Aggravating Foot Pain? Read On!

Have you noticed pain in your feet while exercising? Don't ignore that pain. It could be Plantar fasciitis, and you CAN work through this aggravation and continue to exercise.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated. Then, your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.

Plantar fasciitis can happen in one foot or both feet at the same time. It usually occurs in middle-aged people or younger people who are athletes.

This is more likely to happen if:

• Your feet roll inward too much when you walk
• You have high arches or flat feet
• You walk, stand, or run for long periods of time, especially on hard surfaces
• You are overweight
• You wear shoes that don't fit well or are worn out (this has happened to several of our customers AND instructors -  supportive shoes are important!)
• You have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles

The pain is mainly noticed in the morning after sleeping or long periods of rest. The pain and stiffness may decrease after you take a few steps, but it may hurt more as the day goes on.

Treatment:

The following methods of treatment, used alone or in combination, work for most people.

• Rest.
• Wear supportive shoes. You may need to get a new pair of shoes if yours are worn down or old. Pick shoes with a good arch support and a cushioned sole.
• As soon as you get out of bed, put on supportive shoes. Don’t walk around barefoot or in flimsy sandals or slippers.
• Try shoe inserts. Suggested brand is ‘Powerstep’. The heel or full insert depending upon your preference. Use them in both shoes even if only one foot hurts.
• Some may benefit from a plantar fasciitis nighttime splint found at any local drug store. Or you can wear shoes to bed. This helps keep the ligament in your foot in a relaxed position. Many times the foot is flexed tightly down under blankets keeping the ligament in a shortened position through the night.
• Massage.
• Stretching the toes, calf muscle, and hamstrings.
• Ice.
• Over-the-counter pain reliever.

• Athletic massage for plantar fasciitis is offered at Giverny.     

If you are feeling pain in your feet, PLEASE REMEMBER - you CAN work through this! Feel free to ask Kelly if you have questions about foot pain - or any other pain you may be feeling while exercising!

Abs: Where did they go after having my children?

How do I get my abs back after pregnancy?

Tips from Kelly 

This is a question I’ve gotten several times over the years. My clients want to know where their abs went after their pregnancy and why they won’t come back even though they’ve been invited again and again!

Abs are like balloons

Think of a balloon before it’s blown up: it’s small, tight, perfectly shaped. Now, blow air into it as big as it can get, and then let all the air out. Do that 2, 3, maybe up to 6 times in a row. Each time it is stretched, the balloon loses its shape a little more. That is what happens to our abdominal muscles and the fascia around the muscles after a pregnancy.

Other reasons your abs disappear

Not only are your muscles stretched, but there is also the added water weight and blood volume that was necessary for the pregnancy. This tends to leave your stomach feeling “doughy.” The water weight will slowly subside after a few weeks, but the added fat and stretched muscles are left to be worked back into shape. That can feel overwhelming!

It takes proper nutrition, cardio, and core work to get your abs back after a pregnancy. Once you are cleared from your physician (usually around 6 weeks), you can begin working on the core.

My favorite cardio activity to bring back the abs

Dancing for your cardio is a fantastic way to get your waistline trim again. And it’s a blast. You have to think about holding in your tummy while you move, and then dance away!

After my third baby, I saw a big change in my waistline when I began to use dance for my cardio. I added plank work and crunches to firm the muscles through the abdominal and lower back area. Just hang in there, and don’t get discouraged. During your pregnancy, it took nine months for your body to change, so be patient and consistent. Persistence is the key!

Losing weight in your abs/belly

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you CAN lose weight in your abs/belly. The bad news is that there is no way to spot-reduce. In other words, it’s a whole-body process.

The Great Reversal

The weight you’ve gained will actually come off in the reverse order of the way it went onto your body. That is determined by heredity.
So, if you gained it in your hips and glutes, then abs, and then face – you will lose weight in your face first, then abs, then hips and glutes.

Staying committed to losing weight is a process that people give up on too quickly because they don’t see the results WHERE they were hoping. But, if you understand the above process, you will know your efforts are working! So, keep it up, because eventually the weight will start falling off of your abs!

Drop the chips and get off the couch

You will have to create a caloric deficit in order to lose weight while combining the reduced calories with exercise. In other words – eat less and start working out. This is the best way to lose and maintain the weight loss.

