I’ve always been involved in fitness – a lot. I played basketball, football, la cross and hockey in high school. I love to experience different types of sports and different types of training. I became fascinated with it when I came across a personal trainer in East Lansing, Michigan at a club. He told me how lucrative the career is. He said personal training is a great career if I wanted to expand myself and do something I really love.
It was amazing to see how hands-on he was with his clients and how excited he was. That’s what turned my interest toward fitness. Ever since I continue to study, do research and get more knowledge of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology. I love it and can’t see myself doing anything else.
A personal trainer is a person that truly enjoys fitness. Honestly however, the money aspect (doing personal training as a business) is pretty much the underlying focus. The difference in a Christian personal trainer is that his or her focus is more in serving the Lord and using his or her career to glorify God. It is about being an effective witness of the Gospel. That means being a Christian example in all aspects of providing training – character, values and morals. Personal training is an opportunity for me to be able to share the Gospel with people.
My clients come from various backgrounds. Some of them are in fashion. Others work on Wall Street, in many kinds of business or hospitality industries. Some of them are Christians and some are not. Some pretty much could care less about my faith they just like that I’m professional in the service that I provide. However, the majority of them are very understanding and receptive to my Christian stance. There are a few that even go to church with me. Those clients that are real skeptical I usually find have had past experiences with Christians who have discouraged them a lot.
People have such busy lives that they feel they don’t really have the opportunity to go to church or be in association with anybody that is excited about the Christian faith. I asked God to give me the opportunity to work with those types of people. It is important for them to see that in spite all their fame, fortune, wealth and abundance of popularity – it has no value without Christ. On the other hand if you have Jesus, then you have everything. There is so much more involved in being a Christian than most people realize. God gives people abundance to be able to use their wealth to benefit other people. Part of my personal training message is that we should not hoard the good life for ourselves. We need to share it with others.
I don’t think a lot of trainers are willing to expose themselves spiritually to their clients. I know more than just training. When appropriate, I’ll been more open with my clients about my personal life. I’ll share some of my deepest painful experiences in terms of family relationships, being involved in drugs, being involved with gangs and so forth. Doing that and not being ashamed about it lets them correlate reality with my testimony. It makes who I am more powerful because they see more of the real Ocean.
Their response is almost like shock. When they see how I am – how I am more enthusiastic and excited about life, they gain a better grasp of the source of my joy. They start to understand why I’m so excited and free from stress. I don’t have many worries. My clients want to be like that. They want to get to know me more and the God I serve.
Personal training is a two-way street. People need to be able to open-up with their trainer. As this happens I find many of my clients want to read the Bible. They want to tell me more about themselves. They want to discuss personal issues and their struggles in their daily life journey.
Personal training is a great setting to start with the basics. Many people don’t really understand what sin is. They don’t understand the opportunities that God has for them. They want to clearly know His standards. And – They want to know more challenging things like why the Bible in some places appears to be contradictory. Who is Jesus? The bottom line is that they have a lot of questions. Sometimes those questions are far above my head. Then I have to go home, do the research, seek wisdom and pray.
People have many physical needs when they enlist the services of a personal trainer. Our world is too conscious of physical appearance. When we can go beyond those concerns I think more than anything, people are looking for peace of mind. Everyone has to be at ease with oneself. You have to find your own true identity. People often find identity in their job, in their family and in their material possessions. But- they don’t really find their self-worth in something that is far beyond them.
In between the sets during personal training, when my clients are in their rest period, we get into discussions on different concepts of Christianity and topics that they hear in the news. I may be asked, “Ocean, how do you feel about abortion” or “How do you feel about gay rights?” They’re not looking for me to preach a sermon to them. No one wants to be beat down with the Bible. These conversations begin because I’ll seed the training session with a general question like, “Who is God to you?” Automatically, they know I’m a “religious” person. That paves the way for when they want to ask a question. For many I’m automatically the first person with whom they’ll initiate a conversation like that.
I’ve had some clients that don’t want to venture into faith conversations. They are pretty adamant. They will tell me they don’t want anything to do with it. All they want is for me to train them and keep them motivated with their fitness goals. With clients like that I can at least pray for them.
The trend I see in fitness right now is that people want more of a personal relationship with the trainer. For many the traditional gym atmosphere doesn’t cut it for them anymore because it isn’t deal with them on a personal level. People want more interaction. I have found that there are many aspects of ministry that are identical in personal training. A personal trainer is pretty much a modern-day pastor.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. How do you think the landscape has changed for gyms and personal training? What do people want to help them meet the full range of their individual fitness goals?
2. Why do you think more people want a personal trainer that provides pastoral care? If you had the opportunity to have a deeper conversation with a personal trainer, what would you discuss? What personal needs or concerns are pressing for you right now?
