Good afternoon! I have some exciting news to share today.
Beginning in November, I’ll officially be teaching group exercise classes again!
(The above photo was snapped right after I taught my first group exercise class. Shout out to water fitness!)
I had my final interview at a local gym today and will be on the group exercise schedule when the next one comes out on the first of November. I am thrilled to be getting back into the swing of things! I’ll be teaching a variety of classes (hopefully adding PiYo to the mix in December) and can’t wait!
The atmosphere at my new gym is rather different from the gym where I taught and trained clients before in Ocala. I previously worked at the YMCA in Ocala and really love everything the Y does for the community and its members. It was a large gym and I miss it!
My new gym is not nearly as large as the Y. It’s not part of a national chain and is much smaller than a big community gym. It’s a private club gym and I really hope I can add to the group exercise program when I begin next month. I’m definitely looking forward to it!
But let’s back up a bit…
Workout + Breakfast
Today began with a 6 a.m. Pure Barre workout followed immediately by breakfast and blogging.
On the menu for today was a bowl of egg white oatmeal topped with cinnamon and served with a hot tumbler of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea.
After breakfast, I had a freelance article to write, so I spent most of my morning on the computer until Sadie’s level of annoying skyrocketed and she needed some attention. We headed out on a mid-morning walk just before lunch and it felt good to get some fresh air!
Lunch + Interview
For lunch, I drove Salsaritas before my interview at the gym. I ordered a burrito bowl and enjoyed it outside on the patio with a side of chips and queso.
After lunch, it was interview time… And now we’re all up to date! Hope you’re having a great Monday!
Questions of the Afternoon
- If you were going to teach a group exercise class, what class would you want to teach?
- Fitness instructors: What is your favorite group exercise class to teach?
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Congrats on the new teaching job, Julie! I am sure you will be great. They are lucky to have you!
Thank you very much, Lauren! I’m excited to be back at it!
Congratulations! That is so exciting!! If my schedule allowed for it I would love to teach bodypump!
Body Sculpt and HEAT (which is a cardio, interval, weight combo class) are my favorites! I also teach at our YMCA and love all the Y does. I also have taught at smaller gyms and while the atmosphere is a little more intimate and maybe not so large, it’s usually a little more efficient than the Y as far as equipment, space, technology, etc. I’ll be interested to see how you think they compare!
O my, what exciting news! Congratulations!! I love Y’s as well, but I hope you find this gym to be everything you want! Such a silly questions-but what do you wear for a gym interview? I would think you would want to dress the part in work-out clothes but was wondering if that was acceptable? Would it be weird to dress up?
I always dress up at first, but for a second interview I’ve had gyms tell me to wear workout clothes (which I definitely do if I’m auditioning/demoing workouts)!
Yay! Congrats! Do you think you’d ever consider teaching BodyPump in the future?? I know how much you love that format!
I would LOVE to. It’s on my fitness bucket list! I will be teaching group strength classes though, so I’m excited to be teaching some strength training classes in the future!
Where are you teaching!? I live in charlotte!
Congrats on the new job, that’s super exciting!! That burrito bowl looks so yummy 🙂
I would definitely teach BodyPump! Looked at PiYo after your blog this morning, that could be a good one to add to the line-up at the gym where I work.
Things are really falling into place for you in Charlotte! Congrats on the new teaching job 🙂
Ps. That queso looks de-lish!!
Congrats! Must feel great to get back into the teaching game 🙂
Congrats on your upcoming teaching gig! I love group x and teach BodyFlow and BodyPump here in Gainesville Florida. I have the home PiYo program and would love to bring PiYo live to our club. I’ll look forward to any reviews and experience you can share!
YAY! thats awesome Julie! You should look into doing ‘online webinar’ classes with your readers. I think that would be a hit!
LOVE PiYo!! I did the at home videos this summer and loved it! Such a good balance to typical slower paced pilates/yoga
So exciting! Congrats! I am so jealous 😛 I would love to teach some kind of fitness class!
Congrats!! Did you get PiYo certified? I LOVE PiYo and have been doing the dvds since July & waNt to get certified. Not sure there are any more classes in my area to get certified. Best of luck!
Congratulations! Have you ever thought about teaching Pure Barre?
Duh..clearly not reading posts in in correct order. CongrTs on the certification! Piyo people! !!!
GO YOU!!! Congrats! So glad you’re back in the groove!! I wish I could take one of your classes!
