In April of this year I went to Boost FitClub to say hello to my old friend Jon Sexton. I told him I had just been to my doctor and found out I had a bunch of issues, including osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disorder in my back. I hadn’t been in a gym in over 8 months and didn’t feel like going anymore, but my doctor told me, get back in the gym it will help…and it has. I went where I knew I was comfortable and could get the best help. Jon got me back on track, explained that I will feel better. I needed to change my workout for what my needs are now…and he did just that. After going over all my issues and needs we got started on diet and personal weight training sessions that really made the difference for me, getting the attention I needed to my personal issues keep me focused and determined.

Within 4 weeks my legs and back were feeling much better. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of getting back to the gym and still do. Now 6 months later I’ve lost 32 lbs and 28 inches! I continue to get all the support I need from the coaches and staff at Boost FitClub. They answer any questions I have and are always willing to help when I need to tweak my routine. They’re a great team.

–P. LaRocco

There just isn’t enough room to say everything needed to praise Boost FitClub for what they have done for me.
I am still me, just significantly stronger, faster, healthier and happier. I am now able to do things that before finding Boost FitClub, I couldn’t do. I’ll never be that person again.

Is there anything in life you can say that about? How often do we learn something that permanently changes us for the better, in such a profound way? The coaching and advice I received from Tarik and the Boost FitClub Team is unparalleled.

–Robb Mauk

I think it is important for other moms like me to hear these things:

After my 3rd pregnancy, I found it almost impossible to lose my “baby weight”. I tried exercising at home–using my elliptical machine, walking in the neighborhood, following workout DVDs–but nothing seemed to work! After 2 years of trying to lose the weight on my own, I finally decided to go to the experts at Boost Fit Club. I’ll never forget my first few sessions with my coach, Jon Sexton. He drew up an individualized meal plan and workout routine for me, both of which I thought were going to be impossible to follow. I tried to come up with excuses for not sticking to the diet or completing my workout, but Jon refused to let me sell myself short. He just kept encouraging me and insisting that I give it my best effort. With his support, I stuck with my diet and my workout schedule and, within 8 weeks, I lost 12 pounds! It has been 14 months since I began working out at Boost and I am now too small for some of my pre-pregnancy clothes! In addition to the change in my body, I now sleep better, feel more confident, get fewer illnesses, and have a better outlook on life than I did before I started working out at Boost. I feel stronger and healthier than I have at any point in my life–and I am about to turn 40 years old next month!

Because of the positive and profound changes it has made in my life, exercise is now a consistent part of my daily routine–and Boost Fit Club’s awesome childcare program makes it much easier for me to fit my workout into my schedule! My children enjoy playing in the “Lil’ Boosters” room and meeting new friends. They also love coming to visit some of their favorite Boost Fit Club employees like “Ms. Bekah” and “Mr. RC”. I strongly believe that the positive experiences they are having at Boost will make them more likely to find a gym “home” when they are adults. And speaking of gym “home”, it now feels as if many of the Boost Fit Club employees and clients are part of my extended family. They are always there to give you a smile or an encouraging hug, share supportive words, or praise you for your accomplishments. My personal experiences at Boost Fit Club prove that it truly isn’t just a membership, it is a lifestyle–and a wonderful lifestyle it is indeed!

–Jennifer Smith

Weight Loss Without Gimmicks

My struggle with weight began at an early age. I was an inactive child with very unhealthy eating habits. I steadily gained weight until reaching 200 lbs as a freshman in high school. It was then that I decided to take charge and went on a crash diet losing 60 lbs in 10 months. This rapid, unhealthy weight loss caused me to lose fat but also most of my muscle. Once I began to eat again my metabolism was so slow that I began to gain weight immediately. This pattern of weight gain followed by crash diets continued for most of the next 15 years.

After moving to Nashville 16 years ago, I joined a gym because both of my parents developed high blood pressure and diabetes in their 30’s. I wanted to be healthy for my children. I began taking step aerobic classes three times a week but was self-conscious about my weight. I would try to discreetly exercise in the back of the crowded room. I started to feel better and my weight began to drop over the next year. Once I hit a plateau I asked trainer Jon Sexton what my next step should be. He encouraged me to try Spinning classes and I loved the intensity of the classes. I tried to spin at least three times a week and my weight continued to drop. After reaching another plateau I consulted with Jon who mentored me on proper nutrition and encouraged me to begin resistance training. It was while working with him that I learned the importance of consistent exercise. He also taught me that I would never have long term success without adding muscle to increase my metabolic rate. Jon stressed that fitness was a way of life and as long as you stay with it and make good food choices most of the time you will succeed. That is what helped me get off the weight gain/loss merry-go-round. I started to really love the feeling of being strong, fit and healthy and I wanted to help other people achieve their goals. Over the next few years I became a certified Spin instructor and personal trainer. I still love what I do! It is amazing to me that I feel stronger, healthier and more energetic than I did 17 years ago.

1. Don’t get discouraged if your weight loss is slow. You’re making a lifestyle change, and to last it has to be done slowly.
2. Seek help from professionals, like trainers and nutritionists, so you’re armed with the right information about weight loss.
3. Exercise with others–it’ll make you feel accountable for your workouts and motivate you when you need it.