However, not all food is created equally. A healthy diet is very important and will include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and good fats (olive oil, nut oils).

Then COMBINE the good nutrition with cardio, strengthening, crunches, and core work. If you make the mistake of trying to just do the crunches and core work, you will be building your muscles, but under a layer of fat. So, combine!  If you have any questions, please let me know! 

Chronic Pain - Can I Still Exercise?

I have chronic pain. Is it okay for me to exercise?

Are you in pain? Do you feel unsure about the movement you should be doing? We have seen different scenarios throughout the years where individuals have asked, "Is it OK for me to exercise with chronic pain?" Many times, a general practitioner will begin sending his patients with chronic pain (nothing acutely wrong)  to begin exercise programs. It may sound kind of counter-intuitive to add movement to an already painful existence, but it may be just what the doctor ordered.

Not Your Average Candidates

We have known many individuals in the past who have differing circumstances, keeping them from participating in exercise.  In most cases, when asking their doctor, they were told, "Go exercise!" One of these was waiting on a kidney transplant.  Another was born with a congenital heart defect, having many open heart surgeries in her lifetime. Her condition is such that she is not even a candidate for a transplant -- she was recently diagnosed with an incurable respiratory disease and Fibromyalgia as well.  The doctors still told her to exercise!  She is working on increasing her strength and flexibility; she is feeling better and doing a great job with her regimen!

Obviously, there are conditions that are acute and exercise is NOT recommended. But after a doctor’s clearance, just get started! Realize there are other people out there struggling with hurdles like you. You simply need to make up your mind to start and then take one small step at a time.

Redefine your success from looking good in a bathing suit to becoming a strong, healthy person. You may define success as being able to go to the grocery store without becoming exhausted. That goal is simple, attainable, and measurable.  

The best thing you can do for yourself is exercise! Many people have pains that actually are a result of being overweight, having a lack of strength, or simply not moving enough.  These are things that we can change together - you can make that change today!

Please share your struggles and successes so we can keep encouraging each other!  

You Are NOT Too Heavy To Exercise!

If you’ve been overweight for many years, you may think that you can never get in shape - and that thought may have left you feeling discouraged. Maybe you’ve started and stopped exercising and started and stopped diets more times that you care to remember. So the question you may often ask yourself, and one that many of us have asked ourselves: 

“Am I too heavy to exercise?”

And our answer is always:

“Absolutely NOT!”

 A friend of ours recently met a lady on vacation that was desperate to lose weight. She was watching her kids play in the pool and shared how she has been on so many diets that have failed. She had started an exercise program around 100 times over the years and had quit EVERY time.

He could see in her eyes that she had almost completely given up. It made him want to cry for her! But, at the same time, he wanted to scream, “NO! Don’t ever give up! It is never too late!” And, he was RIGHT!

A Simple Way to get Started Exercising

A simple way to start exercising is to start where you are. If you’ve not exercised for a long time, and you’re carrying a lot of weight – fine – that’s where YOU are. No problem! So let’s get started.

As you know, before you start any exercise program, get the okay from your doctor. And once you have your doctor’s clearance, start small. Here are a few tips that can help you get started AND stick with it:

• Exercise for 5 minutes a day (that’s right – 5 minutes), and then 1-2 minutes more every 3 days.
• Begin a resistance program, but instead of heavy weights, use soup cans or books (no need to spend money).
• Get into a routine! Do a little exercise every day. Consistency is the key to the beginning of a new lifestyle. Everyday is NOT forever. Once you feel like you can consider yourself a beginning exerciser, follow the guidelines mentioned in the starter tracks.
• Establish a time and a place. Clear out an area that you can use. If your “best time” of the day is in the morning, that’s a great time to work out. Get into a routine and go with it.
• Finally, don’t try to accomplish all your goals in the 1^st week or even the 1^st month. Concentrate on those small steps and maintaining faithfulness.

The list above can seem overwhelming, so if it is, simply begin your 5 minutes in a chair, by marching in place, or by moving your arms up over your head. Grab the soup cans and start your resistance exercises sitting down. But start! And never, ever give up.

Feel free to comment or private message us. What is your motivation? A refocused motivation can help someone that has given up every time in the past be persistent and succeed! Never, ever, ever give up! 

HOW do I lose weight?!

What can I do?

