For Jesse Dale, practicing what he preaches comes naturally. Our Club Solutions May 2008 Most Fit Health Club Professional lives and breathes the fitness life.
Like a lot of people who’ve made their way into the fitness industry, Jesse Dale made fitness his vocation because it was already his passion.
After losing more than 40 pounds through a combination of better eating and physical activity, Jesse became fascinated with the power that the science of fitness nutrition had to change people’s lives. Getting fit not only made Jesse look and feel better himself, it made him believe that he’d found the cure to many of life’s problems, including obesity, depression and other ailments. He was so inspired by this realization that he wanted to share it with as many people as possible-a motivation that led Jesse to become a personal trainer through Bally’s.
“So many people didn’t believe that such amazing results could be possible,”Jesse says. “I wanted to inspire and show them that it is possible. Watching people transform themselves and seeing them literally feel better about living gave me so much pride.”
Jesse, who’s worked his way up the ladder at Bally’s from personal trainer to district manager for seven of club’s locations, still gets the biggest kick out of the relationships he has with members.
“What I love about my job is that I can help people solve their health-related issues, inspiring people to follow the process of getting fit and sticking with it until they see the rewards. it’s such a great feeling,” says Jesse.
He’s seen members come to him for all kinds of reasons-some are looking to get fit for an event, some want to lose weight, others have different reasons-but what every member Jesse has worked with has in common is the fact that Jesse considers them to be his friends.
“The relationships I build with members really are long-lasting,”Jesse says. Over time, I get to know them-I learn about their families, their strengths, their insecurities, and a solid friendship is formed.”
Jesse credits his passion for the industry with much of the success he’s achieved with members.
“I firmly believe that the best way to inspire members to live healthier lives is to practice what I preach,” says Jesse. “It seems like a lot of people in this industry follow a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ philosophy. Frankly, I think that kind of mentality cripples the credibility of our industry.”
In Jesse’s eyes, the industry’s heroes are the people who are out there living the fit lifestyles they espouse-and Jesse believes that means putting the people ahead of the bottom line.
“If you look, you can see that the most successful people in the industry are the ones who do more than just preach fitness-they live it,” says Jesse. “Sales keep our business viable, and they are important, but the most successful people are not the ones who push their people constantly to makes sales, sales, sales. People are smart. The second they feel like you’re insincere, or you just want to make a buck, or you’re pushing something you don’t sincerely believe, they’re out of there-and the whole industry suffers because now they have the wrong idea about what the fitness industry is like.”
Jesse believes that stressing sales over member interaction is foolish because not only does it convey the wrong impression, it also misses the best opportunity to close a membership.
“The best way to earn a new member is to show them how much you care about helping them reach their goals instead of just trying to get their credit card number,” says Jesse.
In an industry that’s rapidly growing and one where members have more and more options about how to spend their workout time and their workout dime, Jesse believes that sincerity is the trump card for true health club professionals.
“My goal is to show members that they can reach their potential and realize their goals-and the only way to get this message across is with passion, sincerity and enthusiasm,” says Jesse. “Passion, enthusiasm and practicing what you preach-that’s the only way I know to motivate people.”
For Jesse, practicing what he preaches is easy. He takes a holistic approach to his healthy lifestyle, incorporating fitness and nutrition as equally important components in his fitness routine. His wife, Jennifer, is a personal training director for Bally’s and a source of personal inspiration for Jesse, who relies on her help and support for the body building competitions he frequents as well as for his general commitment for healthy living.
Jesse is also a firm believer that exercise alone doesn’t cut it. “I tend to concentrate on the nutrition aspect in a lot of my routines,” he says. “Most of the success stories I’ve seen come from people who have made lifestyle changes with their nutrition, so I really emphasize the importance of tracking calories. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t advise a member or a staffer about nutrition or supplements or training. I love that people see me as credible and trust my opinion to help them reach their goals.”
For Jesse, the only secret to success is committing to what you’re preaching 100%.
“Sometimes I look back at a bodybuilding competition or a situation at work where things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to, and I ask myself honestly what I would do differently,” Jesse says. “I usually find that the answer is nothing-even if the result didn’t turn out like I wanted, the experience was what it was supposed to be. As long as I can honestly say that I did my best with everything that was in my control, I feel good about it. This is the goal that I try to instill in my clients and employees. Give your all to the process and success will follow. The process is as simple as making the right decisions consistently and taking charge of your attitude. Accept the things that you cannot change and positively change the things that you can, and regardless of the end result you are a winner every time!’
