It’s no secret that staying fit is one of the key components of feeling better and living longer. Health experts have long been singing its praises. And the more research they do, the more benefits they uncover.
While weight loss seems to be the primary reason people choose to work out, an active lifestyle pays dividends well beyond a slimmer waistline. Fitness helps regulate stress and anxiety, making you feel happier throughout the day. It increases energy levels, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and improves skin and brain health, muscle and bone strength, and memory. If that’s not enough, regular exercise even increases your chance of getting a good night’s sleep.
Still, we sometimes find ourselves unmotivated and at a loss when faced with building an exercise regimen that’s right for us.
Cue the southeast’s fitness centres, which make it their mission to help you get back into shape in ways that are fun and easy to stick to. Their fitness trainers take the complexity out of the equation and can tailor-make a routine that fits your body type, goals, and lifestyle.
“I offer a free fitness consultation and personalized training programs for those who don’t know where to start in achieving their fitness goals,” says Chris Friesen, owner of Average Joe’s Fitness in Niverville. “[This] also includes a short book I’ve written about what to focus on from a nutrition standpoint in order to achieve those goals. I believe that some level of education should be included in a gym membership, not just access to the facility.”
Crystal Stott of ShopGym Inc. in Niverville agrees that finding a fitness centre with qualified coaches is essential to preventing injury and customizing your workout to get the best results.
“Our coaches spend a lot of time teaching people to move properly, with or without load,” says Stott. “They get to know our members well so that when they coach them, they know their circumstances and limitations and can provide real guidance to effectively scale a workout. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work well when talking nutrition and fitness, so our coaches are constantly ensuring that our members get a tailored, safe, effective workout every time they step through the door.”
Friesen says that, for him, strength training, body building, and fitness have been an obsession since he was a teenager. Though self-trained, he admits to having spent many years researching thousands of fitness and nutrition resources to get him where he is today.
“I experimented on myself, kept what worked, and discarded the rest,” Friesen says. “I’ve now come up with a very simple and time-efficient way of helping people achieve their fitness goals without it consuming their life.”
Currently, clients from around the world have tuned into his online fitness and nutrition programs and are seeing success.
For Stott as well, the decision to open a gym stemmed from her own personal passion for having fun while staying fit.
“I’ve always loved sport, and this filled a hole when I had to stop playing team sports,” Stott says. “The camaraderie and encouragement I got after my first class had me hooked!”
Stott and her team of trainers carry certifications in weightlifting, gymnastics, kettle ball, kid’s fitness, nutrition and other specialized modalities. Her ShopGym location offers group fitness classes as well as personal training, sport team training, kids programs, mom and toddler classes, nutrition coaching, and even remote coaching services. Classes are available for ages as young as three and all the way up to senior citizen.
“We are, first and foremost, a community and a lot of people who are newer to town have found some new friends through the gym,” Stott adds. “We provide a safe space where people can work out in a judgement-free zone. We offer a wide variety of services, but what sets us apart is that every class is planned for you, can be scaled for where you are at, and is coached by a qualified fitness professional. It’s like having a personal trainer at a fraction of the cost. We also offer a variety of supplements for retail sale.”
Average Joe’s Fitness offers 24/7 access to a fully-equipped gym and a one-on-one coaching program for those who are 16 and up. The gym is located at 10 Cedar Drive.
ShopGym is located at 1789 Main Street.