There are approximately 3500 calories in 1 pound of stored body fat. So, you will need to create a negative caloric expenditure through diet, exercise, or a combination. In other words, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Let’s get very specific.

How to lose one pound per week

So, if you want to lose 1 pound per week, your calorie deficit will need to be 3500 fewer calories that week or 500 calories per day. You can do that with total diet restriction of 500 calories or 250 fewer calories and 250 calories of exercise.

The combination calorie reduction AND exercise is best for sustained weight loss for two reasons:

1. That amount of calorie restriction is hard to maintain.
2. You will not be building the lean muscle mass needed to help keep the weight off.

How to lose two pounds per week

To lose 2 pounds per week, you need to consume 7,000 fewer calories in a week or 1,000 fewer calories per day. Again, this is best accomplished through a combination of a 500 calorie deficit with 500 calories burned in exercise per day.

Another method is taking 15-20% of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and reducing your calories by that amount. You can increase this percentage based on your weight loss goals. ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends women never get below 1200 calories per day.

Does muscle weigh more than fat?

This question is asked ALL the time. So let’s be totally obvious: one pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat. However, if you put one pound of muscle next to one pound of fat, the fat will take up twice as much space as the muscle!

Muscle is less dense than fat; that’s why you will look leaner if you are 140 pounds and have 20% total body fat versus being 140 pounds with 40% total body fat.

That is an important reason NOT to focus solely on the scales when you begin an exercise program with strength training. A reduction in body fat with an increase in lean muscle mass will show with inches lost and clothes fitting a little looser. That is exciting!

How Many Calories Do I Need Each Day?

Whether you are new to fitness or have been working out for years, chances are you’ve heard a lot of talk about calories -  burning calories OR counting calories. But how do you know for sure how many calories YOU need? Let's figure out how to answer that question!

For weight loss or maintenance, it is important to know if you are taking in too little or too much energy (calories) relative to your body’s needs. You need a certain number of calories each day to live – even if you never get out of bed. This is called your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

BMR is the energy your body requires for brain function, sleeping, breathing, etc. This continual work accounts for about 60-70% of the calories we use to maintain our body at rest.

The equation below is based on the Harris Benedict Equation, although the one  included below allows you to use pounds instead of kilograms and inches instead of centimeters. They are practically identical in results – your personal BMR could only be a 40 calorie difference from the Harris Benedict Equation.

Finding your BMR will require a calculator – and is really pretty fun to do!

Calories needed: base calculation

BMR=655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age)

Example: 48 year old woman, 155 lbs, and 64 inches
BMR= 655 + (4.35 x 155) + (4.7x 64) – (4.7 x 48)
655 + (674.25) + (300.8) – (225.6)
1630 – 226
BMR = 1404 calories each day to meet her needs at rest

Lean body mass (muscle) is not accounted for with this equation. So, know that leaner bodies will have an under-estimated total BMR and obese bodies will have an over-estimated total BMR.

How many TOTAL calories do I need each day?

Once you have calculated your BMR, the calories your body needs at rest, you will need to factor in your activity level to find your total needs for the day. This is called your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

Check out the formulas below and plug in your numbers.  A great goal for us is to have you in either the “Very Active” or “Extra Active” category!

 

• Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2

 

• Lightly Active (light exercise or no exercise): BMR x 1.375

 

• Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55

 

• Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week): BMR x 1.725

• Extra Active (very hard exercise/sports or 2x training): BMR x 1.9

If you have any questions about figuring your numbers or working up to a more active lifestyle, please talk to us! We are here to help you!

Shake It Up or Chew It Up? Tips: Protein Shakes vs Whole Foods

Should I drink a protein shake after exercise?

Whey protein shakes are a great source of protein, but whole foods are great too.

After exercise, it is actually more important to refuel with carbohydrates, but combining protein with that is even better. There should be a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein after exercise because:

• Carbohydrates stored in the muscle are called glycogen and fat. Glycogen is what the body uses during exercise as its energy source. So, it needs to be replenished for proper recovery.
• Protein kicks in when the glycogen is depleted. This happens when the activity is continuous, lasting more than an hour OR if carbohydrates have been restricted from your diet.

After  exercise, you could eat a couple handfuls of pistachios, which have 8 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of protein per serving.  Combine this with a piece of fruit, which increases my carbohydrate intake.

Another option would be an apple with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Whole food options also fit into your lifestyle change, instead of a shake, which can feel like a diet – because you get to chew!

