amazing opportunity to test out and review Oral I.V.  In case your wondering what Oral I.V. is, like I did before I tested it out.  This is an amazingly different Hydration Recovery Product, that can also be used to help prevent Dehydration during a workout.

If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering how it tastes.  To be honest, when I received it I was expecting it to taste salty to some extent.  However, I couldn't of been more wrong!  It actually tastes just like water.

I actually tested this out back in August, and a few times since then.  In August I was still able to run a bit and I was doing a lot of hiking. 
One day that I was going hiking, I decided to take one of the capsule's with me and try it out.
I popped the top off, and couldn't resist taking a little taste, just to see how it was.  It tasted exactly like water, no after taste or anything. 
The directions say you can either take it alone, or with 16oz. of water.  So I threw a water bottle in with my other water hydration pack just for this purpose.  I took a couple of sips from the bottle to make room for the Oral I.V. and then poured it in and shook it up.

I decided to drink the water with the Oral I.V. first that day.  It was a hot day, and we hiked several miles and did a lot of climbing.  I won't say I noticed any major differences, but will say that even after a hot day I did not go to bed that night feeling any symptoms of dehydration from spending all day hiking around in the 95 degree temps!

A few weeks later I noticed I was experiencing some bad headaches, and it seemed like no amount of Tylenol or Excedrin Migraine were helping them.  For days I had a lingering headache that would get worse as the day wore on. 
A family member asked me if I was dehydrated.  It was then it occurred to me that I very likely could be.  It wasn't that I wasn't drinking water, but I really hadn't been drinking much each day.  We had been having several weeks of 90-100+ degree temps.  So a little dehydration made sense.
I remembered I had the Oral I.V. and thought this would be a unique way to test it out.


It was morning, and I had woken up with the same bad headache that I had been having for days.  So poured an Oral I.V. into a 16oz. bottle of water and drank it as I got ready that morning.  A few things to note, I did NOT take any pills for the headache, I only took the water with the Oral I.V. 
I can honestly say that my headache was near non-existent about 45 minutes after I finished the drink.
I didn't think I needed another Oral I.V. since it would already be in my system, so I just drank water normally through the rest of the day.  The remaining headache eventually left me entirely a few hours later, and did not return. 
Based on my previous days experience with the pills not working, and then taking the Oral I.V. I am pretty confident in assuming that the Oral I.V. helped rehydrate me faster than just drinking water alone!

Here is some pretty cool information about Oral I.V.

What is it?  It's a Hydration Aid - It is used to assist in hydration, not to be used solely as a hydration source.
Why DOESN't it have a bad taste?  It doesn't have Sugars, Caffeine, Stimulants or any additives, artificial ingredients.
So whats in it?  It's a formula of Crystaloid electrolytes and purified water.
Why/When should I use it? 
*  Use it to aid in Marathon Training, Cycling, Hiking, Climbing, Professional Sports or other Strenuous physical activity or even in your daily life, like on the job. 
*  It's small, can easily fit in a pocket or sports pack to carry with you.
*  Contains no sugars or stimulants.
*  Shorter your recovery times from exercise and exertion.
*  ALL NATURAL ingredients.

Want to learn more about Oral I.V?  
You can visit their website HERE

Disclaimer:  Oral I.V. Provided me with free samples to try for my opinion and honest review of this product.  I was not required to write a positive review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Runners Spotlight - Let Me Introduce BETH

Every runner has a story, that pushes them and drives them to do what they do.  I find it fascinating to learn about others, and in return it also inspires and motivates me.  I know I am not the only one who feels this way.  

This week I'd like to introduce you to Beth.

I asked Beth several questions, to help tell her story and why she is proud to be a runner.  As well as introduce you all to her. 

You’re a newer to the sport, tell us why you started running.

