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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Brenda Dahm (center) owner of 4 Ever Fit Personal Training Studio, sits with personal trainers Carrie York (left) and Audrey Geraty. The studio opened last month and focuses on an allover healthy lifestyle for their clients.
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New personal training center opens
By AMY JENKINS
With 2002 just beginning, many people have made a New Year's resolution to stay in shape, get back into shape or just improve their health. It may be a little easier for Cupertino residents to reach their goals this year with the grand opening of a new personal training studio--called 4 Ever Fit, located at 10675 S. De Anza Blvd.
Unlike most gyms, which have membership fees, long waits for exercise equipment, and few instructors around to show members how to use weight machines, 4 Ever Fit provides personal one-on-one training that aims to avoid all these problems. At this personal training studio, each new client is paired with one of the six nationally certified trainers, who will help set and meet goals, says Brenda Dahm, owner and certified personal trainer.
"Oftentimes if someone didn't have a personal trainer they wouldn't go work out because they aren't motivated," Dahm says. "The trainers here all have talent regardless of how long they have been training. They all have great personalities, form a personal relationship with their clients and are good motivators."
With a clientele ranging in age from 19 to 75, there are a variety of physical goals and motivations. Dahm says her internist refers patients with blood pressure, cholesterol and weight problems to her. She says gynecologists often tell their patients to work out because weight lifting helps build bone density at any age.
Dahm says a 71-year-old client of hers has been lifting weights with her for close to a year and she is excited to see her bone density increase so much when she visits her doctor.
"When she grabs things off the shelf it is much easier because she is stronger," Dahm says.
There are six personal trainers at the studio and each has expertise with a certain way of training. Personal trainer Andrew Ransome has earned a master's degree in exercise physiology, won the American College of Sports Medicine Health and Fitness Instructor Award, and believes that strength and conditioning are essential for participation in and the enjoyment of athletic endeavors. Other trainers specialize in building muscles, toning muscles, stretching and posture, Dahm says.
"We use functional training, which means to replicate how the body naturally moves in daily life, as well as machine strengthening and core stabilization, which means strengthening the trunk and improving balance," Dahm says.
Dahm has her own reasons for being so involved in physical fitness. She says in 1998 she lost 65 pounds and left a desktop publishing job because she decided to help other people achieve their weight loss goals, she says. She holds a Personal Trainer Certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as a Lifestyle and Weight Management Certification from the American Council on Exercise.
"I used to not be able to do the things I enjoy now, like snow shoeing in the Tahoe forest preserve and hiking, because I didn't have enough energy," Dahm says. "I made the decision that I was tired of being tired and I wanted to enjoy life to the fullest, with more energy."
Other clients seek physical fitness to be able to build endurance so they can see sights on a trip and not feel sluggish when they travel, says personal trainer Carrie York. She says people want to be able to go to the beach and have energy to play Frisbee instead of just lying on the sand.
York says fitness has medical benefits as well as cosmetic ones.
"When I had surgery the doctor told me it went smoothly because I have a low level of fat. We want people to not get to the point that a doctor has to tell them to work out."
For more information about 4 Ever Fit, call 408.873.8483. The second Saturday of every month, starting in February, the community is welcome to participate in a group walk, run or hike that will take place at different local sights. These events are free of charge and a carpool is available from the studio.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
