When husband and wife Aaron and Christine Leventhal decided to share their knowledge and love of fitness with others, it was important to them to do it in a space where everyone would feel comfortable. In 2002, they founded FIT Studio in St. Louis Park.
“We just wanted to help people – that's really at the heart of what we do,” says Christine. “Fitness can be really intimidating, so we figured out a way to make it less uncomfortable and more enjoyable.”
They also want people to see results, and as two former athletes (he was a professional soccer player with the Minnesota Thunder and she was an NCAA Division I track and field player), they know what needs to be done and how to do it. Aaron also has a degree in health and fitness and has acquired multiple fitness certifications over the years, as has Christine.
“We believe in three pillars of fitness, which create a sustainable practice,” says Aaron. “The first pillar is connection, and by that I mean you have to be excited about what you’re doing. You should look forward to it, whether it's going for a hike or going to the gym. You can create this connection in many different ways. One of them is with a good coach, another is a great community, and another may be competition and camaraderie.”
The second pillar, he explains, is to have people become critical thinkers and gain knowledge during their fitness journey. The third is progression.
“Especially as we age, we have to think about changing the way we train and move in order to continue to progress, because we're seeing such a decline in our hormone levels and losing muscle abundance.”
In order to instill these pillars, people have to have trust in the person coaching them. “In order to gain that trust, we really have to understand and care about what they want and what their fears are, and then let them know that we’ve probably seen it before and understand it entirely,” says Christine.
Adds Aaron, “The beauty of coaching is really understanding where somebody is and what drives them, and then we can help them gradually increase their intensity, but there has to be that trusting relationship.”
The number one goal for most of their clients is to lose weight, and of course the couple will help them do that. “But, we also want people to understand that there is more to health, wellness and fitness than just the way we look, especially as we age,” he says. “Instead, they need to ask themselves, ‘How does this practice affect my ability to live longer and have an active lifestyle?’ So we shift that focus from the more external ‘How do I look? How much do I weigh?’ to something that is more internal such as ‘How do I feel about myself? How does this practice affect my daily life?’”
Most new clients go through what they call a six-week transformation program. Their introduction to movement starts with a meeting and orientation with a coach, and then a nutrition meeting. After that, they’ll start training one-on-one or in a small group before progressing into a larger group. Doing it in steps, they say, allows clients to feel more comfortable and confident.
To get the best results, they recommend clients come in three times a week for a 45 to 60 minute session each time. “We give them four really distinct things that they need to hit their goals,” says Aaron. “One, they have to follow the nutrition plan we lay out for them. Two, they have to show up for their workouts. Three, they have to track their body weight weekly, and then four, they have to communicate. If they follow these four things, they will lose weight.”
FIT Studio also offers fitness challenges throughout the year, and the next one is the fall challenge happening in November. This challenge is set up to help people get through a really tough part of the year when it comes to sticking with fitness goals.
Aaron also recently wrote a book to inspire others to start or continue their health and fitness journey. “It’s coming out in January and it’s called ‘The New Fit: How to Own Your Fitness in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond.’ It’s about how to engage with a meaningful movement practice as you age.”
The couple, who live in south Minneapolis and are thankful for both their business and family, have been married for 22 years and have four kids. “We met 25 years ago,” he says. “We were neighbors, but I didn’t know she was a twin, and I felt like I was seeing her everywhere. It took me a year to get up the guts to go up and introduce myself, and when I did, she was with her twin and they were dressed exactly the same. I was in shock.”
When asked how he chose Christine over her twin, Christine says she was the one who chose. “I kind of stepped right in front of my sister and said, ‘I got this.’”
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