If you’ve ever wondered what separates a good  fitness instructor from a truly life-changing  one, the answer is simple: expertise backed by certification. The S’WET™ program isn’t about flashy routines or marketing buzzwords — it’s about equipping instructors with the tools to create measurable, lasting change in their clients’ lives. And the results speak for themselves. Technical Precision Meets Mental Clarity: Etienne in the Netherlands Instructor Etienne Go  demonstrates how expert knowledge can reshape both body and mind. His students described the focus required in class as a form of mental release: “I love being able to fully focus on technically performing the exercises during your lessons, which allows me to forget about everything else.” That precision — the kind you only learn through certification — helped clients improve posture, build strength, and drastically reduce medical dependence. One client reported cutting physiotherapy visits from twice a month to just four times a year.  That’s the power of applying biomechanical knowledge in a water-based setting. Program Design That Inspires Loyalty: Susan in Massachusetts When Susan Lambert , a S’WET™ Silver instructor, introduced her classes, she quickly saw the clearest proof of success: demand skyrocketed. Students didn’t just enjoy the class — they wanted it permanently on the schedule. Why? Because Susan knew how to structure her sessions for maximum impact: unilateral training to correct imbalances, core and balance challenges, cardio bursts, and crucial recovery breaks. These aren’t random choices. They’re deliberate strategies from the Silver certification, tailored to meet the needs of her participants safely and effectively. For instructors, this shows how certification transforms a workout into a program people stick with. Life-Changing Functional Strength: Carla in Virginia Triple-certified instructor Carla Gregor  brought her student from dependency to independence. Within months, this client shed 20 pounds, walked without a cane, and exercised in the pool without an orthotic. The pinnacle achievement? Climbing the pool ladder unassisted—a milestone requiring strength, balance, and coordination many of us take for granted. The client’s words say it best: “I wouldn’t and couldn’t have done it without you.”   This wasn’t just about exercises; it was about Carla’s attentive, respectful approach — hallmarks of S’WET™ training. Certification gave her the framework, but her skillful application delivered the transformation. Why Certification Matters What unites Etienne, Susan, and Carla’s stories is clear: certification gives instructors the confidence and knowledge to create results that ripple far beyond the pool.  From reducing medical reliance to building community to restoring independence, these outcomes wouldn’t happen without structured, science-backed training. For instructors, the takeaway is powerful: when you invest in your education, you don’t just expand your skillset — you amplify your impact. You stop running classes and start changing lives. So here’s the question: Are you ready to become the kind of instructor whose work goes beyond exercise, beyond the pool, and into the very heart of your clients’ daily lives? Our next virtual S’WET™ SHALLOW certification is coming up: Copyright Disclaimer: All content, including text, images, videos, and other media on this website and blog is owned by Jenni Lynn Fitness and subject to applicable copyright laws and protections. We welcome the use of the information provided for personal, non-commercial purposes. However, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or republish any content from this website or blog without prior written permission. We are always open to collaboration and partnerships. If you wish to use any content from this blog, please contact us at JenniLynn@JenniLynnFitness.com  to request permission. AI Disclosure:  Some photos in our posts may be AI-generated.

If you’ve ever dreamed about expanding your aquatic fitness programs but felt overwhelmed by the costs, you’re not alone. Pools, equipment, training, and marketing all add up. The good news? There’s a powerful resource that can help you grow without draining your savings:  grants . But where do you even begin? S'WET ™ Instructor Melissa Plumeau — Boise-based aquatic fitness professional, PE teacher, and AEA Aquatic Training Specialist — recently shared her journey into grant writing. Her insights can help fitness professionals like you start turning vision into funded reality. ACTIVE SQUAD MEMBERS: You can watch Melissa's full presentation on the Quarterly Meeting page under your Instructor Portal. Below are some of the major takeaways from the discussion. You can now enjoy an audio version of this article with Deep Dive: An AI Podcast , powered by S'WET ™ Step One: Define Your Vision and Mission  Before you start searching for grants, you need clarity on  why your program exists . Funders don’t just want to know what you’re doing — they want to believe in it. Melissa put it this way: "Funders support your purpose, not just your programs." Ask yourself: What impact do you want to create? Who are you serving, and why? What problem are you solving, and how will you sustain it long-term? Having a compelling vision and mission will give you the foundation for every grant application and help you stand out to potential funders. Step Two: Assess Your Strengths and Needs Think about the big picture of your organization: What populations are you serving now—and who are you missing? Are you making the most of your pool time? What equipment do you already have, and what’s still needed? What unique expertise do your instructors bring? Melissa emphasizes that while equipment and programming are important,  people stay because of how you make them feel . Funders want to see both the emotional impact and the data-driven evidence behind your work. "People buy into how we make them feel and the experience that they carry with them." Step Three: Create a Strategic Plan Once you know your purpose and your needs, it’s time to build a roadmap. A good strategic plan should include: Funding goals  – What will this grant make possible? Priorities  – What’s essential now vs. what can wait for later? Budget details  – Every penny should have a job (instructor pay, advertising, equipment, admin). Measurable objectives  – Three to five specific outcomes you can track. Melissa recommends using the  VMOST strategy : Vision  – Your big picture. Mission  – Why you exist. Objectives  – What you’ll achieve. Strategy  – How you’ll achieve it. Tactics  – Step-by-step actions. "Take the vision that you have with your business, align your mission and then those objectives that are going to directly support it, then the strategies that you plan to use to support what you're doing and then the tactics." Step Four: Find the Right Funders Here are some starting points: Federal & State:   grants.gov , Small Business Administration, Department of Parks & Recreation. Nonprofits:  Foundation Directory (often available at local libraries). Local/Community:  Regional family and business foundations. Women-Owned Businesses:  Amber Grants. Fitness-Oriented:  Nike, ACSM. When you’re researching funders, check: Do they fund in your area? What do they typically fund (and not fund)? What’s their usual grant size? Do they require an invitation to apply? Melissa reminds us that relationship-building matters: sometimes your next supporter might be sitting in your class. Step Five: Document Everything Grant writing is detail-heavy. Keep careful records of: Application deadlines and requirements. Every expense (from instructor wages to pool noodles). Program outcomes and participant stories. Funders want proof that their money made a difference—and that your work is sustainable beyond one grant cycle. Start Small, Think Big: Grant writing can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re an independent contractor or just starting out. But as Melissa says, "You don’t have to heal the entire world right now. Narrow down exactly what you can do with the time, funding, and skill set you have." Your aquatic fitness mission is worth funding. With a clear vision, strong plan, and the right partners, you can bring more movement, health, and joy to your community.  Action Step for Aquatic Fitness Pros: This week, take 20 minutes to draft your  vision statement . Keep it short, compelling, and focused on the impact you want to create. That’s your first step toward writing — and winning — your next grant! Copyright Disclaimer: All content, including text, images, videos, and other media on this website and blog is owned by Jenni Lynn Fitness and subject to applicable copyright laws and protections. We welcome the use of the information provided for personal, non-commercial purposes. However, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or republish any content from this website or blog without prior written permission. We are always open to collaboration and partnerships. If you wish to use any content from this blog, please contact us at JenniLynn@JenniLynnFitness.com  to request permission. AI Disclosure:  Some photos in our posts may be AI-generated.

