I first started looking for an internship in the summer of 2010 following my prep seminar course at UW-Milwaukee. It was our responsibility to find our own internships and I felt so overwhelmed because I didn’t know what I wanted to pursue as a career in the exercise and fitness industry. I didn’t really know what type of setting I wanted to be in but I did know one thing: I did not want to be folding towels and cleaning equipment 40 hours per week. I wanted to have an experience that would potentially open many doors for me and give me freedom to find my passion and enhance my strengths.
Initially my attitude towards the internship was not optimistic. I really just wanted to be done with school so I could start working full time, whatever the job. Finding a career in the fitness industry didn’t seem appealing like it did when I initially started school. I had no experience as a personal trainer, group trainer or boot camp instructor. I had experience guiding older adults during their time in the fitness center I had worked at but that was it. I did not think any of those jobs would interest me or be enjoyable. Having that mind set really hindered me but luckily it all turned out for the best in the end.
In mid June of this past summer I stumbled upon Jeff’s website for his business Impact Ultra Fitness. After I navigated around his website a bit I decided to call him to inquire about any internship opportunities. He answered right away when I called and we talked for a bit about what I was looking for. Basically he said ‘let’s get together and talk’. About a month later I unofficially started some internship tasks here and there to get a feel for how his business worked. I obtained my ACE personal training certification in July and began training at the end of the summer. Once the semester officially started in September I was on full time as an intern performing a wide variety of tasks that were pretty momentous.
There was a huge variety of opportunity for me to gain hands on experience in this field. Jeff trusted my ability to perform the tasks that were delegated to me and that instilled a great since of responsibility and confidence in me. We were primarily performing boot camp training and personal training as part of the business but we also managed a weight loss competition for a corporate company. At times I felt a little overwhelmed because I wasn’t sure I could handle everything but Jeff had faith in me. His expectations were high but realistic, and I am so grateful that he saw those abilities within me that I didn’t know I had. Fulfilling my internship with him and his company has been the most rewarding and memorable experience of my undergraduate degree. I saw the practical applications in everything that I had learned and I was applying them every day with my work.
After I became more comfortable with the way things worked I realized that I loved personal training, especially group training and boot camps. Running the weight loss program turned out to be much more work that I imagined but it was still a great experience to have been a part of it. Towards the end of the internship I was performing my own boot camps as well as small group training sessions. I knew what my strengths and weaknesses were prior to the internship and I feel that they have all gotten stronger along with my confidence as a fitness professional. I have had more doors open in the past few months than I ever thought possible. Jeff has so many opportunities for any health and fitness professional to find their passions and explore different avenues within this industry. I am so thankful to have stumbled upon his website and to have fulfilled my internship with him and his company. I found a career that I want to pursue and a lifestyle that is making me a better and stronger person that I thought possible. There are so many possibilities out there and my mind has been opened up to all of them. I am so excited to continue working for Jeff and exploring my newfound passions.
