Sizing up local fitness options in Dyer – nwitimes.com

For some people, fall represents a time to head back to the gym or the trainer or the exercise class after a summer away. Aside from the obvious reasoning of simply trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle regardless of season, back-to-school time means many parents can resume the workout routines that may have been suspended as they spent the past few months vacationing with the kids. Fortunately, Dyer residents have great physical fitness options from which to choose, depending on both how and when they like to work out.

While flexibility may be a common goal for many gym-goers, it’s not often built into the philosophy of the fitness facility itself.

But flexibility and convenience are two of the big selling points at the Dyer outlet of the national Anytime Fitness chain. As the facility’s name implies, general manager Yasmin Musleh says most patrons choose Anytime specifically for the ability to tuck in a workout whenever the mood strikes them—day or night—with 24/7/365 access to a wide array of machines and equipment. But it’s more than just convenience that keeps people coming back.

“Anytime Fitness, more than anything, is an atmosphere choice,” Musleh says. “We are family, first and foremost. High fives, hugs, laughs and support are the foundation of this club. It’s not a competition and it’s not about looking like a model or having six-pack abs. Improving ourselves every day is our number one goal. The person working out next to you genuinely wants you to succeed. We are one team with one mission.”

In addition to state-of-the-art equipment, the club offers tanning, hydro massage and a wide variety of fitness classes, as well as fun day-of-the-week promotions and contests to help keep members motivated and on the right track.

“More important than all the membership amenities, we offer a place people can call home,” Musleh says. “It’s a place where people feel comfortable and wanted.”

That atmosphere of camaraderie is also one of the defining traits of Pro-Fit—only on a much smaller, more intimate scale. From their outset nearly five years ago, husband-and-wife trainers Michael and Tina Sena have remained committed to a focus on personal attention, describing their sessions as personal training in a small-group setting, with no more than eight to a class. Even when they expanded their offerings to include yoga, spinning, boxing and Pilates classes in recent years, they held to their longtime boutique mindset.

“I can’t look 20 people in the eye and have a deep feel for how they’re each doing individually,” explains Tina, noting that each group member wears a heart monitor during sessions. “But with eight people, I can talk to each one before class and see how they’re feeling and hear about any injuries they might be nursing and adjust the workout accordingly.”

Pro-Fit patrons appreciate not only this one-on-one service, but the massage therapist, free child care and the on-site nutrition bar as well, all of which Sena says helps foster a bigger-picture sense of not just trying to get in shape, but to live a healthier lifestyle all around.

“We’ll always be on a mission to help people and teach them how to live better and healthier,” she says. “We’ve changed a lot of lives in a really positive way, and that’s awesome.”

from myhealtyze http://www.myhealtyze.tk/sizing-up-local-fitness-options-in-dyer-nwitimes-com/