–Mary Zic

More than a Testimonial

I’ve been going to gyms all my life; I consider myself a connoisseur to tell you the truth.  I’ve thought about putting a patent on the rating scale I created.  Ratio of cardio equipment to weight equipment, availability of said equipment, level of noise, amount of classes offered; all of these things factor into an optimal gym evaluation.  So…I didn’t expect much difference from Boost Fit Club than any other place I’d walked into.  It’s a gym, it has equipment, offers a show of the most fashionable spandex, and may smell a little funky at a certain hour.  I’m not trying to find the magic ten on the scale, I’m just trying to burn off the pizza I ate at lunch.

And here we have why I’m a connoisseur of gyms: I love pizza.  I don’t care what time of day it is, what mood I’m in, how much money I have…I literally gravitate towards the stuff.  There’s just something about tomato sauce on an exorbitant amount of puffed up bread with melted cheese sitting on top of it that calls to my stomach acids.  I’m sure it won’t come as a shock to you that this calling may have caused a bit of a weight problem for the majority of my life, hence the frequency of my visit to gyms.  For some reason though, I never could figure out why the gym didn’t balance out the pizza.  No matter what I did, I was still stuck in a body with three regularly formed fat rolls around my middle, and my eyes getting lost when I smiled because of the size of my cheeks.  Working out five times a week didn’t put a stop to what my friends and I fondly called the “truffle shuffle” after the kid in Goonies who I was very close in resemblance to when I danced.  While I appreciate the humor of having a trademark dance, I didn’t really want it to be that one, so I figured I’d spend the money and give personal training a try.

I still have the message on my phone of my trainer calling to set up the first appointment.  Thickly coated in an accent, the call was a reminder that he was looking forward to meeting with me and going over the initial assessment on Wednesday at 4:30am.  I was drinking water at the time I was listening to the message.  I spit it out.  The first thing that came into my head was a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger squeezing one of those pressure balls laughing loudly before chugging an energy drink after he just bench pressed a Doberman.  I thought about calling back and saying they have the wrong number, but the prospect of getting to see the sunrise before my premature death after torture was something I was curious about.  I’ll spare you the suspense and say that he didn’t torture me, but the body fat caliper sure does resemble something you might see in a dungeon.

I think I may have wanted to cry a little bit on that first session.  It wasn’t just the pain of the first workout as my muscles were shocked into obedience, but how embarrassing it was to see all my stats lined up in one place.  On one piece of paper, I had to look at very clear picture of the person I was lost in.  Yes, pizza tastes good, but feeling held back from your potential sucks.  I had dreams of running a marathon before I died, and I wasn’t going to get there with Papa John’s on my speed dial.  Did I want to make a change?  Yes.  Was I finally ready to work for it?  Yes.  But as I looked into my trainers’ eyes as he spoke of the high success rate, I admit that I was doubtful.  I was on a first name basis with the delivery guy after all.

And this is really where the story starts to change.  The brilliance of working with Boost Fit Club is really their mission statement: “It’s not a gym, it’s a lifestyle.”  I snickered when I first read that, but it’s really what sets them apart, and why they have so many success stories to brag on.  For someone like me, it wasn’t about someone just showing me how to work out.  I didn’t need a bunch of charts on caloric intake or a lecture about the benefits of vitamins.  I needed someone to walk with me as I learned a different way to live.  I only knew one way up to that point, and clearly, it wasn’t the way I wanted.  My trainer understood that.  He didn’t placate me with pithy remarks about what I should be doing, but invested himself in the journey.  That’s what Boost is about.  They are not simply people out to make money, or build a reputation, or put in a 9-5 before they can earn a vacation.  They really want to change lives.  And they’ll do anything to give you the chance to change yours.  I have asked a million questions, complained until his ears were probably sore, dropped sweat all over his nice shoes, and not once has my trainer ever offered me less than a genuine smile of support.  I’ll tell you, it was that smile that kept me fighting to my goal.  Whether it gave me the euphoria of being proud of myself, or in moments of pain taunted me in to doing the impossible, it was the thing I needed when I felt like giving up.

After training, yes, I’ve lost around 40 pounds, yes, I’ve run my first half-marathon and am moving on to the second, yes, I feel better about myself and all that mushy stuff.  But mushy stuff doesn’t last very long if you don’t know how to keep it.  Boost Fit Club teaches you how to keep it.  Reaching into the refrigerator is not a fight of willpower anymore, cooking is not a chore, and I don’t think I would recognize a pizza guy from a mailman these days.  All the things that held me back aren’t just pushed into a corner where they can hide until I get bored again… this is who I am now.  This is the person I always wanted to be but didn’t think I had the strength to form.  And I owe it all to Tarik.

So, if you want to just traipse around and check out the latest Nike fashions, I’m sure you could find any place fairly close to where you live to do that.  Maybe you want to have a chat on the phone while you do a couple reps, save yourself the trouble and get some free weights and a headset.  But if you’ve never been comfortable in your skin, and you never thought you could be, but you want to, call these guys.  I promise that slogan is not just a cheesy tagline.  It’s my voice, and all the other people who have Boost Fit Club to thank for giving them a chance to be something greater, and to have a lot of fun doing it.

–Christina Underwood