March Member and Trainer Spotlight
A few times a week in the afternoon we hear his booming voice coming through the doors… “Where’s coach Brittany? Hi Coach David… Hi Coach Andrea, Coach Jim…” We love our members at the Parks Health and Fitness, but if we’re being honest we do play favorites every now and then. Michael Hayden Jr is one of our favorites because his energy is infectious.
His Dad, Michael Sr, came to The Parks last fall with a unique situation. His son Michael Jr was attending Holy Rosary High School. After they made some changes to their sports program he needed a place for Michael Jr to workout and someone to give him some instruction. His special son is 19, loves life, people and really wanted to continue learning about fitness. After speaking with the staff, Michael Jr was set up with our trainer Brittany Melerine.
It became clear very quickly that it was a perfect match. Michael has made tremendous strides in the last few months, losing weight and increasing his endurance and strength. Brittany describes his typical workout, “We always start with a dynamic warm up to get the muscles warm. From there, we typically start with some sort of cardio work and move on to strength and agility training. I try to keep it fun for him because I don’t want him to lose interest in exercising. I’m trying to teach him the importance of staying strong and healthy while dancing and having tickle fights!”
What’s been almost as impressive as Michael Jr’s physical progress is how he’s been showing others how important exercise is. Michael Sr is training a few days a week and according to Brittany and Michael Sr, Jr is setting an example for those around him. Michael Sr explains, “It can be a challenge to introduce Michael to a new setting. The kindness and affection show to Michael by the entire staff has boosted his confidence. He enjoys his training and we are very blessed to have Coach Brittany as part of his life.”
Trust us gentleman, we all feel the same way about both of you!
(Post by Fitness Director, Jim Fisher)