Why Personal Training 

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions. It is estimated that:

• Over one third of the U.S. population of adults is obese
• Almost 60% are overweight
• Approximately 15% of adolescents are overweight
• Seven out of ten adults do not exercise on a regular basis
• Fewer than 25% of children get 20 minutes of exercise per day
• Approximately 16-20 million people are afflicted with Type 2 diabetes
  (a dramatic 50% increase over the last 10 years)
• Healthcare costs in the US are estimated at $1.7 trillion
• Approximately 70% of those costs can be attributed to lifestyle-related chronic diseases
• Less than 15% of the US adult population is a health club member
• This leaves approximately 85% of the population grossly underserved

Employment of fitness workers is expected to increase 27 percent over the 2006-2016 decade.*  This is much faster than the average for all occupations. These workers are expected to gain jobs because an increasing number of people are spending time and money on fitness, and more businesses are recognizing the benefits of health and fitness programs for their employees.

Increased awareness of childhood obesity has created a new clientele for trainers.  The reduction of physical education programs in schools, combined with parents’ growing concern about childhood obesity, has resulted in rapid increases in children’s health club membership.  Increasingly, parents are also hiring personal trainers for their children, and the number of weight-training gyms for children is expected to continue to grow. Health club membership among young adults also has grown steadily, driven by concern with physical fitness and by rising incomes.

*Source: U.S. Department of Labor statistics