What is a good protein shake choice?

Protein shakes can be either whey or soy based. Choose WHEY! Whey is a great source of protein, because it has a very high biological value in absorption, retention, and actual use in the body. Be careful in choosing your whey protein shake to look for amount of calories per serving, artificial sugar, and flavoring.

But again, the egg (straight from God), has the best ratio of amino acids on the biological value of protein!

Eating soy foods such as edamame or tofu is a great and safe addition to your diet. But high concentrations of soy protein, such as a soy protein shake, is NOT recommended for women over 40. There is an increased risk of uterine hyperplasia and even cancer. Be careful not to add too much to your diet.   

So, what will you choose? Healthy dietary choices are just as important as the exercise we add to our lifestyle.  Need more tips? Ask us for more healthy diet tips.  We are here to help! 

LUNGES! Are they hurting your knees? Keep reading!

How do I do lunges without hurting my knees?

To start learning the proper form, you may want to hold onto something to keep yourself safe.

Start with your feet a slightly wider than your natural width apart, one foot in front of the other with both toes pointing forward. The back toe will have a strong tendency to turn out because that is your body’s natural response to help balance yourself. But, keep it forward.

You will keep your back tall and abs tight, and bend both knees. The back knee will get about 1-2 inches from the floor when your front leg is parallel with the floor. Getting the front leg parallel to the floor is something to work toward with a lunge, so it may not be appropriate for you if you are just beginning.

Make sure you never bend the front leg so much the knee comes out over the toes. Now, press back up to your starting position, concentrating slightly more on the front leg to get you up. If you press up too hard with the back leg, you are working more of that leg’s calf muscle instead of your front leg’s hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes.

3 of the biggest mistakes with lunges

3 of the biggest mistakes I see people make while performing lunges are:

• Taking too small of a step forward to start the lunge. This small step almost ensures that the knee will bend first and end up over your toes. Take a wider step and begin bending the hip slightly before your knee.
• Turning the back hip and foot out for stability. Keep both hips and feet forward.
• Bending the chest forward over the front leg. That adds stress to the knee.

Don’t forget to:

• Keep the chest back to help you work your core.
• Keep your abs tight. This will provide you with stability.
• Check yourself in the mirror to see if you’re doing your lunges safely and effectively.   
  

Now, take these skills and practice, practice, practice! Check our schedule and join us for a class soon!

Praise for Personal Training: One Customer's "Aha" Moment

We received such a wonderful note from a customer who wanted to thank us for helping her during personal training sessions; this customer was completely OK with letting us share her feedback with you, and we are so glad!   Her view of the training sessions may help put into perspective the benefits of working along side a professional who is there to help you reach a goal, better yourself, and feel your best.  We hope this may reach someone who is "on the fence" about trying personal training or had not thought of the benefits! We appreciate our customers so very, very much - and their feedback!!!!!!  Here are her words in a specific note to a trainer at Giverny:

First of all I want to express how very much I appreciate and respect your gifts as a personal trainer.  I know that you have an understanding of the fear and uncertainties that a new client probably brings along when they sign-up to take the steps to get back "in shape".   My experience, while one of the hardest things I've ever done, was one of the most gratifying and empowering.   I know I worked hard, but somehow through your focus and attention to my strengths and weaknesses, you pulled the best out of me.  That is a skill set that you should be proud of - it was and is the motivation and encouragement that makes me have hope and determination to "stay the course", no matter my few detours along the way.

 

I think I mentioned how I came to realize that more than hitting some magical weight or trying to achieve some unrealistic magazine version of what a good body looks like, my "aha" moment has been recognizing that I just want to be strong.   I realize that, even at 49, after so many years of never caring about my intake of calories and non-existent exercies routine, I could and was recovering my strength and athleticism.   The weight loss has become a bonus and secondary to my desire to continue to feel the energy, strength and positive vibe that comes along with a new healthy lifestyle.

 

I continue to work on re-wiring my brain to prioritize the discipline sticking with exercise in my schedule.  Life is always going to be busy, but I only have this one body, right?!  :-)

We love the "aha" moment!   Again, we are so thankful to our customers for sharing feedback.  It helps shape us into the trainers/instructors/leaders that we need and want to be! 

More Than Just a Customer....

