5 Year Red Carpet Celebration!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

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“Ceeeeee-le-brate good times, c’mon!”

No, it’s not just a corny song you hear at weddings.  Empower is celebrating its fifth anniversary!

Join us for our red carpet event on September 20th and 21st.  Details can be found here.

We’ll be celebrating all the way through September with some great promotions as a means to reward our outstanding clients.  You can purchase a 60 minute massage for $50 or purchase a 5 class pass card for only $50!

Finally, look out for our new Flip camera as we’ll be recording footage of our clients giving testimonials and doing exercises (with permission of course).

Empower Celebrates 5 Years in Business

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This September Empower will be celebrating 5 years in business. Jessica and I are so excited that we have achieved this milestone, and we are so thankful for our wonderful staff and clients that have made it possible. We are planning to celebrate the entire month of September with specials and promotions, but we will take a little time out on September 20 and 21 to honor you, our loyal and trusted clients for your support. More details will be made available in the coming days, but you can take a sneak peek and learn more about the 5 year celebration by clicking here.

Before we look forward to the future of Empower, I wanted to take just a few minutes to look back at the last 5 years. For those of you who were around in 2005 you may remember how it all started, but for those of you that have joined the Empower team in the last few years you may not know much about our history. So here it goes…

The concept of Empower Personal Training is the long time vision of Jessica Bottesch and Ronda (Michaels) Williams. We started way back in 1993 as freshmen year suitemates at UNC (Go Heels) and we became fast friends and study partners. We used to spend late nights studying together and our study sessions would often drift to conversations about opening a sports medicine facility once we were out of school. Fast forward a few years – Jessica received her Master’s degree in Sports Medicine, and I went on to get my Master’s degree in Sports Management. In 2003 our vision really started to come together and we started to brainstorm having our own facility. By this time our experiences had taken us both in the direction of personal training and overall wellness so our concept shifted a little from an outpatient rehab facility to a studio environment that focuses on total health and wellness.

The next year or so we brainstormed names for our company and worked with a close friend to design our logo. Finally in early 2005 we got really serious about realizing our dream. We cranked out a business plan and began searching for an ideal location. We found our current location, and it immediately felt like the right fit for our business. We went through the process of lease negotiations and studio up fit and by Sept. 2005 we opened our 3000 sq. ft. studio with two employees – Jessica and me.

If you were around in 2005, you’ll remember that Jessica and I did everything ourselves – we trained, we marketed, we answered phones and we even served as the cleaning crew (albeit for only one week). You might remember that we used to schedule appointments the old fashioned way – with good ole paper and pencil and date book at the front desk. My how things have changed and we are now able to leverage technology and provide online scheduling and billing services through our state of the art, industry leading software MindBody.

Slowly things started to pick up and we were in need of additional staff to handle the increased business. Let me just throw in a side note here, but Jessica and I personally think we have the best staff in the area. If it were not for our dedicated team of professionals we would have never made it this far, and we are eternally grateful for the loyal staff members we’ve had over the years. At this point we have 12 personal trainers, 2 registered dietitians, 1 massage therapist and 2 group fitness instructors on our staff for a total of 17 employees.

At our two year mark in 2007 it started to become apparent that we were running out of space in our current digs so we expanded into the contiguous 1000 square feet. We added a few more pieces of equipment, but mostly what we needed was more space for our expanding client base. If you currently train at Empower you know that the long runway in front of the cardio equipment can seem endless if you are pushing the sled or doing inchworms or walking lunges the entire way. Again we owe it all to our wonderful clients for making the first expansion a reality.

Jessica and I are excited as we pause and reflect on Empower’s growth and success over the past 5 years. We thank you – clients, staff, family and friends for supporting us as we realize our vision to “Empower people and communities to lead stronger, healthier, happier lives.”

Stay tuned for more details about the 5 year Red Carpet Celebration and for more information about Empower’s plans for growth as we pass this milestone anniversary.

Packing Tasty and Healthy Lunches for the Whole Family

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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Packing your meals used to be a must if you wanted to eat while you were away from home. Nowadays, many people leave their homes without giving a second thought as to what they’ll eat during the day. While there are many options out there, I’ll bet not many people can claim their drive-through experiences are anything to rave about.

Same goes for our kids who eat from the school cafeteria. Few of them can say they love the food options they have. Is it worth it to rethink your lunch situation?

I think so, if :
1. You enjoy a good meal – definition of a good meal: satisfying, flavorful, and with a fresh look and taste.
2. You look at meals as the perfect pick me up for your day – wondering why your energy level heads for a nose dive in the middle of the afternoon?
3. You are health-minded – you want to eat better to feel better and promote optimal health.

Let’s take a fresh look at packing our meals first by breaking out of the mindset that packed lunches are ‘what I do when I’m dieting or trying to save money’.

While you may lose weight and save money if you go from a drive-through lunch to a packed lunch, I’d like you to consider packing your lunch primarily because you like to eat well. Eating well should be something we experience most days of the week rather than something reserved for only a couple of days of the week. After all, eating well nourishes our bodies, leaves us feeling energized, mentally alert, and ready to continue our day with a good attitude rather than a heavy stomach.

