TAFE NSW fitness graduate and F45 Head Trainer Chloe Bromage is encouraging others to consider a career in the fitness industry as the Tweed community continues to battle its share of the national obesity epidemic. 

The Heart Foundation has revealed that the Tweed Coast has a 34 per cent rate of obesity, which is significantly higher than the national average of 28 per cent. The rate of physical inactivity 68 per cent is also higher than the national average of 66 per cent.

Ms Bromage believes that the decision that she made to embark on a career in the fitness industry last year was the best decision she has ever made. 

“I’ve always been into sports so I always knew I would pursue a career in coaching fitness, studying at TAFE NSW to gain a qualification was a no brainer.  

“TAFE NSW helped me become as knowledgeable as possible to help make a positive impact on clients, and was a key factor in me gaining a position at F45.” 

TAFE NSW Fitness Head Teacher, Deb Praden, said “National data reveals that the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased from 56 per cent in 1996 to 63 per cent in 2019, and 68 per cent of adults in regional areas like the Tweed Coast have a significantly higher prevalence of overweight or obesity issues compared to 61 per cent of adults in Sydney. 

“While these are incredibly alarming statistics, what it does mean is there’s lots of rewarding career opportunities available in this industry, from fitness instructor, personal trainers to centre managers and everything in between. 

“Some of the benefits of working in fitness include flexible working conditions, you get to meet lots of new people, you get a lot of satisfaction from helping people succeed and most importantly – it’s fun.” 

Deb said the first step to a career in fitness was obtaining at least a Certificate III in Fitness (Gym Instructor), which teaches you how to instruct and support people across a broad age range, practice different forms of exercise, learn about human anatomy as it applies to the fitness context and how to ensure the safety of clients. 

For more information about the range of fitness courses available at TAFE NSW for enrolment in Semester 2, visit www.tafensw.edu.au or phone 131 601.