Well to be honest I really kind of started running to force myself to quit complaining about running.  So here is the story:  Forever, as long as I can remember, I hated running--I was slow, and it was really, really painful.  Last summer, I decided to enter into a local sprint triathlon down here at the beach.  I trained all summer.  The swimming and biking portions were no problem for me (I swam for a team in another life and was an avid spinning class attendee), but the measly 2 mile run killed me.  Come race day, I blazed (OK that may be an exaggeration)  through the open water swim and the bike, but literally doubled by overall race time during that sad, painful 2 mile run.  Right then and there, I told myself that I was going to train for and run a half marathon so that I will not suck at running anymore.  And I did it.  I ran my first half marathon, Rock N Roll New Orleans, this February.  What I didn't anticipate was for my general loathing of all things running to turn into a love.  I am so happy that I found this wonderful sport.  While I still plan on participating in some triathlons this season, my true new love is the road race! 

Do you run for fun, run to compete?  Both?

I guess both, in a weird, never-will-be-placing-in-my-age-group kind of way.  I run because it's fun, and I love it, but I also run to compete against myself.  I know I will never be one of those people that places in their age group at races (unless I give up bourbon and pizza and I don't see that happening), so really my competition is with myself to get better, faster, and stronger.  What is it they say? Running never gets any easier, you just get better.  I hope that is case.  Right now, I am competing with my inner naysayer who is telling me that I will never run a half marathon in 2 hours or less...hush self-doubt.  Also, in all honesty, I would be lying if I said that I didn't count road-kills on my races. You know you do too...

What distances to you run/race?

I run a lot of local 5ks, but I really like long distance running.  I am really not super built for speed, so a sub 30 minute 5k is killer for me.  I love the half marathon; it is long enough to feel like a super challenge, but not body wrecking like the marathon, or so I have heard.  It is a total accomplishment to finish one alive.  I have never run a marathon and right now, I really have no desire to start training for one (OK, maybe a little desire).  I have only run one 10k, but I really enjoyed it--short enough to throw some speed in, but long enough to feel like an accomplishment.  Is it just me or are there like no 10ks anymore? 

Have you ever won or placed in a race?

Are you kidding? Nope. And I'm totally OK with that. 

Your blog puts you as a person who loves to have a lot of fun.  Tell us about the race you had the most fun at, and why. 

Thanks! I do love to have a good time.  I guess the most fun race I have been to would be my first half marathon--the Rock N Roll New Orleans. I mean who doesn't like New Orleans?  No seriously, I ran it with my best friend--The Ginger (she makes regular appearances on my blog)--and her boyfriend.  My boyfriend--The Boy--came to be an awesome cheerleader.  The race itself was really fun--lots of bands on the course and everyone was really high energy.  There were tons of people there! like 16,000!  We stayed the night after the half marathon to do all the fun New Orleans stuff (hint...hint).  It was a total blast!

If you could run ANY race/distance in the entire world what/where would it be?

After the tragic events of this past April, I would love to run the Boston Marathon.  I think that being a part of the marathon next year would be an awesome and super fulfilling experience.  Just to participate in something that would stand for the solidarity of the the running community would be completely stellar.  However, there are some significant things standing in my way:  I will have to run a marathon, and I will have to do it in less than 3:35:00.  Which would be almost like having a pet unicorn who poops rainbows!  

Besides running what other sports/hobbies do you participate in?

Well obviously, I love to read.  I also really, really love to eat...everything.  I also collect mid-century furniture, pottery, and art.  My awesome boyfriend, The Boy, gave me an awesome 1960's Telefunken stereo for Christmas so I have recently begun a vinyl record collection.  There is nothing better than that hiss and pop of a record.  I also really, really, really love college football--in particular my LSU Fighting Tigers! From August to January, I am a rabid Bayou Bengals fan, and will be talking non-stop about football.  My dad is a super fan as well, so all season long we talk football (much to the dismay of my mom and boyfriend).

Per your blog, you love to read.  What are your favorite books?

Wow, for a librarian that is really hard question.  It is super tough to narrow it to just a few books.  Can we do it categories?  I will.

