Gaser is pumped up about work as a personal trainer

Biology teacher Tina Gaser works as a personal trainer at the Thelma Lovette YMCA in the Hill District, with her specialties being crossfit training and bodybuilding.  

Gaser turned her love of working out and doing crossfit competitions back in 2017 into a second career thanks to inspiration from her trainer.

“My trainer inspired me to go to school for exercise science,” Gaser said. “I got my certificate and got a job at the gym where I trained.”

Gaser enjoys the benefits of her second job.

“It keeps me healthy and I get paid to do it,” she said. 

Occasionally, though, there are time conflicts between her teaching and training jobs.

“I teach a group exercise class on Wednesdays, but because of graduation I had to cancel so I can walk with my seniors,” she said. 

The extra money she makes from her second job gets put toward her love for traveling. 

“The money I make from it goes toward my vacation funds, because I travel for three to four weeks during the summer,” she said. 

Gaser’s advice for anyone who wants to have their own side hustle is to “make sure you love it, because otherwise you’re not going to want to go to another job after your main job.”