Is Pursuing a Career in Fitness Worth It?

Many aspiring models ask me if pursuing a career in fitness is worth the trouble. Truth be told, most people who work really hard to look good in front of the camera pay for marketing materials, like photos and comp cards, and pound the pavement for print and editorial gigs and don't make a lot of money. There's endless dieting, extra workouts, and all the time and money required to get yourself known. It's a lot to sacrifice for a few tear sheets.

There's also the longevity factor. I realized right around my 35th birthday that I couldn't model forever, and that's when I decided that I needed to broaden my horizons if I was going to make fitness a lifelong business instead of just a fun thing to do in my 20s and 30s.

Fitness is my passion, and in addition to modeling, I've made it a point of becoming an expert in exercise and nutrition. I use that expertise to train people, produce videos, and write articles like this one. I'm even working on completing my second book, Spiritually Fit.

I'm really excited about the new book. It focuses on the physical and spiritual aspects of who we are and maps out a complete program of nutrition, exercise and mental focus to help people achieve balance and use their God-given gifts to inspire others. I'm also excited about my new supplement line, which was born out of a desire to deliver high-quality, effective supplements that I could proudly put my name on.

My point is that modeling is just one component of a one-person fitness business. If you get a kick out of modeling and it's just a sideline, that's okay. But if you're serious about making fitness your business, the opportunities really are endless. You may even find that you can make a name for yourself in another area of the industry before your modeling career takes off.

It's impossible to predict what the future holds, but I can tell you this much: I was an avid exerciser 15 years ago, and I made a plan and stuck to it. The same is true for Monica Brant, who was an ambitious young woman from Texas with a desire to make it. She now has her own clothing line and markets several other products on her great online site.

Only you can determine what your career in fitness will deliver. Here are a few tips for getting started:

• Become an expert in the field.
• Start a subscription website for $30 a year. Tell everyone you know about it. People will sign up if you're providing solid information.
• Use the money you make to invest in your fitness business. You can advance your career by getting more education, meeting people at trade shows, and expanding your product line with videos, CDs, posters, clothing and so on.

Running a one-person fitness business requires a lot of effort. Is it worth it? As long as you're having fun along the way, it is.