By S'WET ™  Instructor Meredith Krejny When a couple of my friends invited me to go to an aqua fitness class with them at the student rec center, I laughed. I was on our university’s cross country and track teams, and a workout like "aqua aerobics" seemed like a joke to me. I went with them for a laugh, and as I recall I had fun, but I never considered it a "real" workout for someone like me. Fast forward about 20 years, and I was training for a marathon. It wasn’t my first one, but I was training to run fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which is pretty much every non-elite marathoner’s dream race. About one month before my planned qualifying race, I felt a sharp pain in my ankle after a workout and wasn’t even able to walk without pain. After my doctor confirmed an Achilles tendon injury, all the hard runs I had done that summer, all the early mornings, all the speed sessions, all the long miles felt like they had been wasted.  I sulked for a bit, but then I remembered reading an article many years ago about how Joan Benoit Samuelson had rehabbed an injury by substituting pool running for running on land before the 1984 Olympic Trials. My injury wasn’t so bad that I was going to need surgery, and maybe if I got in the pool I could try to salvage my season and at least run the race for fun, even if my Boston dream would have to wait. After college I eventually learned to swim so I could compete in triathlons, so I wasn’t a stranger to the water. And I had even taught aqua fitness classes briefly at a YMCA where I once worked as a lifeguard and got roped into teaching a class for seniors three days a week when they desperately needed an instructor. But I had never taken aqua fitness classes myself (they still seemed "too easy" to me), and I had given up swimming entirely for several months while I focused on my Boston qualifying-time quest. So I dug out my swimsuit and headed to the pool, bought a monthly membership, and ran in the pool every day. I donned a flotation belt and jogged back and forth between the lane lines, running tiny circuits of the deep end of my lane, or doing high intensity intervals to keep things interesting. Eventually my physician cleared me to run my goal race and I found myself at the starting line. I hadn’t finished my training schedule, nor had I run even one step on dry land in about a month, and yet I was about to attempt 26.2 miles. Despite my injury, I crossed the finish line in a time that was nearly 10 minutes faster than my previous personal best, and I had managed to qualify for Boston! It felt like my aqua workouts had not just helped me maintain my fitness, but that they actually helped me to get faster. I was a convert. After I competed at Boston and needed a new goal to work toward, I decided to change careers. I eventually earned a degree in recreation management and obtained my ACE Group Fitness Instructor certification, not intending to necessarily use it. But when one of my new employers in the recreation industry was looking for additional aqua fitness instructors at one of their facilities, I told them I could do it. I had a much better knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and exercise programming than the first time I had taught aqua classes a dozen years before. Now I teach the kind of classes that I myself would want to take. Classes that challenge participants to work hard, push themselves, and most importantly, get results. I still teach a wide variety of students and ability levels, but my high intensity classes are some of the most well-received by participants. (And they’re the workout notes I take with me when I go to the pool to do my own aqua workouts.) When I tell people what I do, I still have to deal with occasional smirks or jokes about teaching "little old ladies wearing shower caps." I get it, because I used to think that too. I explain to them how my classes aren’t just "nanas with noodles" and that they should try them sometime. Because I know the truth: aqua fitness is for everybody. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Meredith Krejny lives in Madison, Wisconsin and is S’WET ™  certified, an AEA Aquatic Fitness Pro, ACE Group Fitness Instructor, AEA Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program Leader, and a lifeguard. You can also find her facilitating team building and character development programs for youth and adults in southern Wisconsin. She still runs, but after crossing the finish line at Boston in 2015, she no longer punishes her body with marathons. Copyright Disclaimer: All content, including text, images, videos, and other media on this website and blog is owned by Jenni Lynn Fitness and subject to applicable copyright laws and protections. We welcome the use of the information provided for personal, non-commercial purposes. However, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or republish any content from this website or blog without prior written permission. We are always open to collaboration and partnerships. If you wish to use any content from this blog, please contact us at JenniLynn@JenniLynnFitness.com  to request permission. AI Disclosure:  Some photos in our posts may be AI-generated.

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