| The New Jersey legislature is currently reviewing a bill | | | | fitness professionals must apply and pay for a license |
| known as the " Fitness Professionals Licensing Act," | | | | every two years.o Instructors must complete 25 |
| which would establish a State Board of Fitness | | | | credit hours of continuing education and renew their |
| Professionals and charge them with issuing licenses to | | | | license every two years. |
| "exercise facilities," "fitness professionals," "group | | | | RESPONSE FROM THE FITNESS COMMUNITY |
| fitness instructors" and "personal trainers." This bill is | | | | Most organizations within the industries that would be |
| creating buzz in several fitness communities because | | | | affected by the bill have taken positions against it for |
| it includes personal trainers, martial arts, Pilates, yoga, | | | | myriad reasons. The Pilates Method Alliance, which |
| kickboxing, boot camp, spinning and any other group | | | | has been working to establish professional |
| fitness instructors in its language-basically anyone | | | | accreditation standards through the National |
| who instructs "in exercises designed to improve | | | | Commission for Certifying Agencies, communicated |
| cardiovascular conditioning, muscular strength, | | | | its position to its members recently. Among other |
| flexibility and weight loss." | | | | things, the PMA said this legislation ignores the steps |
| ABOUT THE BILL | | | | toward accreditation that personal training and Pilates |
| The bill, No. A3356, was sponsored by Assemblyman | | | | organizations have been working toward and would |
| Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., in October 2008 and can be | | | | raise the cost of doing business for instructors and |
| read in its entirety here. Here are some pertinent | | | | the cost of training for consumers. |
| highlights for the Pilates community:o To be eligible | | | | "Pilates has to have its own standards, its own |
| for licensure, applicants must: | | | | professional association and its own credential," wrote |
| - Be of good moral character | | | | PMA Public Policy Adviser Kevin Bowen in an email to |
| - Have successfully completed high school or its | | | | members. "Pilates should not be subsumed by any |
| equivalent | | | | part of the fitness world, but should remain distinct |
| - Have successfully completed an approved course of | | | | and independent." |
| study of not less than 300 in-person classroom hours, | | | | The International Health and Racquet Sports Club |
| as prescribed by the board, which shall include not | | | | Association (IHRSA) is working with a lobbyist to |
| less than 50 hours of an unpaid internship in the | | | | oppose the bill, and an email circulated by Yoga |
| presence of and under the direct supervision of a | | | | Alliance reports that a group of yogis were able to |
| licensed fitness professional and have passed an | | | | convince a New Jersey senator to remove "yoga" |
| examination administered or approved by the board; | | | | from the bill, but the current language still mentions |
| or possess an associates degree or a bachelor's | | | | yoga so it's not clear if this will happen. IDEA and |
| degree in physical education, exercise science, | | | | American Council on Exercise are also against the bill. |
| exercise physiology or adult fitness.o Current | | | | The legislation is currently under review with the New |
| instructors can bypass the 300 hours if they hold a | | | | Jersey legislature's Regulated Professions Committee. |
| certification from the National Board of Fitness | | | | If it passes, the regulations would take effect a year |
| Examiners, or any organization approved by the | | | | from its passage. If you would like to voice your |
| board and provide proof of 150 board-approved | | | | opinion about this legislation, leave a comment below, |
| in-person classroom hours.o Business that employ | | | | or share your thoughts with Representative Roberts. |