We live in a time when humans have finally started to pay more attention to both their physical and mental health.

Although the “hustle” and “sleep is for the weak” and “no pain no gain” cultures are still alive and well, more and more people are embracing a healthier lifestyle (and everything that it may encompass) for its own sake. Not only that, but people are increasingly tailoring this lifestyle to themselves, as opposed to blindly following a predefined course or routine.

This has opened up a lot of new avenues for those who are looking to work in the health, wellness, and nutrition industries. It’s no longer uncommon to have a dietician, a personal trainer, or a massage therapist. In other words, jobs in the industry are getting more varied, and you can turn your health, fitness, or nutrition degree into something exciting and meaningful.

Here are some of the top career options you can explore in 2020 and beyond.

Personal trainer

Probably the first career path you think of when we mention the fitness and wellness industry, being a personal trainer can be an extremely rewarding, dynamic, and exciting option.

You can choose to work in a gym or any other facility that offers one-on-one or group training, or you can be a freelancer and provide your services through a website or even a social media page.

On the other hand, there are also some very exciting avenues available online. Anything from launching a video course to running a YouTube page or a blog is also on option, and you can use the web to reach your clients no matter where they are, as opposed to only targeting people in your immediate area.

We would advise you to get certified as a personal trainer at an accredited organization. It will certainly enhance your portfolio, provide all the education you may not have received formally, and help you build your career further.

Nutritionist

As a nutritionist, you will again have the option of working in different settings: in gyms, health centers, spas, hospitals, and so on. If you are more interested in the way food impacts our health and wellness, and if you also like to cook, this might be an excellent career option.

Nutritionists can work on curing a certain illness, helping someone lose weight, achieve a certain fitness goal, or simply teaching someone how to be healthier and more energized.

Again, you can base your business online as opposed to a facility in your area and offer your consultations via an app or through a website, and you don’t have to restrict the reach your knowledge can have.

You will have to get a very specific degree in nutrition, but it will be an excellent investment in a wellness career.

Massage therapist

Massage therapy is a great complement to physical activity, whether it be at a professional, amateur, or a recreational level. Also, many people who don’t actively engage in exercise and lead a very sedentary lifestyle turn to massage as a relaxation method.

Working in sports centers, spas, and wellness centers is an excellent way to get into the industry. You will need to go through a massage course, but it is much less demanding than a more comprehensive personal trainer or nutrition course, and you can start working sooner rather than later.

Herbalist

Similarly to nutritionists, herbalists need to go through some more extensive schooling. But as the career path is a bit more unusual and modern, you may find you have easier access to clients as an herbalist.

If you enjoy working with plants and figuring out the relationship between the herbs we eat and their impact on our health, this is an excellent career choice.

You can again work either online or in person, and incorporate some cooking lessons and recipes into your offer as well.

Yoga teacher

If you love yoga and have been practicing it for a while, becoming a yoga teacher can be another excellent way to enter the fitness and wellness industry.

You will need to go through a bit of training – you can choose to visit a yoga teacher training center in countries like India or Bali or go to a class locally. Once you are certified, you can start working at a local fitness or wellness center, a spa, a hotel, or you can establish a business online and showcase your teaching via video.

Wellness coach

Wellness coaches provide a more extensive and varied service than any of the career paths we have listed above. They coach their clients on making healthy lifestyle changes and adapting their daily routine to start living the life they want.

You will need to focus on different aspects of someone’s life, including diet, exercise, sleeping habits, mental health, and so on. It is often more demanding, as you need to keep the bigger picture in focus all the time, but the rewards can be amazing.

Wellness coaches usually need to have more experience and a proven track record, but the good news is that you can offer coaching alongside the services you already specialize in, like personal training or yoga classes. You’ll just have to take the time to learn whatever it is you need to be able to provide a comprehensive service.

Teacher

We are keeping this term loose because it can encompass so much, and be as varied a career as you want it to be.

For instance, you can work in a kindergarten or a school, teaching Physical Education.

Or you can work in a spa or a wellness center, providing education on the benefits of certain programs and how they can be incorporated into a certain lifestyle.

You can work in a gym and offer education on different types of exercise, diets, and other wellness options.

If you have the knowledge (and most often the degree), you can leverage it to a full-time job you enjoy doing. Just be open-minded enough and driven enough to find (or create) a career path you want to invest yourself in.