What comes to mind when we think of the people we see throughout the week at Giverny? Certainly, we are proud of and thankful for our talented instructors and personal trainers, and we enjoy seeing these people so much! But, one of the reasons we all LOVE our job so much at Giverny is due to THE CUSTOMERS!  Those who walk through our front door are more than just customers to us.  In fact, we have a hard time even using that word to describe them.  Once you attend classes for a while, you will see what we mean.  We genuinely melt into a family here. We care about you when you are sick or absent from class. We pray for you and think of your well-being.  We have witnessed circles of prayer after class before. We laugh together, cry together, defend each other, and tease each other.  We are a family that ALWAYS welcomes in someone new. It is impossible to say how many times we have seen a current customer welcome a new customer and begin to do whatever they can to make them feel comfortable and at home.  We strive to make this our difference; we enjoy people and hope they enjoy us, too.  We will never go out of the way to make you the center of attention if you aren't interested in extra attention, of course, (we know some of you prefer to slip in and slip out again, which is just fine!) but if you need a friend, an accountability partner, encouragement, hope, fellowship, or if you just enjoy a smiling face next to you in class, you WILL find this within our walls, we guarantee it.  We are so proud of all of you that fill our classes each day! Thank you for being the wonderful people you are!

What is Special About Giverny?

So many things are special about Giverny! We'd like to share some of our thoughts on this.  Besides the beautiful space that we've been so lucky to utilize, we think the most special thing about Giverny is certainly the people!  The heart of Giverny lies in the instructors and personal trainers that are so talented and dedicated in guiding customers each day in to a fit lifestyle.  All of our instructors are trained to modify a large class to fit many fitness levels, so everyone feels welcome and encouraged.  Of course, each instructor has their own personality and brings their own, unique qualities to their class, but in addition to this, each one is loving, empathetic, and full of energy, which brings life and soul to the classes we offer.  Each instructor or personal trainer you see at Giverny is truly the backbone of our business!

Personal Coach is another specialty we offer; it is the ingenious idea of Jim Mills.  It's on the first floor and consists of top quality Nautilus exercise equipment.  What is so unique about Jim's idea? The removal of the main roadblock in personal training - finding time to meet that fits the trainer AND customer's schedule!  With Personal Coach, a certified, professional trainer will give you an initial assessment and plan, and then you as the customer can come in and workout any day or time during business hours.  The trainers will set up the equipment for you each time you come in, and every two weeks they will change your weights and repetition limits for lifting.  Personal Coach also has a full selection of cardio equipment, including treadmills, stair climbers, stepmills, elliptical machines, and bikes.  The Personal Coach area can also be used as a fitness center where our customers can utilize the cardio and strengthening machines without the assistance of a personal trainer.  This service can be used in place of a class if we do not have a class to meet your schedule or need that day. 

So many options and so many amazing people make our facility so special to us! We've had wonderful feedback from many of you on our instructor personalities and abilities, our variety of offerings, and our "charm". We very much appreciate that all of YOU feel that we are special as well. We thank you for supporting US as we continue to support YOU!

How Did It All Begin - Part 2: Giverny's Name

Many have wondered not only how to pronounce our unique name (ja-vair-nee!), but where exactly our name comes from.  Read on to learn the answer from Kelly's perspective!

"Missy and I were going crazy trying to come up with the perfect name. We threw out so many options you wouldn't believe!  We decided we wanted the name to reflect the feeling we wanted people to experience when they walked into the door, not the sweat they were dripping with when they left.

One afternoon, at a family gathering, we were looking at pictures from Missy's parents' trip to France.  We were admiring how the painter, Claude Monet, had been inspired from the beautiful gardens of Giverny, France.  That was the feeling - inspiration and beauty!

Many of Monet's famous paintings were from the village of Giverny.  We decorated each room with copies of his paintings and named our studio rooms after our three favorites, "The Waterlily", "The Bridge", and "The Garden".  We were blessed to have two local, wonderful artists offer their services to paint wall murals.  Sherri Johnson painted the picture of France you will see on your right side when you walk into the front door.  She also painted beautiful scenery along with the name of each studio room outside of each door.  Patricia Manich was the other artist who recreated two of Claude Monet's paintings for us.  The first fills the wall in the reception area behind the couch.  The second is the painting of "The Waterlily", appropriately located in the Waterlily studio."

