Like death and taxes, continuing education CEUs are inevitable if you want to keep your fitness certifications. Once you pass your certification test, you don’t want to have to go back and take it again to keep your certification from lapsing.
I know from experience because it happened to me!
My Background
I originally took my personal trainer exam in 1998. Back then it was with pencil and paper and it took a few weeks for it to be graded and find out if you passed or not. I was very happy to have passed, even though I had an advanced degree in the field of physical education. I kept enough CEUs to keep it current for a few years and then was hired to teach at a college full time and unfortunately I let it lapse. Big mistake!
Then in 2010 I spearheaded the initiative to bring a personal trainer certification course to the college I worked at. I knew that many students would be interested and if they passed the personal trainer exam they could make a great income while they continued to get their degree. At that point I knew that I needed to sit for the exam again because I thought it was important that whoever taught the course should be certified also, not just part of academia.
What I Discovered
The exam was totally different! The material had changed over the years and, although I always kept up-to-date for my classes, there was a lot of small details I had to memorize and I signed up online, went to a testing center, took the exam on a computer, and got my results right after I submitted it. I passed again, but it was a monumental pain! I swore to myself that I would never let my certification lapse again.
How I Moved Forward
I was on a journey to get my required CEUs within the mandatory 2 year time frame. I have continued to get mine in a variety of ways, from attending expensive conferences to going to various face to face CEU opportunities, as well as doing some home studies where they mail you the book (which can take a couple of weeks) and then mailing in the final test. I haven’t been happy with any of these options because they take so long to wait for results and are extremely inconvenient.
I have been teaching college courses online for 16 years, doing so full-time since 2009. I’ve developed course templates for other teachers to use and I’ve received awards for teaching excellence in online education.
I had an epiphany a few months ago that this was missing from continuing education for fitness professionals. To be able to sign up for a course, immediately view videos with the course information, take the quiz, and instantly receive the course certificate is, in my opinion, the best way to get those continuing ed credits.
What’s even better is being able to take them in my own home when it’s most convenient to me takes it to a whole new level.
Next-level Content For Fitness Professionals
We’re in the 21st century with so many innovative options and I think it’s time for us to take advantage of the technological opportunities to save time, money, and be as convenient as possible. What about you? Are you ready to go with us into 21st century education? I know you’ll be glad you did!
