As a 30-something mom going through the daily rigors of childcare—lifting, bathing and carrying her baby daughter around—Jane Petix of Northport says she was constantly throwing her back out. After examination by her healthcare provider, Petix was diagnosed with scoliosis (an abnormal curvature of the spine). She began seeing a chiropractor for spinal alignments. He, in turn suggested that Petix “get serious” about working out. Weight training, he explained, would help strengthen her back.
But Petix was skeptical. “I had always belonged to a gym, but I was concerned I would bulk up if I started working with weights.” She put her worries aside and discovered that weight training helped make her back stronger. She had fewer injuries and her physical health began to improve.
Becoming healthier and more physically fit spurred Petix’s desire to learn more. “When I get into something I need to know everything about it,” she explains. So, in 2001 Petix went back to school to become a Personal Trainer. Certified by the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA), she studied anatomy, physiology and participated in comprehensive fitness training workshops.
Eventually, Petix turned a potentially disabling health diagnosis into a positive, life-changing experience that ultimately led to the creation of, See Jane Train, her own Personal Fitness Training business.
Building Relationships Helped Build Her Business
With her AFAA certification under her belt, Petix went to work at a Personal Training Studio, but became frustrated with time constraints that limited her one-on-one with each client. Yes, she could guide them through a physical workout, but she wanted to build relationships. She wanted to nurture. (No surprise, as Petix had also earned a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy counseling years earlier). Learning whether her client was working out purely to look better, working through an eating disorder or needed guidance in recovering from an injury, would help Petix devise a more effective training program, she believed.
One thing Petix noticed in her work was that many of the people she trained with were recovering from injuries, or they kept coming in with the same types of injuries. “I decided to focus on rehabilitative exercises and found a job in a chiropractic office.” Again, Petix learned as much as she could about rehabilitative work.
Finally, in 2005, Petix was ready to open a studio of her own. “I put all of my knowledge together—counseling, rehabilitative work, personal training and nutrition certification to give people a mind/body experience.”
