I live in Kentucky, and I am also the president of the Kentucky Association of Fitness Professionals (KAFP). The KAFP has been working since 2002 with legislators to create minimum standard requirements before anyone, in any particular method of training, can practice as a fitness professional. We are encouraging our state legislators to do the following:

·         Require only certifications that are nationally accredited by either NCCA or CHEA to be acceptable for application for a state license. This follows the recommendations that IHRSA has made also.

·         Once the fitness professional has earned their accredited certification, they must then apply to take the state board exam, which will be loosely based on the NBFE exam.

·         If any fitness professional has sat for and taken the NBFE exam and passed, they will be exempt from taking the state board exam.

More Exams? Are You Crazy?

I know what you all must be thinking: The KAFP is crazy… we don't need any more exams or licenses! But here is where I believe the fitness industry is missing the boat entirely. In Kentucky, a beautician or hair dresser must attend nearly 1,000 hours of classroom work at a licensed beauty college in about nine months. Once their school is over, they take an exam to graduate. Upon graduation, they enter into the workforce as an apprentice for about six months. Once they have completed their apprenticeship, these beauticians must then go and take a state board exam in order to get their license in order to practice as a beautician.

Now let me ask you this: What is the worst possible thing that can happen to you while getting your hair cut or styled? A snipped ear? A slight allergic reaction to hair coloring? A bad haircut?

What is the worst thing that can happen to a client working with an un-credentialed, uncertified, uneducated fitness trainer? I'm thinking… death! Yes, death. Why? What would happen if a so-called trainer takes in a client that has an underlying cardiovascular risk and this so-called trainer has absolutely no understanding of how to take a simple pre-risk assessment? This person could die at the hands of this trainer. We need to take a cue from the beauticians here in Kentucky and get serious about licensing.

Take Charge!

By taking charge in your state, you will eliminate interests outside that of the fitness industry that may want control over what you do, and it will allow you to create standards in your state that will eventually come to be recognized by fitness leaders, physicians, physical therapists, insurance companies, educators and many others.

So what do you think about organizing a professional fitness association in your state? How would you organize it, and what would be your minimum standard requirements?