FROM peeking into gyms to watch other personal trainers and group fitness instructors in action, hoping to learn a thing or two, to now having his own fitness brand, 35-year-old Kurt Dunn has honed his skills and made a business of it.

Dunn, the man behind the Body by Kurt brand, who is also a certified chef, has been a certified personal trainer for more than 10 years. He told the Jamaica Observer that in the world of fitness, one can go as far as becoming a presenter and an examiner, heights he has not yet ruled out.

But how did Dunn get involved in fitness?

“As a certified chef I always had a fear of being fat,” Dunn told the Sunday Observer in a recent interview. “I would always exercise but I wasn’t consistent and I needed something to let me be a little more consistent.”

So, he became a part-time model.

Dunn auditioned with a modelling agency and was told that he had potential, but definitely had to hit the gym. And that he did.

Now a full-time chef and part-time model, Dunn was in the gym as many as six days per week to get the right physique for the runway.

“I hit the gym more frequently because everybody used to talk about six-pack, and if you don’t have six-pack, you can’t go on the stage and you can’t do a swimwear,” Dunn shared. “And we used to get a good money for you to display and model swimwear. That helped me to be a little bit more rigid and serious and consistent.”

It was then that a fellow model asked Dunn if he knew anything about aerobics. Back then, Dunn thought aerobics was for women, and that he would never find himself in a pair of tights. Fast-forward several years, Dunn is now known for his little, fitted outfits. That model had told him he could receive a call to do a demo class any day.

Dunn then went on a quest to learn as much as he could, subscribing to fitness television stations and peeking into gyms to learn a few things from the veterans in the fitness field. It was while watching one of the most popular personalities in fitness Gilad Janklowicz – host of Bodies in Motion — that Dunn gleaned that tights were obviously the outfit of choice when working up a sweat.

He eventually got the call to do a class and performed so well he was taken on as a rookie instructor, but was encouraged to get certified. He got certified as a group fitness instructor through Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, then learnt about Interactive Fitness Trainers of America, and went on to be certified as a personal trainer.

“I started going from gym to gym in the afternoon and I liked the freedom that it

gave me,” Dunn told the

Sunday Observer. “I started comparing that with chef work I mean you have to stand over a stove from six in the morning till sometimes 4:00 pm. (Whereas) you can just teach a class then you’re free to leave.”

It was while completing his training to become a personal trainer that his brand was conceptualised.

“I had two clients who lost a significant amount of weight and everybody was teasing the persons by saying: ‘How yuh look so different, weh yuh get da body deh?'” And the Body by Kurt brand was born.

One of those clients lost 60 pounds in six months, which Dunn described as “a night and day difference”, and this made everyone want him as their personal trainer.

“I think I am at an advantage as a certified chef as well, so most of the stuff I was already aware of, especially as it relates to a balanced meal, what does a balance meal consists of, the difference between protein and carbohydrates, all those elements,” Dunn explained, adding that it has helped

him significantly with Body by Kurt.

“I don’t think there are a lot of personal trainers out there who are certified chefs… taking into consideration the three things for a healthy lifestyle, which is eat, sleep and exercise, I mean I think I am above the rest,” said Dunn. “And it is so funny how I got into the business, and that has also moulded me to the point where even my clients are very grateful as I can give them various ideas as to what to eat, what not to eat, teach them how to be creative with food… and of course preparation is the hardest thing and I can teach them about storage… and how to pre-prepare, and they appreciate that.”

Dunn told the Observer that he now has eight paid clients as well as clients who he assists on the floor at Gymkhana, where he does personal training.

“There is a difference, with my paid personal client; we exchange numbers and I will randomly call to check up on them to find out what they are having for lunch. They also have to do a food journal and present it to me. If they don’t there is a penalty, where they have to do push-ups or burpees; it is just trying to get them to be accountable

for whatever they eat,” Dunn continued.

It is this personal attention, coupled with the fact that his clients trust and believe in him, that he has been able to brand what he does even to today.

According to Dunn, fitness and health is a viable business. “It is very profitable if you know your stuff and if the client feels comfortable and he or she sees results,” Dunn went on. “You can tell them to do this and that, and write any form of diet plan, but personal training is an art.”

Instead of adding a running club to his outfit, which is predominant among fitness groups, Dunn has incorporated a walking club.

“There are so many running clubs. I personally believe in walking,” said Dunn. “Less pressure on the knee, it burns more calories walking versus running — a lot of persons are going to challenge that or contest it, but you do burn more calories when walking versus running.”

“Also studies have shown that the stronger you are as a walker the better you become as a runner,” Dunn insisted. “When youre running you’re just moving with momentum, I mean you find a little one speed and you’re just going at that speed, not much effort…”

His walking club presently has 30 members who meet every Saturday and walk for about one hour and 10 minutes, depending on the slowest walker. Dunn explained that there is a one-time registration of $2,500, which provides the member with a T-shirt, after which $1,000 is paid monthly.

“My personality is one of those outgoing personalities, I rarely get upset, I mean if you see me get upset it’s really bad,” Dunn stated. “I am always smiling, fun to be around, very motivating, and try to look at it from a different light; if somebody says exercising is hard, I try to make it fun.”

Dunn, under his Body by Kurt outfit, does both home visits and have clients come into Gymkhana to exercise. Home training costs $4,000 per hour and on average, clients are visited a minimum of three times per week.

Originally from St Mary, Dunn has not given up on being a chef. In fact, he manages to balance both his fitness brand and his role as a chef, doing various catering jobs when they arise.

Looking back, Dunn told the Observer he is grateful for his accomplishments so far.

“Being busy keeps you out of trouble, which is not a bad thing,” Dunn asserted. “When I look back and see where most of my peers are, some in bad company, some dead, who nuh migrate, who deh a prison a foreign… I have a lot to be grateful for.

“I used to say my granny was miserable, and every time I look back I really see what she was trying to instil in me,” Dunn, who grew up with his grandmother, said.