Dayna Deters is determined to help clients through their fitness journey

Call her a trainer, a teacher, a life coach. Call her CEO. There's no mistaking that Dayna Deters of Dayna Deters Determined Fitness is many things to many people thanks to her work as a personal trainer. 

As the winner of the 2018 Best Personal Trainer award, Deters has earned high marks from her clients, who come to her in person, online, and in groups. 

Winners and stories: Best of Central Minnesota 2018

The Times talked with Deters about finding fulfillment and fun through fitness:

TIMES: Why is working as a personal trainer so important to you?

DETERS: Being a personal trainer is really important to me, as I really enjoy helping people with their life goals. It’s the self-satisfaction that you get. It is kind of like being a teacher, when they may have a student in class that is struggling in a certain subject and then at the end of the school year you really see them succeed. Those are like the same type of feelings that I get when I see my clients that I’m working with. They can achieve the obstacles that they had in life even with a smile on their face. I truly walk the journey side-by-side with my clients on their way to success, and lead by example. 

What do you want Times readers to know about your business, or day-to-day operations, that they might not already know?

I have been in the fitness industry for over 13 years and worked with thousands of clients online, one-on-one, or in a group training setting. This year, I became a part owner at Integration Fitness, a fitness facility in Waite Park. At Integration Fitness, we offer nutritional programming, group fitness training, CrossFit, yoga and sport-specific training. 

My day-to-day operations are very scheduled, as I wear many hats. I still train out of my home studio with one-on-one training clients, and coach classes at Integration Fitness, as well as work on my online training program and marketing. I run a tight ship, but it leaves me with gratitude that I can do what I love and work with great people along the way.

Finally, I released a podcast called "Momma Fit" a year ago. This podcast is all about fitness, parenthood and business life. You can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and YouTube. 

What advice would you give to folks just starting out on their fitness or weight loss journey?

The best advice that I would give anyone starting out on a fitness journey is to truly take one day at a time — a.k.a., baby steps. Take it slow and steady, and keep it consistent. As much as you may want to give up, focus on those smaller goals. In your fitness journey, you may run into setbacks. When going after goals, you need to realize that our path is not meant to be perfect, and part of our success is our road blocks. The road blocks are our lessons that we are supposed learn along the way.  

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

I would say my guilty pleasure is having my husband give me a foot massage!