Singapore Expats

Hi all

Need your advice.... I am actually a local Singaporean gal who's married n have a 5 yr old girl. I am currently a housewife but would like to get my butt out there to earn some extra cash to supplement the family and my love for Adidas. haha!

I lost 8kg in 3 mths.... I did not go to any slimming centres or take any pills cos I dun believe in them I mean what if I have no more money to attend sessions at slimming centres or to buy pills? So for practical long term financial management (being a kiasu Singaporean), I decided to strike it out on my own.

Battle of the bulge.... eeks. Losing weight can be such an isolating and lonely journey. I fully understand that. For me (no offense), I am too shy to look for a personal trainer. Well that's me.... the more qualified n beefy u are, the more stressed I will get and... the more I will eat.

Anyway my purpose of this post is to find out if anyone of you or based on ur opinions, will it work if I actually offer my services as a female motivator and providing accountability, advice, humour and companionship for ladies' exercise activities? I can share on how I successfully lost the weight after childbirth, how I finally stopped my weight from yo-yoing... set up a blog for ladies to read abt nutrition articles, be motivated by my postings and laugh at my rantings, discover affordable and fantastic deals in the sweetest looking Adidas (there I go again!) etc. I can even shop with you! I can help improve your daily menus. I dun claim to be a degree holder in fitness or nutritional science.... but I know the culprit of weight gain is Sugar! If you find yourself constantly craving for sugar etc, you need a motivator cos it's really really hard to go thru it alone to lose the weight.

Also, I wonder how much is reasonable price to pay should anyone take up my services. I know this is very alternative resort but something different is better than all the years some of you ladies must have tried to lose weight and maintain it to no avail. So what is there to lose?

Hope u people here can kindly tell me the feasibility of this, and if it was you, would u go for it? Thanks soooo much for reading the above.

Jessica

Jessica1978 wrote: Anyway my purpose of this post is to find out if anyone of you or based on ur opinions, will it work if I actually offer my services as a female motivator and providing accountability, advice, humour and companionship for ladies' exercise activities?
Jessica

No. They already have people who do this. They're called personal trainers.

gl456 wrote:

Jessica1978 wrote: Anyway my purpose of this post is to find out if anyone of you or based on ur opinions, will it work if I actually offer my services as a female motivator and providing accountability, advice, humour and companionship for ladies' exercise activities?
Jessica

No. They already have people who do this. They're called personal trainers.

I guess some people are just to blind to see past their nose.

You have the right to work as a personal motivator, and charge for it.
It's completely different from being a personal trainer, who is specialised in exercise and very little in motivation. Many personal trainers go over the top, especially with older people.

So don't give up, you can setup your motivational biz in the heartlands, though i would charge just a nominal sum, if you are holding no qualifications, the importance is on social activity with definite goals to lose weight. Though i do think you should follow the glycemic route for active results. www.glycemic.com
I've never seen so many qualifications held by crappy instructors in all my life, so I'm sure if you can deliver the goods, you will be successful. Though legally you will have to have a disclaimer to notify participants that you are a motivator and not a qualified instructor in health & fitness. Knowledge is valuable and you should be paid for taking the initiative, but a token sum would be fair like 2 or 3$ a session.

I've seen people doing it in the heartlands with old people, as many as 30 at a time, that's like 90$ a session. So it does happen in Singapore.

My suggestion would be to hold free group sessions first, where you can share a bit of your knowledge and journey with some interested ladies (or gents, if you're offering that too) to show what you're offering and what you're capable of. From there you could likely book clients on a pay-per-pound-lost or maybe in packages of 5 or ten sessions. Without the official papers to back yourself up you'll need to prove yourself before you can demand a significant amount of money, but I think you have a good chance of making something work if you stick to it and don't get discouraged at a slow beginning. But that's what motivation is all about, right?

Good luck!

personal cheerleader for hire?

Hi

Thanks for some encouragement... the first reply was like.... hmmm ... that explains my silence thereafter.

