Before they leave, we wanted to ask them a few questions about their experience working with us.
FA50: Why did you choose Fit After 50 as placement?
Kyla: I chose Fit After 50 as a placement because of the incredible opportunities it had to offer. I wanted to be able to work with this population and help improve body function, health, and well-being. I chose this placement because I was able to work with clients one on one while simultaneously helping run the business (providing services, marketing, and advertising). Additionally, I wanted to work with a mentor who was a registered Kinesiologist and understand how they operate in the field.
Emili: From the beginning, when having my initial meeting with Andres, I knew this placement and his business was going to be a good fit for me because my values matched their values at Fit After 50, some of which include caring, determination and respectful. I also was interested in learning more about the client populations he worked with and the services he provided, which I was able to do during the 8 weeks.
FA50: Tell us about your experience working with us?
Kyla: If I could go back in time, I would continue to choose to do my placement at Fit After 50. I enjoyed my experience here. I am extremely grateful for my mentor, Andres, as he challenged, supported and encouraged me throughout the whole learning process. He truly cared about what I wanted to get out of the experience and was collaborative, which allowed me to specialize in the areas I wanted to work in. In other words, I think it’s fair to say that I was given a lot of autonomy with this placement and this contributed to an overall positive experience.
Emili: My experience working with Fit After 50 has been a great experience. Throughout my placement I felt that my professional development was valued which I appreciated. This gave me the opportunity to grow as a health care provider and a kinesiologist, as I learned more about the scope of practice, increased my confidence, and networked with other kinesiologists. Another part of the placement that I enjoyed was the autonomy I got with the work I was doing. There was a perfect balance of guidance, education and freedom from Andres. He gave me the freedom to complete tasks and projects on my own and trusted the work I did, whether that was developing exercise programs for clients, developing education content or leading group classes. This gave me the opportunity to practice these skills and gain confidence in the work I was completing as well as gain confidence in my ability to communicate important information to him or the clients I was working with. Andres took on a mentorship role from the beginning and really took the time to listen to our learning goals and try to reach these goals by taking the time to teach us and explain things to us as we went through the placement. He showed great patience and trust in myself and the other MPK student, which made for open communication between all three of us and made for a positive learning environment. Overall, this placement was a great experience and I am grateful to have had this opportunity to learn from Andres.
FA50: How was your experience working 50+ people?
Kyla: I have worked with 50+ people in the past; however, this placement proved to me that I love working with this population. All of the clients that I worked with were grateful of the services being provided. It is very rewarding to be able to help people reach their goals and feel better overall.
Emili: My experience working with 50+ people was a positive experience and great learning opportunity to expand on my knowledge on this specific population. This population provides its own challenge due to the decline in health and various health conditions that most adults over the age of 65 have, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, chronic conditions, etc. This means as a kinesiologist, or in my case as a kinesiology student within a
placement, I have to be aware of the risks when engaging in exercise and I need to understand the clients medical history before prescribing exercise. I have enjoyed working with this population in the past and am interested in working with individuals suffering from chronic conditions and other diseases in the future.
This placement allowed me to focus in this area and gain experience working with 50+ people with a variety of different chronic conditions.
FA50: What did you learn during your time with Fit After 50?
Kyla: During my time at Fit After 50, I learned that success was due to my ability to interact with individuals of all backgrounds. This helped me form and improve relationships with my clients, which in turn allowed them to trust me moving forward. I also learned that all clients are different and being able to effectively communicate in different ways can help you build those relationships.
Emili: During my time at Fit After 50 I reached all my learning goals from the beginning of the placement which included exercise prescription for a variety of different chronic conditions, marketing strategies for a small business or service, how to develop and deliver group fitness classes, exercise selection for this specific population as well as appropriate progressions of exercise. Other skills I expanded on were my communication skills with a variety of different clients as well as communication with individuals within the field of kinesiology through network sessions. I gained more confidence speaking with these individuals about the field of kinesiology and what my goals are. Along with increased communication I had lots of practice utilizing visual and auditory cueing while providing virtual wellness support and delivering group classes to a large audience. This helped me demonstrate exercise better one on one and in a group.
FA50: Now you have finished your placement, would you recommend our company as a placement to other students?
Kyla: I would most definitely recommend Fit After 50 as a placement to other students. This placement provides students with a lot of practical experience working in the field.
Emili: I would absolutely recommend this placement to other students. Andres created a positive learning environment for students and is very open to sharing his knowledge and expertise within the field of kinesiology and as a business owner.
FA50: Would you recommend Fit After 50 services to 50+ people? Why?
Kyla: I would recommend Fit After 50 services to 50+ people because Andres is an amazing Kinesiologist with a wealth of knowledge and he truly values his client’s time and goals. Fit After 50 is a safe place where individuals can strive to reach their specific goals.
Emili: I would recommend Fit After 50 services to 50+ people because the wellness coaches and Andres himself are very knowledgeable on this specific population and provide services that were developed to meet the needs of 50+ people. Fit After 50 offers “medical fitness” which focuses on the prevention and management of chronic conditions and other diseases with the goal to improve the quality of life for 50+ people. Therefore, I would recommended Fit After 50 to 50+ people based on their education and knowledge in this area, experience and values.
FA50: What are your plans for the future?
Kyla: I am starting my next placement soon at Totum Life Sciences here in Toronto. In the near future, my goal is to own and operate a gym designed for all able-bodied fitness levels. I am eager to learn more about business, as I have spent most of my life learning the hands- on side of health compared to what knowledge is needed to operate my own business. With that being said, I am open to all opportunities that come my way.
Emili: My plans for the future are to first write the entry to practice exam with the College of Kinesiologist of Ontario to become a Registered Kinesiologist. I am seeking opportunities to expand on my knowledge and skills in exercise rehabilitation in different settings, however my goal is to gain experience working within a hospital setting. I would like to work in a hospital because I would like to understand how multi-disciplinary teams work and how interprofessional practice is accomplished within a hospital setting.
There is a need for kinesiology services within the hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Kinesiology can make a big impact for patients when offered alongside other health care providers such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists, through additional guidance and knowledge on prevention and management. The goal is to be hired as a Registered Kinesiologist within the hospital and be able to provide my knowledge and expertise as a Kinesiologist, to my community.