Personal Trainer Thinking Of Moving To Ft Lauderdale (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: apartment complexes, condo)

[Nick0578]

Hello, I am a Personal Trainer currently in Boston and thinking about moving. I want to move out of Boston because of three reasons.

1) I've been here too long and want a new experience
2) I hate the winter
3) People just aren't friendly

I have never been to Ft Lauderdale but hear great things about it from people I know who visited. I am a 30 year old single guy and would prefer to live in an apartment vs. a condo.

I'm curious about opinions around the following about the Ft Lauderdale area.

1) demographics
2) price (my range is probably $1k - $1,500/month)
3) fitness levels/interest in the area
4) is it a friendly place?

I prefer to live somewhere that I can walk to work..which would be a gym obviously.

I'm a nutrition and corrective exercise specialist if that means anything. I work really well with people new to fitness or athletes who are injured.

Any comments/thoughts/experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[vvolin]

Fitness is much more important in FL than it is in CT (I can not talk about Boston, which is more urban than I am used to here in Glastonbury). But I know my friends and acquaintances in FL were all very much into their fitness and shape. CT people look a lot more overweight to me than South Floridians.

With this said, you will have a lot of competition in South Florida. It is a difficult market right now, and recession is much more evident there than it is here. Unless you have something really unique to offer, you may find it difficult to break into the fitness business at this time.

Nonetheless, the reasons why you want to move south are so familiar to me! Therefore I say, go for it. Reinvent yourself, make sure you offer something others don't, and go for it. But don't move unless you have at least a job starter option. Living is less expensive in South Florida compared to CT (and Boston, of course), but so are salaries and wages. The job market has collapsed there: we do not even realize what the recession looks like away from New England until we live somewhere else. I just need to go back to Fort Lauderdale, where I still have my home and go every time I can, to see how different it is from less than two years ago.

[HowGoesIt]

Nick,
I moved down to south Florida about 9 months back from Boston. I can honestly say that people are much friendlier down here as opposed to New England. The weather is also great. I did not miss the winter at all.

Physical fitness is big business down here, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a job if you have decent experience. In addition to looking for a job at a gym, look at upscale condo and apartment complexes. Most of the condo buildings have enormous gyms and have a personal trainer there most of the time. Also, don't limit your search to just Fort Lauderdale, there are tons of luxury buildings in Miami, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Aventura, West Palm Beach, etc. Good luck.

[southfl1]

Nick,

I have a good friend who just opened a business called smashfit.com which matches trainers and people down here. It's taking off and has received some TV exposure here. If you move get in touch with the site to get some business until you get on your feet.

[Nolefan34]

I don't think people are that friendly here. In South FL, people are friendly within their inner-circle, but outside of that its a tough place to meet new people. The game you have to play is that you meet new people through friends you already know. Its very difficult to just meet people here by being nice and saying hi. People here get sketched out by that and shut you out.

If you want friendly people, move to Northern FL or Alabama. Only thing is they dislike northerners in those parts, lol. But I would not describe South FL people in general as being friendly. They may be slightly friendlier than people from Boston since Bostonians are infamous for being rude, but don't move here expecting some utopia.

[Billycat]

Nick, I agree with Nolefan34, as far as peopel being friendly. you will do great here in your line of work. Also, to say this with being too vulgar. A 30 year old guy in good shape will need additional vitamin E, if you now what I mean. There will be no problem with the woman.

[learjet25d]

You will love it here and find that there is reasonable housing.
I moved here from Altanta about 6 months ago and don't ever want to leave.

[granitelady]

I thought you might want to know that Bally's is hiring fintess managers and trainers, check it out.
I pay a personal trainer at the gym I work out at and I'm not rich, I just feel that I get a much better work out this way, so I don't think you're going to have a hard time getting work here...I always say that if you're good at what you do there is no bad economy.
I'm in the construction business which from what I hear is terrible right now, but guess what? I'm good at what I do and I deliver results, so I'm swamped!
Good luck.