news and jobs updated daily on
www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk edited by tom walker. email:
tomwalker@leisuremedia.com 500 Body Moving PEOPLE PROFILE jonathan scott
Jonathan Scott weighed 19 stone at the age of 16. He turned his life around and then became a personal trainer. He is now an ambassador for the MEND scheme
How many years have you worked in the fi tness industry? I have worked in the health and fi tness industry for eight years, since I was 18.
How has your career progressed? I began my career at LivingWell in Carlisle in 2003 as a part-time health and fi tness coach while studying business at university. One morning, I was watching BBC
Breakfast and a story came up discussing whether a child should be taken into care because they were obese. I grew up as an obese child and teen but I lost weight and became a fi tness instructor and personal trainer, so my view was that they shouldn’t be taken into care. I wrote a letter to the BBC and sent in some before and after photos. As a result, I was invited to sit on the Breakfast sofa the next day to talk about the issue. From that point, I went on to feature in many national newspapers and magazines as well as becoming a regular on the BBC Breakfast sofa talking about obesity issues. One of the ex-instructors from LivingWell who had moved to Carlisle Leisure saw me on TV one day and gave me a call to invite me to the launch of a new family weight management programme called MEND. A few years later I was given an
opportunity to join MEND’s partnership development team. I joined as a MEND ambassador in July 2006 and became a full-time employee in the media and communications team in January 2007. I then took on a new role as partnership development manager in January 2009. I have also written a book called Off the
Scales, which highlights key areas of my battle with obesity, how I did everything possible to achieve my goals – and how others can do the same.
How big an effect has your journey had on your role at MEND? A huge effect. I love telling my story to kids and families and showing them pictures of what I was like. I would like
september 2011 © cybertrek 2011
to think that I have motivated several families to join a MEND programme by showing them that anything is possible.
What is your typical day? It varies greatly. I work from home in Carlisle, so I usually spend my days at my computer or on the phone promoting our More Active Health programme. Our head offi ce is in London so, with lots of meetings going on there, I also spend a lot of time on trains! I meet lots of new operators and leisure centres and discuss ways we can work together in partnership to help them meet their objectives.
What are the goals of the MEND scheme? We empower children and adults to become fi tter, healthier and happier and to reach or maintain a healthy weight. MEND offers solutions that people can use throughout their lives to improve their fi tness, health and self-esteem.
How important is it to have well qualifi ed people on the frontline? The more qualifi ed the professional, the better the service and the bigger the impact. It’s also important that fi tness professionals develop new skills which allow them to coach individuals, as opposed to instructing them – this makes all the difference to participants’ motivation levels.
What do you think is the number one weakness in the fi tness sector? The name – it should be the health and fi tness industry rather than just the fi tness industry. It should move from just giving people fi tness and exercise advice to including services and programmes that will improve people’s general health.
If you have any stories for inclusion, please email them to us at
newsdesk@leisuremedia.com
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