How Jeremy Found his Fitness for Coaching (And You Can Too)

The sheer diversity of exercise programs available both helps and hinders fitness journeys. Some people build strength and relax through yoga. Others want the loud music and high energy of spin classes. That’s not to mention pilates, CrossFit, martial arts, Zumba, boutique classes, and the list goes on and on.

For some people, like Sunshine Functional Fitness owner Jeremy, it can take a while to find their perfect fitness modality. Even though he had lived an active life, Jeremy’s real health and fitness journey began in January 2012. 

A New Diet Sparks a New Passion

While on a Disney cruise of all places, Jeremy decided to read Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution, a book that outlines the ideology and guidelines of the paleo diet. The information strongly resonated with Jeremy and he began to change his eating habits as soon as he got back on land. It doesn’t work for everyone, but he went cold turkey on a paleo diet. Soon, he felt better than he ever had.

Feeling like he had found the best diet for himself, Jeremy started to wonder what the best way to exercise was. Up until this point in his life, he had gone to a traditional gym and followed a typical routine. He split up his workouts by muscle group and mostly used the machines at the gym. 

Since he was doing so well on a primal diet, he began to look into primal exercises. The first one he found was a MovNat class in 2012. This class was outdoors and focused on child-like play movements. Jeremy loved the ideology, but he wanted to include more weights in his workouts. The instructor recommended that he look into kettlebells. 

At this point, Jeremy was focusing on a lot of body weight, mobility, and “primal” exercises. He decided to learn more about kettlebells as a way to include heavier weights in his workouts. Kettlebells are an excellent tool because you can complete a full-body workout with a single implement. 

At the end of 2012, Jeremy completed a Dragon Door kettlebell certification. He offered a few classes at a nearby park for friends, but his education was mostly for himself. However, the spark was lit inside him… fitness could be a career. 

Continuing his journey with bodyweight exercising, Jeremy completed a primal movement certification in 2013. This fitness style is about moving your body in a way that flows from one position to another. Think of yoga with foundational movements mixed in. Once again, Jeremy used this certification more for personal education than coaching others. 

In 2014, Jeremy completed his ACE Personal Trainer certification with the intention of offering classes in his now robust garage gym. He had a couple of clients, but the business never 

prospered. Jeremy’s full-time job was still taking up most of his time. 

CrossFit Changed the Game

The real catalyst for Jeremy’s fitness career was joining a CrossFit gym in 2015. Like many people, he had heard that CrossFit was dangerous and that he would get hurt. A friend joined a box and dispelled those rumors, piquing Jeremy’s interest. Once at the gym, he realized that he had already been including many traditional CrossFit movements in his workouts. It was love at first workout. 

From 2015 to 2020, Jeremy was an avid CrossFitter. But, he couldn’t quiet the voice in the back of his head telling him that fitness should be his career. Jeremy had worked as a zookeeper his entire adult life. It was a job he was passionate about, yet he felt a strong pull toward the fitness industry. 

Wanting to get into coaching but not sure how to, Jeremy started pursuing a coaching job with Camp Gladiator. These classes are offered in outdoor spaces in many communities. Unfortunately, he ended up not liking the structure of the company or the style of classes they were teaching. Even though that job did not work out, Jeremy had confirmation that he really wanted to be a fitness coach. 

At this point, it’s important to point out that not every fitness modality works for everyone. The best fitness professionals will tell you that there is no perfect workout. The best activity, gym, or modality is the one that you enjoy and stay consistent with. Don’t feel discouraged if you try out a few things and they don’t work for you. Eventually, you will find the workout that is best for you.

In 2016, Jeremy completed the CrossFit Level 1 course and began an apprenticeship at CrossFit Independence. He then worked there as a coach part-time for a couple of years. It was there that Jeremy’s love of coaching turned into a desire to open a gym of his own. 

At the end of 2018, I (Jeremy’s wife) pushed him to finally leave his zookeeping job to pursue his dream of opening his own gym. He was still coaching part-time. We were naive and optimistic about how easy it would be to open a gym. Since then, we have learned that it can be quite difficult to start your first business.

The Pandemic Becomes a Hotbed for Creativity

After moving across town, Jeremy started coaching at a new gym in 2019. Then, 2020 came along. As you all can guess, the pandemic shut down the gym in March. Unfortunately, the owners did not set up any alternatives for the members (online classes, loaning equipment, etc). The members instead looked to Coach Jeremy for a solution. 

His county allowed outdoor fitness classes as an exemption to the stay-at-home orders. Since Jeremy had a garage full of equipment, he was able to organize and coach classes at a nearby park for his athletes. With all gyms in the area also shut down, new people started joining the classes. The biggest lesson that came from the “park classes” as he calls them was that you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to make a good workout. 

2020 was a hectic year for most people, but Jeremy wanted to spice it up even more. He finally found his ideal gym location. In August 2020, Sunshine Functional Fitness moved from classes in a park to an official gym location. It’s cliche to say that everything happens for a reason, but maybe the long location search and pandemic collided at the right time for Jeremy to open his gym. 

At Sunshine Functional Fitness, Jeremy’s classes encompass everything he has learned along his fitness journey. There is weightlifting, bodyweight training, lots of mobility and accessory work, and a welcoming environment. 

The term “functional fitness” has been muddled in the industry with many different definitions. For Jeremy, it means doing workouts that contribute to a healthy and pain-free life. Many people don’t realize that a squat is just like sitting in a chair, a wall ball is just like lifting a box onto a shelf, and a deadlift is picking up something heavy off the ground. By adding intensity to everyday movements, members get the strength they need to continue living active lives. 

Conclusion: Finding Your Fitness Takes Time

It took 8 years for Jeremy to get from reading a book about health to opening his gym to help others. The path between saw a lot of trial and error and plenty of setbacks. Throughout the journey, Jeremy was able to find out his preferred fitness style. Not only that, but now he can share everything he has learned with others. 

For those just starting their fitness journey or beginning the process of opening a fitness studio, stick with it. Take the lows with the highs and know that the setbacks are just setting you up for success.