Of cos i know what is a personal trainer! Oh well, which chronic ex-dieter doesn't? We probably could list all food and their calories, for Christ's sake! Of cos I'm asking on the basis of some alternative weight loss strategies like buddy system, exercise partner who doesn't judge u and who's not a personal fren from ur old life whom u've been in competition with for as long as u lived!

Who knows, some girls have the will but not the right motivation and accountability? Of cos I am also providing a blog whereby nutritional info and well-written articles are easily available for all to read... a whole and multi-faceted weight loss motivation system... I dun reside at the gym and I want to just be a normal person, a realistic person whom most ppl can relate to. I am honestly no gym buff and no 6 pack on my abs. I whine when my abs hurt from the crunches as well... exercise is impt but for personal trainers, they focus on that part only. And sadly, I feel shy with personal trainers cos I dun have money to see them forever and I am self conscious about body image etc.

Well, thanks for ur replies, i will think things thru..... u guys are right. Maybe i should start by setting up a blogsite to share my experience and let ppl get to know me better first!

Jessica

Jessica1978 wrote:Hi

Well, thanks for ur replies, i will think things thru..... u guys are right. Maybe i should start by setting up a blogsite to share my experience and let ppl get to know me better first!

Jessica

While I think a blog and written articles are important tools, I think if you want to turn this into a money making thing, you need to be in personal face to face contact with those you aim to help. From what you've written here, you seem like a sincere and friendly person--let that work to your advantage! Likely people won't commit the time and money to a program with you if they think they can get what they need to succeed (even nominally) off your website/blog.

I think it is definitely a good idea. If it is something that you would enjoy doing, and you have a specific idea and market in mind, then go for it.

The thing I would suggest is to start with a business plan. Do some preparation and actually write down your mission, vision and objectives. And then look at how you will market your business and the costs that you will incur. Many great ideas and much enthusiasm disappears because there is no plan behind putting the ideas into practice. I realise at the moment it sounds like something you are doing on the side, but it is also an investment in your time and effort so having a strategy for how to go about doing it will serve you in the long run.

If you can find someone who knows about running a small business to look over your business plan, this is even better. Going about the task in this way will save you disappointment and wasted time.

its a good idea to trick ang mos

I think you can, if you have something different to offer.

It all depends if you are a people person, whether your clients will be attracted to how you present your lessons and yourself, how interesting your blog is, marketing plans, word of mouth, connections and so on.

If I am not wrong, there are already a number of people doing things that are similar to this.

Wow... you know, the moment I read your thread, I can feel your enthusiasm in what you planned to do. As those successful personels always said, One will tend to succeed if one is doing something that they enjoy.

I also lose 14kgs after giving birth to 2 babies, but don't see myself whom dream as big! It'll work somehow as after failing for a number of yrs, I know the importance of having someone to motivate me along.

All the best to you!

I see from your post that your are very enthusiastic about your success and highly motivated. You believe in yourself. There is no other better motivator than yourself. Even Mcdonald's started with 2 pieces of bread with a piece of beef inside from a garage.

Take note of negatives responses lest you fall but work hard on your positive feedback. Most important is to put to ACTION on what you want to do. Before you start your business, you may try to offer your program to your friends and get some feedback. This will give you an idea if your idea is feasible.

You will never know if you never start. There is nothing much to lose if you fail, but you will achieve your dreams if you succeed.

Good luck and wishing you success.

Louisloo, I think you are getting Dick & Mac MacDonald mixed up with the two Steves of Apple Computers. McDonalds didn't start in a garage, Apple did.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Louisloo, I think you are getting Dick & Mac MacDonald mixed up with the two Steves of Apple Computers. McDonalds didn't start in a garage, Apple did.

Yes, SMS, you are correct..My apologies..some of my wires get crossed..prodding with too much computers...i guess.

Both are great names and they started from an obsure beginnings. That's the point I wanted to make.. All great names start somewhere small.

And if you have an idea..try it out...nothing to lose. If you never try, you will never succeed.

@jessica:

why not try to have a personal training certificate and become a personal trainer? having a certificate will help you to a lot more..
Good luck.