Lifespan of a fitness professional

March 2, 2010 and it is a snowy day in Georgia. What fun it was to walk in the snow to the local grocery. How appreciative am I that I am able to undertake this task easily, effortlessly, even at the ripe old age of 54 years.
As a fitness professional, a group exercise instructor, I didn't have any idea what lay ahead of me in this profession. What happens to old group exercise instructors? Do they grow old and fat and lazy? Do we keep on learning the latest, faddest, workout and teach it? Do we give up and become the consumer we once taught?
What has happened to your career over the years and what do you see as your fitness professional future, especially as a group fitness instructor? I started later in life, over 40, and after teaching full-time I was burned out. Burn out is common. Too much of anything speaks of imbalance. I love to be the leader and I love to consume the product of group fitness. I don't want to give up rhythmic movement at all. To that end I reach out to inspire others to move, training others to become group fitness instructors so that I can take their classes! I believe we are the future of fitness and that fitness is going to look mighty different. No hard work, but play. Fun and enjoyment will change the attitude towards a workout. Imagine, looking forward to your daily workout! I do. I love that I can dance and move everyday and that even without a group fitness class, I can still enjoy my workouts at home. Fitness doesn't feel like work to me, it feels like play and a sometimes visceral, spiritual experience. It just feels good.