So, as a result of careful and prayerful consideration, we have selected what we feel is just right for our building, our atmosphere, our people, our "vibe".  A special thank you to those local artists who helped in the early days to make our building burst with color and feeling. We feel so fortunate to have had the assistance we've needed along the way to make our studio special and unique! We are so thankful that it has come together so well and makes so many people so happy! 

Giverny: How Did It All Begin?

Have you ever wondered how a business began? How the idea formed? Where the people involved came from?  Giverny (pronounced ja-vair-nee, in case you've ever wondered!) is a locally owned business, started by two people who saw a need for a warm, inviting atmosphere for people to share their fitness goals, desires, needs, & overall journeys. You might be interested to know just how Kelly and Missy took a small idea and created the place we all know and love as Giverny Fitness Studio. Read on to find out more, from Kelly's point of view!

Part 1

God’s will.

I was given the idea and sat on it for awhile. I began talking about it with my family, which happens to include Missy Cook, my sister-in-law.  One afternoon, I called Missy and asked her if she would like to be my partner in this business. Happily, to my surprise, she said, “Yes”!  From that moment on, Missy turned my idea into an actual business. She has an MBA and a Biomedical Engineering degree, so lucky me!!

We began searching locations around Warsaw. Missy created a business plan, and I started recruiting some of the most amazing instructors you will still see today at Giverny. We would teach Zumba in the elementary school gymnasiums, and the body sculpt instructors and I would train together in the basement of Silveus Insurance.

One day, I got a phone call from my neighbor, Theresa Thrasher with a suggestion for our new business. She suggested meeting Jim Mills. Jim was Warsaw High School boys’cross country coach along with running his own business, Personal Coach. He said he was ready to retire from running his business but still loved the fitness side of working with people. And by the way, his family had a building on South Buffalo Street, right next door to Expressions, that just might work for our business.

We loved Jim, and we loved that building! So, we purchased Jim’s equipment, the building, and hired Skyline builders. The building is over 100 years old, and it looked like it!! There was partial renovation already on the first floor, but the 2nd and 3rd floor were 100 years worth of storage of the previous businesses. In fact there wasn’t even access to the 3rd floor except through the freight elevator. We had definite ideas on how we wanted each of the three floors used and how we wanted the rooms set up, and Skyline builders did an amazing job at creating what you see today. God is good!

Want to know more about our story? Keep checking for our next post to hear about our name, our staff, and more. We are excited to be able to share our history with you!

Getting to Know Giverny: Our History, Our People

2014 is here! With the new year, Giverny is changing and growing. Part of our attempt to reach customers on a deeper level involves being able to communicate with you not only at the studio, but also at home, while you are wearing your pajamas and sipping coffee in the morning, thinking about your day. "What can I do for myself today? What do I want to spend my valuable time doing - and how will it benefit me?"  Your time is important to us! We want to help you make the best choices for you. Part of making good choices comes from being well informed. This blog will bring together tips, ideas, expertise, and motivation. We hope you will feel comfortable posting questions or comments in response to our posts, too! We encourage it! We will do our best to answer you in a timely manner.


As a starting point, our blog will include posts detailing our history - who we are - why we want to help.   Kelly Britton, co-owner of Giverny, has 11 years of background in fitness. Her education includes a B.S. in Health & Applied Sciences & a Secondary Health Education Certificate from Indiana University, as well as M.S. in Occupational Therapy from University of Indianapolis.  She is a personal trainer, co-owner, and instructor who has background knowledge to share.  Kelly's passion is in helping others. "I thrive at helping those who have reached that point in their lives where they are feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, and frankly pretty down about themselves. That is the person I love to meet - because I have been there and remember those feelings."  

Kelly is in her early 40’s, has been married for 21 years, and has 3 children. "I know what 3 pregnancies can do to your body. I know what a slowing metabolism feels like. I know that feeling of looking in the mirror and wondering, “Where did I go?” 

So many of us have been in those shoes.  "What now? Can I do this? Will I embarrass myself? Can I stick to it?"  We know how these emotions can take over. We want to help.  2014 could be your year to take steps in the right direction. Or, if you've already started, 2014 could be your year to improve! Together, we CAN make a difference.  If you have a question for Kelly, please don't hesitate to ask here! Keep your eyes peeled for "Tips from Kelly" in upcoming blog posts! We can all learn more - every day!