I’ll give you two other reasons why packing your lunch is the way to go. First, you get to eat what you like or at least what you say you like and how you like it. What am I talking about? So many of my clients report liking to eat good tasting, fresh food yet their days are filled with heavily processed meals in which we’d be hard-pressed to find a fresh veggie or a piece of fruit.

Second, you can enjoy more of your lunchtime to EAT, TAKE A BREAK, AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. In our hurried lives, we find ourselves yearning for ways to carve out a little bit of time to take care of ourselves. Have you considered doing this in the middle of the day? Try it and you may find how renewing it is. Think of what you can do with that extra time during the middle of the day – you can go for a walk, schedule a workout, spend some time in thoughtful meditation or simply just BE. Packing your lunch could give you more time to enjoy eating your meal and take an actual break during lunch free of driving or waiting in line.

Join me on Saturday, August 28th at Noon to get fresh ideas on how to pack a satisfying meal for you and your family, what to pack, and most importantly how to tailor this practice to fit into your life. Reserve your spot by registering online or call the studio at (919) 401-8024.

Monica Gulisano, LDN, RD
Monica is a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist at Empower Personal Training. She has extensive experience formulating evidenced-based nutrition interventions for people of diverse backgrounds, varying health status, and across the lifespan.

Back to School

Friday, August 20, 2010

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WOOHOOOOOO!!!! That’s what I said the day I got my first automobile – a mustard yellow 1992 Ford F-150…what a classic. It’s what my wife screamed as she held her hands up towards the sky going down Splash Mountain at Disney World this summer. And kids, that’s also what your parents say when its time for you to go back to school. Just kidding! but not really

Yes, it is that time of the year again. Time to put away the boogie boards, board shorts, and suntan lotion, and dust off the trusty backpack and trapper keeper…do people still use those? Got all of your school supplies and new school gear? Pens, pencils, and the biggest pack of Crayola crayons you can find? I remember back when I was the first kid in school to get the 128 pack. I thought I was so cool with my robin’s egg blue and burnt sienna. Good times. But I digress.

Anyway, the point is that the beginning of the school year usually brings about a great deal of change, and change, while often good, can be quite stressful. The stress and anticipation about the upcoming school year, if not managed properly, can pose quite the challenge to one’s health and wellness. This is true whether you preparing for your first day of kindergarten, middle school, or even your senior year. And parents, I probably don’t have to go out on a limb to tell you that you’ll probably be feeling some of the anxiety too.

Therefore, it’s important that we do our best to manage back to school stress by focusing on things that we can do to improve our well being. But that’s easier said than done, right? If you are looking for a few cool tips though, then check out this article. (link) It discusses back to school health and how parents can take steps to ensure their children are well rested, energized, and fully prepared for the rigors of the school year – just like our friend Billy Madison.

Jamie Ives MA, CSCS, Master Trainer

Jamie has several years of experience in the fitness industry, working with clients of various ages, ability levels, and health conditions. He enjoys using his knowledge as well as his experience in exercise prescription and program design to help each of his clients reach their individual wellness goals and improve their quality of life.  For more information about Empower Personal Training, please call (919) 401-8024.

The Empower Team

Thursday, August 19, 2010

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I work with a bunch of characters.  Each trainer has a different style and unique personality.

Some call Mike Babbitt the Drill Sargent.  One of his clients sarcastically asked Mike “wouldn’t it be great if we did an entire workout with just the air dyne, burpees, and spartan tire flips?”  Mike made him do it in their next session.

At first glance Jamie Ives seems like a quiet, reserved fellow.  Get to know him a little better and you’ll discover he has a wicked sense of humor.  He’ll deploy an awesome workout while he has you in tears laughing at his jokes.  It’s common to see Jamie lip-syncing the lyrics to music playing on the radio.  His favorites are Creed and Savage Garden.

Gena Coleman is a character like no other.  Look over while she has a client doing a set and you may see her correcting form.  Look again when the form has been corrected and you’ll probably see her break out some sweet dance moves.

Tom Stafford is a funny dude eager to hit you with a funny joke or a magic trick.  He’ll ask you trivia questions in the middle of a hard set.  He’ll tell you about how tennis shoes are ruining the world.  He’ll play you a funny answering machine message featuring his daughter growling.  Tom likes medicine balls, TRX straps, and full contact crab walk soccer.

Julie King is the queen of charisma.  She’ll teach you proper exercise mechanics and then translate something into Mandarin for you.  I’ve seen her have a group of kids exercise for an hour and love every minute.

We don’t see her very often but Katy Harris has been here longer than any other trainer.  She sets the standard for customer service and dedication.

Come to Empower in the morning and you’ll find Patty Shoaf.  Patty is bursting with personality and training knowledge.  Greet her and you’ll receive a smile and a devastatingly hard handshake.

I haven’t known Aaron Hornstra for very long but I can tell he’ll fit right in here.  This guy is clean-cut, punctual, witty, and the second all time leading scorer on his high school basketball team.

Michael Whitehurst runs many of the day-to-day operations around here.  He’s fun, reliable, and knows how to brew a great raspberry cider.

Ronda and Jessica started Empower Personal Training five years ago.  They have established a fantastic environment for people to achieve their health and wellness goals.  We have a special team of trainers, nutrition counselors, massage therapists, yoga and pilates instructors that are educated, certified, and ready to provide great service.

Paul Piracci, CSCS Professional Trainer

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.