Health and Fitness Blog: This Is Your Personal Trainer

Mabuhay!

I’m Peter Tapao. I’ve been a personal trainer and group fitness instructor for 12 years in the Tri-City area. I’ve accumulated a bit of knowledge over the years when it comes to health and fitness. And I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you!

Through this blog, I’ll be sharing workouts, diets and motivation tips to help you start your fitness life. But before I get into it, I’d like you to know more about me and why fitness is a big part of my life.

My career started 14 years ago when I got a job working the front desk at Island Gym in Union City at the age of 19. I wasn’t too happy about the job because it required that I wake up at 4 a.m. every morning to open the gym. I didn’t understand why people would wake up so early, but they were dedicated and this got me curious about the culture and lifestyle.

Later, I got a job working at 24 Hour Fitness in Fremont in 2000 working as a personal trainer. This was a side job just to help me with my expenses while I was a full-time student at DeVry University taking a course as an electronic technician.

When I first started as a personal trainer, I was a bad one. I didn’t take my job seriously; I didn’t care about the person I was training and looking back at it my behavior was a reflection of how I didn’t care about myself.

I had an epiphany when I went on a trip to the Philippines in 2002. This trip was a graduation gift to me. I thought I knew it all before the trip, but I got a rude awakening about what the world was really like after the trip.

Seeing how my family and my own people would live without the necessities I considered essential in my daily life changed my attitude. That moment made me really appreciate what I have. On the plane ride back home, I reflected on how my thinking was wrong on so many things.

It’s not how much you can take but how much you can give.

That was the message I got from my family in the Philippines. It was not something they said to me explicitly, but something I felt. Years later, I translate my experience to a more purpose-filled life centered on caring and empathy for others.

I am currently working as a instructor for 24 Hour Fitness and also doing community work with the YMCA working with seniors and youth at the Fremont location, which serves the entire Tri-City area. I’m very passionate about health and wellness and I’m always looking for ways to help the community. I’m excited to share this passion and knowledge with you in my future blogs.