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Health and wellness instructor vs fitness coach

The differences between health and wellness instructors and fitness coaches can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a health and wellness instructor and a fitness coach. Additionally, a health and wellness instructor has an average salary of $39,996, which is higher than the $38,462 average annual salary of a fitness coach.

The top three skills for a health and wellness instructor include home health, CPR and yoga. The most important skills for a fitness coach are CPR, kids, and fitness programs.

Health and wellness instructor vs fitness coach overview

Health And Wellness InstructorFitness Coach
Yearly salary$39,996$38,462
Hourly rate$19.23$18.49
Growth rate19%19%
Number of jobs76,45122,156
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

What does a health and wellness instructor do?

A health and wellness instructor or coach is someone who guides people and helps them set goals for their lives. These goals may be to manage stress better, improve energy, lose weight or even attain a certain body goal. You may be required to give nutrition and exercise counseling to clients as well as give advice on lifestyle and behavioral changes to help improve the lives of people.

What does a fitness coach do?

A fitness coach specializes in mentoring clients in their journey for a healthier lifestyle, assisting them in reaching their individual goals for physical fitness. Their responsibilities include developing training programs based on the clients' needs, facilitating physical fitness training sessions in an individual or group setting, learning the clients' medical histories for risk prevention, and monitoring the progress of clients, adjusting programs as needed. Furthermore, as a fitness coach, it is essential to build rapport with clients, motivating them to reach their goals.

Health and wellness instructor vs fitness coach salary

Health and wellness instructors and fitness coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health And Wellness InstructorFitness Coach
Average salary$39,996$38,462
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $58,000Between $24,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City-San Jose, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-AEA Investors
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between health and wellness instructor and fitness coach education

There are a few differences between a health and wellness instructor and a fitness coach in terms of educational background:

Health And Wellness InstructorFitness Coach
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorKinesiologyKinesiology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Health and wellness instructor vs fitness coach demographics

Here are the differences between health and wellness instructors' and fitness coaches' demographics:

Health And Wellness InstructorFitness Coach
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between health and wellness instructor and fitness coach duties and responsibilities

Health and wellness instructor example responsibilities.

  • Lead group exercise classes and teach CPR classes.
  • Conduct testing for BMI, flexibility, height, weight, and blood pressure.
  • Teach yoga, mindfulness meditation and body awareness tailor to clients' mental and emotional needs.
  • Design programs for clients, including nutrition, yoga, Pilates, cardiovascular and weight training.
  • Educate patients about healthy lifestyle behaviors -Developed anaerobic and aerobic exercise routines derive from a doctor's physical examination of patients
  • Instruct group exercise classes including tabata, tone, and spinning.

Fitness coach example responsibilities.

  • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
  • Train new employees on sales tactics, and point-of-sale (POS) system.
  • Certify in CPR and first aid to attend appropriately to health issues of participants.
  • Certify in CPR and first response a medical training in order to provide immediate medical response to members in need.
  • Develop and conduct group/individual diabetes self-management educational sessions using evidence-base protocols.
  • Design each HIIT class to match the skill and modifications for all physical levels for all participants.
  • Show more

Health and wellness instructor vs fitness coach skills

Common health and wellness instructor skills
  • Home Health, 29%
  • CPR, 13%
  • Yoga, 12%
  • Wellness Programs, 5%
  • Membership Sales, 4%
  • Physical Education, 4%
Common fitness coach skills
  • CPR, 23%
  • Kids, 17%
  • Fitness Programs, 13%
  • Training Programs, 7%
  • Heart Rate, 6%
  • Injury Prevention, 4%

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