As the founder of Pi-Yo Play, my mission is to help make fitness fun for busy moms. I have been in the fitness industry for over ten years. I received both my masters and bachelor's degree within the fitness field. I am currently teaching classes like Pilates mat and Mommy & Baby Pi-Yo Play classes. I personal train women both individual and group training. I especially love to educate moms on how they can fit their workouts in even with little ones around. Often times the workouts will even include their child(ren) which makes both mom and child happy and healthy.

EDUCATION | BS in exercise science, Masters in fitness management, several fitness certifications in various fields, including Pilates, Yoga, and Personal Training.

HOW TO GET STARTED | Get a certificate in whatever area you're interested in teaching, and get a mentor in that field. Get some hands-on practice by training your friends and family for a low fee or for free.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Determination, passion for fitness and a passion for educating others, flexibility, creativity, courage, and a never-give-up mentality.

how I got started | I've always worked in the fitness world and I've been immersed in it since college. I earned my bachelors in exercise science and my masters in fitness management. After two internships at fitness facilities, I then went to work for TimeOut Services, which provides fitness services for corporate clients in the workplace. I worked at the Cisco Systems site for several years. I held different positions, including assistant site manager, personal training manager, personal trainer, as well as instructing different fitness classes. I had my daughter just over two years ago, and knew at that point I wanted to start my own company. Two years ago I developed the program Mommy & Baby Pi-Yo Play: A blend of Pilates and yoga for new moms while singing, bonding, and playing with baby. The program is designed for babies six weeks old to crawling. I teach classes in the CA Bay Area and I am currently looking for an agent to help me publish a Mommy & Baby Pi-Yo Play book. The program educates moms on how they can get their mind and body at its best while also helping to develop baby, in particular baby's senses. In class we use different props to entertain and develop baby. We also sing popular Nursery Rhyme songs while moving from exercise to exercise. Research proves that singing calms and soothes baby, builds their self-esteem, and helps build their vocabulary and tones. Singing also improves mom's immune system (which we really need postpartum) and helps boosts her mood. It is my passion to help mothers take care of themselves so that they will in turn be at their best to take care of their children.

why this job?| It's my love for fitness and for educating others. It's who I am. My passion and goal is to make fitness fun so others love it as much as I do.

why I love this job!| I love the freedom to go for my own goals when I'm ready to go for them. I love the freedom to adjust my own schedule. And I love to get out there and move!

my typical day| Every day's different and that's what I love. Three days a week I get up at 6:00am, exercise, take my daughter to day care, teach a Pilates class at a community center, drive home and eat, go teach a Mommy & Baby Pi-Yo Play class, pick up my daughter from daycare and put her down for a nap. Then I work on the computer: I'm currently working on a training manual for my upcoming Mommy & Baby Pi-Yo Play teacher training and I'm working on publishing my book. The other days I spend with my daughter and work on the computer while she naps.

what they are | Balancing everything. Promoting and marketing my classes. I sometimes miss having someone to bounce ideas off and to be accountable to- that's what happens when you're a one-man show.

all about growth | Right now, the personal training business is not doing as well as the fitness instructor business: in a weak economy, people are more likely to give up going to a trainer than they are to give up their exercise class. It's certainly an important field, given America's weight problem. As the economy improves, the personal training business will pick up again I'm sure.

my website| http://www.piyoplay.com