Classic Fiction: Tender is the Night F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway

Contemporary Fiction: Wolf Whistle Lewis Nordan 

Southern Fiction (too hard to narrow it to just one): Delta Wedding Eudora Welty, As I Lay Dying WIlliam Faulkner, The Moviegoer Walker Percy

Non-Fiction: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn

A lot of people who love reading, like writing.  Do you ever come up with great book ideas while you’re out on your runs?

Yea, I really think about all the funny/ ridiculous things that happen at work and seriously think about writing a book about it. While you may not think so, but an academic library is a crazy place. When you deal with overly-excited, stressed out freshmen all day long, you hear and see some insane stuff (think study rooms...boys and girls...together).   I am seriously thinking about writing a memoir about the day in the life of a librarian.  If you see me out running, you will see me jamming to some tunes and cracking up thinking about all the stuff that happened at work.  Ya'll be on the lookout for my upcoming memoir.....

Do you run and listen to tunes?  If so, what are your top 3 favorite to pound the pavement too?

Yea, I do listen to tunes when I run alone.  When I am running with a group, I really like to chat and laugh, but when I'm alone I really need the energy of music to keep me upbeat and moving.  I know a lot of runners suggest that you should listen to your own breathing, but my breathing is just not that much fun.  Right now, I am really jamming to How You Like Me Now by The Heavy, Baby Come Back by Scissor Sisters, and Underdog by Imagine Dragons.

Tell us how you juggle work and life and still get your runs in.  What motivates you to put on your running shoes and head out the door?

Well besides the commitments my job, my boyfriend, and my parents (who do live in same city as I do), my time is really my own.  I'm not sure how you Mother Runners out there do it.  Ya'll manage to kick running butt and get home in time to make dinner and change diapers.  Insane!  For me, it's really a matter of planning my runs.  I am really a calendar oriented person, so having a structured, mapped-out training plan really keeps me motivated and on-track.  If I am just running-by-the-seat-of-my-pants without a plan, I tend to slack off and skip runs and workouts.  I am also a really goal-oriented person--I really need a future race or PR to shoot for to get my butt up and go.  Like right now, I am gunning for both a sub 30-minute 5k and sub-2 hour half marathon.

Do you hope to be a lifelong runner?

I would love to be a lifelong runner; running is something that I really, really enjoy.  I guess the test will be when I do eventually have a family and how I juggle running with all of my other life stuff. Stay tuned to find out...

When you go around looking for new blogs to follow, what types of things are you looking for?  What blogs/topics grab your interest and make you want to come back to read more?

I know this is totally sexist, but I really do enjoy reading running blogs written by women, more so than those by men.  Besides that, I really like looking for bloggers who are honest about their accomplishments and weaknesses.  I also look for good tips about running and food, awesome race reports, gear reviews, and a good sense of humor.  I really like to get a mix of bloggers who are running at different paces; the speedsters make push for better times, and I feel a bond with the "slower" (a term I don't like, but there is nothing else, perhaps..."pace challenged") runners out there. 

Tell us about your blog, what do you post about?  What topics do you cover?  What can people expect when they visit?

My blog is about my adventures running, reading, and living through my life with my sanity intact.  I really talk honestly about my running--both my successes and failures, my weight loss goals, and my life in general.  You can expect training reports, race reports, gear reviews (I am starting a YouTube channel to do vlog reviews), book reviews (what kind of librarian would I be if I did not plug books), and just general running mayhem.  I hope that you will stop by and stay awhile.  

What are your fitness/ running related goals for 2013?

My goals for this year are to 1) run a 5k in less than 30 minutes 2) run a half marathon in less than 2 hours 3) lose the last 15 lbs 4) tone up my upper body.  Think that's enough?  I do...wish me luck. 

Take a minute and follow BETH by Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and on her Blog, by clicking on the buttons below.  You can also leave her comments below or go visit her blog and leave a message there:)

Beth's Blog:

http://www.readhardrunharder.com/

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