Whatever your health and wellness goals, My Personal Trainer can take you there
By Mary Malik
Alot can change in a month. And for the clients of My Personal Trainer in Mentor, the one month the fitness center has been open is all it took to get them on their personal paths toward health and fitness.
Owner Mike Adkins has his own fitness story that began two years ago, when he found himself overweight with high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes at age 42.
“My career at the time kept me somewhat active but I didn’t take my health and fitness very seriously,” says Mike. “The looming threat of Covid-19 scared me because I knew I wouldn’t fight it well if I got it.”
Mike’s wife is a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, and he knew there was a good chance the virus was coming home.
“I started getting in shape by running laps up and down the driveway, watching what I ate and adding more cardio,” says Mike. “I did pretty well but hit that dreaded plateau and couldn’t lose any more weight.”
After researching the best workouts for someone with Type 2 diabetes, Mike learned that adopting a strength training regimen could help him break through his weight loss plateau.
“This worked for me,” says Mike. “It was an all-around workout that was easy on my joints and made me feel stronger, not exhausted.”
After becoming certified in exercise science, getting his personal fitness certificate in strength and conditioning, and receiving his International Sports Science Association (ISSA) degree, Mike became a personal trainer at the My Personal Trainer location in Strongsville and saw how this 20-minute workout two times a week is helping people reach their goals without taking over their lives.
“When the opportunity presented itself to open a My Personal Trainer in Mentor, I jumped at the chance because this style of workout matched up with what had helped me to reach my goals. I believed in the philosophy behind it because it worked for me,” says Mike. “We’ve now been open one month and have clients ranging in age from 24 years old to 78 years young.”
Mike says that this broad age range represents part of the philosophy behind My Personal Trainer.
“The weight machines we use here are geared toward meeting each client at their personal ability,” says Mike. “We can start from zero if that’s what you can do when we start. Then we move up when you’re ready. We meet you where you are and progress from there.”
The progression of Mike’s clients in one month is impressive. One client lost 9.8 pounds just in May working with Mike, and, yes, just twice each week for 20 minutes.
“Another client isn’t interested in weight loss as much as gaining muscle and getting leaner,” says Mike. “She is a runner who has had a 2.6 percent loss in body fat and 2.8-pound increase in muscle mass.”
No matter what your personal goals are, Mike and his two additional trainers will develop a program just for you that will isolate certain areas of the body to increase muscle, tone and tighten or help you lose those stubborn pounds.
“Make no mistake, you’ll work hard for those 20 minutes,” says Mike. “We like to joke with clients that you can do anything for 20 minutes, right? Why not spend them reaching your wellness goals?”
My Personal Trainer is located at 7448 Mentor Avenue, in Mentor. For more information check the website, OhioMyPersonalTrainer.com. To schedule your free first session, call 440-306-8788.