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Jumeirah Beach Hotel's Halem Buyante was named Fitness Instructor of the Year at the recent Hotelier Middle East Awards. Louise Oakley finds out why he deserves the accolade.

How long have you been working in the health and fitness industry?

I have been involved in health and fitness for many years now. I am a trained nurse and previously worked for several years in the health sector in my home country of the Philippines before becoming a fitness instructor.

I then moved to Dubai to work as a lifeguard at Wild Wadi Water Park before joining the team at Jumeirah Beach Hotel as a fitness instructor, which I have been doing for three years now.

Jumeirah Beach Hotel is a world class hotel and this was a great opportunity for me to pursue my career in the fitness industry.

What training and qualifications do you have?

I am a certified nurse, a qualified lifeguard and sea scout. In addition to this I have also completed many fitness instructor courses and specific activity courses, such as Body Pump Instruction, ‘Body for Life Success' Coaching and Therapeutic Massage Instruction.

Can you describe your typical working day?

Jumeirah Beach Hotel is running at high occupancy all year round so every day is busy, although there is not a set format as it depends on what the needs of the guests are.

I usually spend a lot of the day doing personal training for different guests, where I advise, observe and assist to ensure that the training the guest is doing is individually tailored to his/her needs.

What are they challenges you face in your role and what do you do to overcome them?

As a personal trainer, I help many different people and each person is different to the next, with different needs and objectives. Some clients are looking to lose weight, some want to be more toned and some are even looking to gain weight.

I have to focus on each of the guest's individual needs to ensure that they achieve their objectives.

What are the key skills required to be a good fitness instructor?

HB: A good fitness instructor should be fully educated about the different muscles in the human body and the different types of exercise, but it's also important to know how the body responds to a certain exercise.

The attitude of a fitness instructor is also of vital significance, particularly with regards to dedication and honesty as the relationship between guest and trainer is very important.

How do you help gym members stay motivated and achieve results?

Our guests are always made to feel comfortable; we make sure we know who our guests are and we try to always greet them by name and make them feel welcome.

It's important that the gym environment is as friendly and helpful as possible and we always aim to exceed our guests' expectations. Praise and recognition are also important in motivating people.

Why do you think you won the fitness instructor of the year award? What do you attribute your success to?

I am very committed to my job and it's great that my hard work has been recognised in the comments from our guests and by receiving this award.

How has winning the award affected your future career plans?

I am very proud to have received this award and I am sure that it will help me to develop professionally in the future.

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