Congratulations, that’s great! I would teach Zumba, but first I’d have to stop looking ridiculous doing it.
Congrats Julie! That’s exciting! Hope this new gym adventure works out for you! I’m sure it will!
Congratulations on the new job! How exciting. I’m eager to hear more about PiYo–honestly I have no idea what it is! Enjoy your last week or two of funemployment! 🙂
Congrats! Wish I was local so I could take one of those classes! 🙂 I don’t do a whole lot of group fitness (and rarely ever now that I canceled my gym membership) but when I was, I enjoyed BodyPump and Yoga the most.
PS – I can’t help but think of Britney Spears circa 1999 when I see your headset mic, lol!
Ha! It’s SO Britney! 🙂
Congratulations!!! That’s very exciting news! You know my favorite class to teach… BodyPump! 😉 I think you need to get certified in that next!
Me too!! 🙂
I LOVE spinning! We’re also doing new strong man classes in the gym…intense circuit classes…10 minutes with no break * 4 stations including things like prowler pushes and battle ropes…great class!
Congrats! Quick question about your 6am classes – do you eat or drink anything before?
Yes! I have been eating a banana, small apple or a handful of almonds. I used to never eat anything before my workouts, but feel like even a little something makes me a feel more energetic.
Thanks Julie! I found a great bar class near me and really want to start going before work. Right now I have been going after work and I end up getting home so late.
I think I would like to teach boot camp / HIIT classes. With the right equipment, group trainers create really fun circuit classes. I love trying out new “boot camps” because it keeps things interesting!
Congrats on the new job!
I think that I would like to teach spin, other than the fact that I’m not sure I could explain what to do, spin, and breathe at the same time 😉
Congrats! I have recently quit my job bc my husband and I are moving to Chicago in a few weeks and I have been thinking about ways to supplement my blogging as a source of income. Teaching fitness classes is one of those options. so I may start looking into that. I’m hoping that I can find as many people to buy my almond butter too so that I don’t have to always venture outside during those Chicago winters!!
I hope you LOVE Chicago! It’s my all-time favorite city! 🙂
Congratulations – that is exciting! If I could teach a group exercise class, it would be spin. I have always loved taking spin classes and think it would be fun setting up the different segments and pairing it with music!
Must feel nice to be able to get back into the swing of teaching. If I taught a class, which I am hoping to do in the new year, it would be BodyPump or Body Shred, I love them both!
Copngrats! Your classes will surely benefit from your positive energy and boundless enthusiasm. I teach 7 fitness classes a week ( I am 54 yikes!) teaching HITT, Strength, Core and Kettlebells. Its so hard to pick a favorite, I love them all! But strength is my true love-especially complex moves, combining upper body and lower body-and kettlebells ROCK- its so empowering slinging cast iron! Good luck to you!!
You are a rockstar!!! So glad you love teaching so much!
That’s great you’ll be teaching again. Congrats! I teach several Les Mills programs, and BODYATTACK is my favorite. Hope you have a nice evening:)
Congrats on teaching again girl! That’s so exciting! I signed on to start teaching at the Y this summer but my injury has forced me to put things on hold.
Hmm teaching a class…u think I would pick spin or zumba. I love them both but to be honest I don’t think I would be coordinated enough to pair songs with a workout. Lol. I’ll keep my day job and leave that to the professionals. Although I did used to teach 15 minute ab classes at a work gym.
I’d love to teach anything cardio. Maybe dance cardio. 🙂
Congrats!! My favorite to teach is BodyFlow. Does your new gym have BodyPump? I know how you love it and could totally see you adding that to your repertoire. 🙂
They do not which is a big-time bummer!
Congrats on the new gig!
Congrats on your new job at the gym!! I wish I could take a class from you!
That is so exciting!! I love to teach spinning classes because you really sweat it out with the class. But I’d say my close second is a cardio kickboxing class because I love working with the bags!
Random question–how do you put your workouts in picture form like you do? I’ve been trying to find apps that do that, but can’t find any! wondering if you use an app or some special design format?thanks! and BIG Congrats on your job!! 😉
picmonkey.com! 🙂
Congrats on your new job! That’s so exciting! I was scheduled to take spin training last weekend through AFAA, but the class was canceled last minute due to low attendance numbers. Now I either have to wait for them to schedule another training class in my area (which looks like it could be a long wait) or find another organization to go through. Any recommendations?
