Realistic Goals The Key To

‘The Inspired Body’

 

By Nancy K. Crevier

At The Inspired Body, a personal training studio at 43 South Main Street, owner Susan Preis hopes that she has created a space where women of all abilities will find the encouragement, skills, tools, and inspiration to live a healthier life.

A competitive gymnast in high school and a communications major in college, Ms Preis, a Newtown resident, received her personal trainer certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in 2000, at the urging of the gym manager where she worked out at that time.

“I realized how much I loved training, and how I could work with people to help them achieve their goals,” said Ms Preis.

Following a stint teaching at a local gym, in June 2008 she realized her ambition to help clients more on a one-to-one basis by opening The Inspired Body. The parameter of the tiny 500-square-foot space is ringed by a variety of exercise equipment. A functional trainer on a cable system works out the body’s smaller, stabilizer muscles. An elliptical trainer, a stationery bicycle, and a treadmill provide options for warm-ups and sustained exercise. The newest piece of equipment, a suspension trainer, is also Ms Preis’s favorite piece of equipment. This machine is used to work out the large and small muscle groups, as well as the core muscles, explained Ms Preis. Free weights, stabilizer balls, and resistance bands are also used at the studio, with all exercise programs tailored to the individual.

“There are three components for good health,” said Ms Preis. “Weight training, cardio vascular training, and nutrition. When you work on those three together, that’s when you see changes happen,” she said.

Nurturing and helping women to reach realistic goals that will bring about a permanent lifestyle change and make a woman feel better is the crux of her business, said Ms Preis. “My own goal, now, is that when a new client walks through my door that they feel better about themselves when they walk out,” she said.

At The Inspired Body a client receives continuous, personalized attention that may not be available in a large gym setting, she said, and that is what differentiates her business from other workout studios. “I keep detailed progress records on each client, and I give my clients ‘tasks’ to do outside of the gym. Then they have an accountability that helps them reach goals,” said Ms Preis. She also provides inspirational handouts with exercise and nutrition tips to keep the clients motivated outside of the time they are at the studio. The tips range from simple advice, like “Eat Breakfast Every Day” to answering questions like, “Can you explain more about what you mean by a ‘fist-size’ of food?”

She works with many clients one-to-one, but also with partners, and small groups, keeping each woman’s personal needs in mind as she works with her.

“What’s truly different about my studio, though, is that people can take what they learn from me and use it every single day in their real lives,” she said.

The one-hour personal sessions are scheduled to meet the customers’ needs, meaning that some days she may start training as early as 6 am, or have her final client as late as 8 or 9 pm. Customers pay per session, with no membership required, and drop-in group classes are frequently scheduled.

When warm weather beckons, an additional 300-square-foot space in back of the studio becomes an outdoor facility. “People love to be outside when it is nice, and enjoy the lovely evenings, or even exercise as the stars come out,” Ms Preis said. It is the ideal environment for body weight exercises and movements that mimic the moves of daily living, she added.

Laura Fuori has been training with Ms Preis since January, and attributes her 103-pound loss since the beginning of this year to The Inspired Body. “Having someone like Susan focus on you is amazing,” said Ms Fuori. “She gives me the tools to do what I need to do, and has helped me strengthen a bad knee like no one ever has before. I was exhausted and out of shape, and my work schedule and kids left me with no time for myself.”

Her decision to give herself two hours a week in the hands of Ms Preis has made all the difference, said Ms Fuori. “I have so much more energy now, and I feel motivated to keep working out,” she said.

Motivation and inspiration are two key elements to her success, said Ms Preis. “I try to change each person’s work out every time they are in, so that they don’t become bored, and I try to challenge them when they are ready. I’m always handing out tips and encouraging them, and when we have a circuit group, it is incredible how they encourage each other.”

“The mind, sharp. The body, toned. The feeling, exhilarating,” reads a quote stenciled on the border of the workout area. “I really believe that,” said Ms Preis. “When I hear comments about successes clients have had, goals reached, I know what a wonderful job I have.”

The Inspired Body is at 43 South Main Street, in the South Main Street Plaza. For information on personal training sessions or group class schedules, call 304-1397 or 240-5931; or contact Ms Preis at theinspiredbody@charterinternet.com.