Corporate wellness coach

Corporate wellness is becoming more and more of a trend, and more and more companies are embracing the importance of wellness in the workplace.

The trend is offering an excellent chance for all aspiring wellness enthusiasts to get a foot in the door and launch a business that has an increasing chance of thriving.

Corporate wellness can be anything you devise: a workshop, a course, a weekly coaching session. And you can choose to specialize in anything from exercise and movement, to diet or mental health.

You will, again, need some training and a proven track record, and you will also need to know how to work within a corporate environment.

Launch your own product

Another excellent way to get into wellness and health is to launch your own product.

If you have an entrepreneurial mindset and want to try your hand at providing a tangible product as opposed to a service, the health and wellness industries offer plenty of opportunities.

The obvious choices include cookbooks, apps, meal prepping companies – but the options really are endless.

For instance, you can start producing organic herbal supplements with different capsule fillers, with different benefits and effects. You can make vegan alternatives for all the unhealthy and meat-based foods we all like to indulge in but would love to find a healthier substitute for.

Before you launch whatever it is you come up with, make sure to explore the demand for that kind of product, and what your competition is like, as these factors can determine your future success.

Senior health and wellness coach

If you are looking for a varied and diverse career path, but would still like to be a bit more niche, you can specialize in offering coaching and wellness services to seniors.

Job opportunities will abound in senior living facilities and day centers. With this profession, you can truly make a difference in someone’s life by helping them overcome the challenges that come with aging.

You will need some patience and great communication skills for this career path. In terms of hard skills, you’ll need some technical knowledge, which you can gain either through formal education or a variety of courses and workshops.

Get into tech

Wearable tech is another emerging career path that is going to offer talented and driven individuals an important role to play.

Even if you are not an IT enthusiast, you can land a job in the industry as a consultant, helping developers add features that will help users make healthier and more educated lifestyle choices.

Of course, you can also offer consultations to users or establish a blog or other means of promotion that will help those wearing these trackers act on the information.

Acupuncturist

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese holistic therapy that uses thin needles to stimulate different areas of the body. It can be used both as a treatment for certain diseases or muscle and bone issues and as a means of relaxation.

While you will need some extensive training in order to ensure you perform the therapy safely, you can add acupuncture to a set of other services you also offer, like massage or yoga.

There are plenty of studios and wellness centers you can work in. Once you have the means, you might want to establish your own premises and run your own center.

Weight loss coach

While similar to what nutritionists and personal trainers do, a weight loss coach specializes in a specific fitness goal and can use different means to achieve it.

You can offer different exercise plans and nutrition options and educate your clients on the best ways to reach their goals, depending on where they are starting out and what they want to achieve. Most importantly, you can – and should – tailor all of your services to a specific individual.

Online coaching is also popular. If you can offer your services in a way that allows people to have access to advice without having to come see you every day, you could establish a highly profitable business.

Personal chef

If you love to cook – and to cook healthy meals – this can be the career of your dreams.

As a personal chef, you can teach cooking classes, where you will help clients learn how to prepare healthy meals, how to pair their workout regime with their diet, and so on. These kinds of classes will naturally include teaching them how to shop for the week, as well as some food prep shortcuts that help busy people maintain a healthy eating regime.

You can do this either online or in the flesh, and even devise a cookbook or an app that can help promote your system.

Of course, you can also offer to prepare the actual meals for your clients and have them delivered to their door. You can partner up with other businesses in the industry, from gyms and wellness centers to personal coaches and trainers, and expand your network that way.

Final thoughts

There are plenty of ways to get into the wellness and nutrition industry in 2020.

However, bear in mind that what you tell people, what you promote, and what you teach them can have a serious impact on their lives. That makes it your responsibility to invest in your knowledge and expertise very extensively.

Whether you have already chosen a formal education path, or are looking to take a series of courses, don’t look for shortcuts and ways to circumvent learning. The more you know, the better you will be able to help others.

Depending on where you live, you can work in a physical location, or you can base your services online. Either way will work, but remember that you do need to market your offer to your desired target audience well. In short, you’ll need to reach them via their preferred channels and clearly communicate what you are offering and why.

In the fitness and wellness world, there are many of those who are selling a whole lot of nothing at steep prices, and building empires doing it, often at the cost of someone else’s health and wellness.

Be different than that. Make it your mission to be honest and genuinely make a difference in someone’s life. That way, you will be certain always to have clients and a stellar reputation.