The June 17 speaker for St. Andrews Optimists was Tina Wilkerson, owner and founder of Elite Personal Training. Her business opened in 2008. A few years prior to opening, Wilkerson undertook a personal makeover to improve her fitness level. She spoke of a family history of poor health and of her determination to break that cycle.
Having experienced what a life-changer her transformation was, she visualized becoming a personal trainer and eventually formulated a business plan that has led to her current level of readiness. Her company now tends to the fitness regimens of more than 50 clients.
Wilkerson’s approach to fitness is composed of three elements: eating well based on educating oneself, a regimen of exercise, and a commitment to the lifestyle change that those steps entail. It is then almost unavoidable that an enhanced self-image is the result.
She differentiates her approach to marketing from those of some national chains that attract clients with low-cost startup pricing but are not as likely to hold those clients accountable.
Wilkerson’s program is based on some key principles:
1. Establish a system that makes it harder to fail than it does to succeed. Personal training is very strong in the area of accountability.
2. Establish some system of support that minimizes a client’s reasons for missing workouts.
3. Set reasonable, attainable goals that are met daily. That process has proven to take about 50 days to gain traction and to establish its own momentum.
Pictured are Club President Mike Myers and Tina Wilkerson, who received a copy of the Optimist Creed.
