Today we’d like to introduce you to Sue Beckham.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My fitness journey started in college when I had to take a running class to graduate with a degree in geology. Beyond the most obvious benefits of running like weight control and heart and bone health, exercise elevated my mood, helped me de-stress, and manage bouts of depression. The only problem was I developed a number of running injuries from running too many miles, too soon. As you can imagine, that was very frustrating.
My first job out of college required me to spend weeks at a time working in coal mines and other isolated areas with few social or other activities. To fight off the boredom and reduce the number of running injuries, I decided to train for a sprint triathlon. By alternating swimming, cycling, and running workouts, I rarely had an injury. After swallowing gallons of pool water while learning to swim, I was able to complete my first triathlon. Then I was hooked, eventually racing the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii two times.
I started reading everything I could find about the science of fitness and training. I quickly decided to go back and earn my Master’s degree in Health and Kinesiology. That was my best decision ever. After graduation, I was hired to work with a team of sports medicine professionals including Dr. William Grana, a pioneer in sports medicine. Working with professional, age-group, weekend, and armchair athletes, I learned so much. It was here that I developed a passion for teaching fitness professionals, combining exercise science with practical application.
My passion for teaching motivated me to go back for my Ph.D. Work during through graduate school provided opportunities to gain experience in corporate wellness, and personal training. After graduation, I accepted a faculty position at The University of Texas at Arlington in the Department of Kinesiology. I did research and published articles on nutritional supplements, resistance training, and cardiovascular fitness while teaching in both the graduate and undergraduate programs.
As fate would have it, my passion for serving our veteran community lead me to a position at the Dallas VA Medical Center where I managed the Noninvasive Cardiology Department and worked in cardiac rehabilitation for 3.5 years. Working with those who sacrificed so much for their country was an experience I will never forget.
Ultimately, I missed teaching so I spent the next eight years at The Cooper Institute teaching fitness and medical professionals, as well as military and first responder groups all over the world. Sharing Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s message of health and fitness with professionals who in turn inspired their colleagues, clients, and patients to better health every day was awesome.
All of these experiences and training motivated me to start my own in-home/in-office personal training business in January 2017. Ready for a break from lots of traveling, I am spreading the message that fitness and a healthy diet is the best way to manage and prevent nearly all of the chronic diseases that plague Americans.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My biggest challenge is maintaining a healthy balance in all aspects of my life. With a new business, there is always something to do – training clients, marketing, networking, designing programs, and managing finances. It’s easy to forget about balancing work with play. I have to schedule time for my workouts, hanging out with friends and family, and church. This is a challenge that many people struggle with as life throws us curve balls from all directions. Bottom line – it helps me relate to clients as they struggle to make time for fitness in their busy schedules.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My tag line basically says it all – ‘where science meets fitness’. I use research and years of practical and clinical experience with a variety of populations as the foundation for all my in-home/in-office personal training, group classes, and wellness and consulting services. Every training session begins with a posture and movement assessment to identify muscle imbalances, problems with mobility, stability, and faulty movement patterns. This information combined with the individual’s health history and goals allows me to design effective and efficient training programs to help clients achieve their specific goals.
Sixty minutes of training goes by quickly so it should focus on the highest priority exercises to prevent injury and help clients safely reach their goals. It doesn’t mean training is all serious work and no fun. It just means clients aren’t wasting time doing exercises that won’t make a difference in their quality of life. When clients see the results and experience great customer service, they tell others which is how I get most of my new business.
The cool thing about in-home/in-office training is you can set up your own gym for less than $100 by purchasing some basic fitness equipment that allows you to train mobility, stability, and function. This saves the cost of a gym membership and eliminates wasted time driving to and from the gym. Best of all, it allows busy clients to get their workout in as they go through the day in increments of 10-15 minutes, if necessary. The best personal trainers will help clients determine how to get the most out of the time they can dedicate to their fitness program.
What were you like growing up?
I always had a lot of energy growing up. Hence, explored a variety of activities including band, baton twirling, rock collecting, water skiing, and, spelunking (caving). I am a classic type A personality. I have always preferred the outdoors to any indoor activity and love collecting rocks. Hence, I chose geology as my undergraduate degree. However, once I discovered fitness and triathlons, it became my mission to change lives through fitness.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.StrategicFitnessSolutions.com
- Phone: 214-693-2260
- Email: Info@StrategicFitnessSolutions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategicfitnesssolutions/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrategicFitnessSolutions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sfitsol
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/strategic-fitness-solutions-dallas
Image Credit:
Katty Strite
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