As a child, Terrence Hunter was obsessed with comic books and superheroes.
So it’s no wonder as an adult he has a ripped physique and dedicates himself to being a role model for children and others. For the people he coaches—especially kids, you might say he is a sort of superhero.
Terrence has had a passion for exercise all his life, and he shares that passion with his clients in Chicago and on the North Shore through his personal training business, Total-T Fitness, and through his prolific volunteer work with children.
“Fitness is for everyone,” Terrence says. “We all have the same defined muscle make-up.”
And that’s why kids who don’t play sports can still be active and fit—one of Terrence’s key messages. Even though both sports and fitness are a part of his life, he’s quick to point out that the two are very different. When he’s not coaching youth soccer, you’ll find him filming episodes of “Total-T Fit Kids,” a fitness show aimed at children, for Evanston community access television. This year he’s starting a youth fitness program with the Wilmette Park District, and he has also volunteered his time with Family Focus in Evanston. His many certifications include one from the Positive Coaching Alliance, a group that looks at coaching as teaching.
Like most trainers, the Hyde Park native is full of motivating mottos. “You’re never too old NOT to exercise,” he says. And, “You have to move to improve.”
One of the perks of Terrence’s career, which started at Chicago’s East Bank Club, is keeping his own schedule. That means he can make time to workout and take care of his two kids—8-year-old daughter, Houston, and 6-year-old son, Hollister. His wife, Michele, is an architect. “We joke that she builds the buildings, and I build the bodies,” he says.
At the end of the day, Terrence loves people, kids and helping others. “I have great energy in the morning,” he says. “I love passing on that passion.” And with his clients, he feels rewarded not only by their weight loss but also by the improvement in their quality of life—they feel better.
Sounds kind of like a superhero, all right.
To learn more about Total-T Fitness, visit totaltfit.net