I’m having the SAME issues!! My new gym wants me to teach spinning and I am trying hard to find a certification I can get ASAP! I am surprised to find them harder to come by than I anticipated. I was hoping to get my certification through Spinning, but there isn’t one until December in my area…
Julie I teach spinning and certified in SPINNING.com (maddog athletics) next mth I’m getting certified by SCHWINN. I wouldn’t recommend doing a spin cert thru AFAA or regular ‘group exericse’ certs as they are not 100% geared towards Spin. There are so many things to learn and doing it by Maddogg, Schwinn, RealRyder, Keiser , is better. they are the TOP certifications.
ALSO, the certification process is like this: 9 hr day, and you take the course ONLINE and then you get the actual certification, in the mail. Its a learning process to make your own profiles/playlist. if you need anything let me know. been doing it for YEARS. 🙂
Thank you!! 🙂
Thank you for the recommendation! I actually looked for a SCHWINN cert but cannot find any in my area. Still searching!!
Thanks everyone for the tips! I’m going to check out these today and see what is available in my area,
YAY! Congrats.. how exciting ! 🙂
Wow…getting up at 4am to marathon train and then working from 8 to 5 pm makes your schedule look luxurious! I leave the house at 7 and return at 6pm and never have time to eat lunch out! Is blogging and soon teaching classes your entire job?
Yep — I left my full-time job in 2011 when the blog picked up and now it’s my primary source of income. I was personal training and teaching right up until we moved to NC this summer, so I’m excited to get back into it!! Good luck with your marathon training!
That’s great news! Congratulations!
Yay!! I’m so excited for you!!! You will do amazing!!
Wahoo!! That’s always such a relief after moving to a new place to be on the schedule again. way to go!! Now…… a Les Mills training needs to happen!!! Right?! Right 🙂
because of my severe back pain, i’d been limited to walking and decided to try a water fitness class at the Y just over a year ago. for the most part, the class is seniors…one woman in her 40s but the majority in their 70s (a few men too). while i was an outlier age-wise, my body is really more akin to a 70-something than another 36yo woman, there are three water classes available (it is a YMCA too): mine, and one that is more akin to a typical aerobics audience.
back in may, i got an email asking if i’d help teach a bit….first it was just some days to allow the main instructor to take some trips, but b/w the emailing and my first class, she’d left entirely. i am not trained in any way, but i knew what worked was a reader of several fitness-oriented mags (my cardio section always includes intervals) and had been a gym-rat pre-injury. i also spent a lot of time online learning what i could.
i LOVE it and turns out, i am pretty darn good if i do say so myself!! i’ve had students who’ve been doing water aerobics for over a decade tell me i’m one of the best instructors they’ve seen and beat anyone that’s taught this class recently (like in the past 5 years!). i can’t see teaching anything else…it is a very different feel than any regular class i ever tried. the class knows when i’m having a high-pain day and “gets it” in a way no one who hasn’t been there can…though i think i often overcompensate and push the class a little harder those days (always have lots of room for students to take it up or down a notch).
sorry for writing a freakin’ novel!!!
Congrats on the new job! I’m actually trying to get Body Pump Certified in the near future, my gym does a lot of LesMills so it seemed like the way to go. I’d love to be able to invest in a yoga certification one day though.
Congratulations on the job! I would LOVE to teach a class …. I just don’t have the confidence to just do it. Last night I was giving myself a spin class, because my gym doesn’t offer one. (SHAMEFUL, right?!) Unfortunately, I’ve heard rumors that the manager doesn’t offer payment to instructors and then turns around and charges paying members for classes like spin. I fully intend to drop the dirty gym as soon as my contract is up!
Anyway, as I was coaching myself, I was thinking “I could do this….it would be FUN! I just don’t know where to start…” Towards the end of my workout, I saw two young kids trying to learn how to hit a heavy bag. I took a boxing (nothing to do with kicks), and offered some advance at how to stand and throw a safe punch with lots of power. That’s another class I would LOVE to teach! So …. how could I go about opening a spinning/boxing studio? HAHA! That’s like opening a deli that has tacos and spaghetti! HAHA!
Congrats! I’m a group instructor and will be getting married next month and then moving to Scotland to live with my husband and I’m so nervous about trying to get a gig at a new gym. I’m sure you’ll be well liked by your new “students” 🙂
Congrats! I am sure you will be an amazing addition to their gym team! I am a personal trainer at the YMCA and LOVE it!!!
Yay! That’s so exciting! PiYo is something great to add to your workout classes too! I know the gym will be happy to have you! You will do great!