Editor’s note: Personal trainer Jessica Tucker is the Plant City Times & Observer’s newest contributing columnist. Each month, she will share tips on healthy eating, exercise and more.
Wow, you’re good at this stuff. you should do it for a living!
Those words, spoken to me nearly four years ago, changed my life and set me on an unexpected career path that has led to the establishment of my personal training business in Plant City.
A little about me: I have been an athlete since I was a child. Some of my fondest childhood memories include playing baseball with the kids on the street, climbing trees and playing pickup basketball games with the neighbors. In junior high, I was the only girl in the local YMCA basketball league for two consecutive seasons. I spent much of my free time skating and biking. Then, in college, I discovered a love for weightlifting.
The first eight years of my professional career were spent as a radio deejay, and I loved it. I’m a performer at heart and have never been shy.
Then, four years ago, changes in the economy and the radio industry found me unable to support myself in my chosen field. I began working nights at a hospital, trying to decide what to do next. That’s when an old friend confided in me that, his weight had reached a shocking high when he stepped on the scale that morning. He remembered I was a “health nut,” so he asked me if I could give him advice on how to drop some weight.
I gave him some suggestions and pointers. After a few weeks, he began to lose a few pounds and felt healthier than he had in a long time. It was then that he said the fateful words I mentioned.
I already had a passion for health and fitness and had worked with trainers before, but I had never considered becoming one. I began researching personal training certifications and schools and chose to attend the National Personal Training Institute.
There, my passion for fitness really began to blossom. It was a grueling course, and I studied everything from anatomy and physiology to kinesiology and nutrition. I obtained countless hours of hands-on personal-training experience, with many types of people. In the end, I graduated at the top of my class, with job offers from several different gyms throughout Tampa Bay. Instead, I chose to work at a facility in Orlando. During my tenure there, I spent many more hours studying nutrition and working with clients of all ages and fitness levels, several of whom became wonderful friends.
I came to realize that being a good personal trainer required more than simply developing exercise programs and monitoring the progress of my clients. It required investing in their lives. As a personal trainer, I become their coach, their cheerleader and their confidant. If someone needs a drill sergeant to keep them motivated, I become that, as well.
My parents live in Plant City, so recently I decided to move closer to them and build my business in this smaller, more family-oriented community. I founded Tampa Total Health and Fitness shortly after graduating from NPTI but decided it was time for me to reach out and begin helping the people around me who desire to make their personal health and fitness goals a priority.
I love sharing my passion for health, nutrition and exercise with others. Each month, in the Plant City Times & Observer, I look forward to sharing information on a myriad of related topics. In the meantime, if you have any issues you would like me to address or have an interest in beginning or continuing your journey to fitness, feel free to contact me.
I look forward to talking to you next month!
Jessica Tucker is a strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer, nutrition adviser and founder of Tampa Total Health and Fitness. For more information, email her at tampatotalhealthandfitness@gmail.com.