Strength and conditioning – physical, mental and most importantly the strength that is flexed from within – is brought front and center at EnerG Fitness of New Era and Pentwater.
Gaby Peterson, owner of the “get fit, feel better” health centers, said she looks forward to helping people realize their health-related goals every day.
“We want our classes to be inviting, motivating and a little challenging,” said Gaby. “We want you to have fun with it, but we also want you to challenge yourself and gently push yourself past your comfort level and that’s where we build resilience, strength, and courage. I invite people to try us out. I feel that every person should be able to move in a way that fits their body, in a way that compliments their body and in a way that they enjoy. I want them to look at fitness more as a lifestyle, rather than something that they have to do.
Collectively between the 2 studios, we have over 10 different fitness and yoga classes. Including ‘total body burn’ which focuses on the extremities – your lower, your upper and your core. We have a class that focuses just on building that core foundation. We have a class that focuses on the lower area that we call ‘butts and guts.’
Another class we offer is HIIT - high intensity interval training. With interval training you work for an extended period of time - 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off. Most of it is cardio based, but we also incorporate strength in there. The method behind it is to be able to work through the 30 seconds and then allow your body a little bit of time to recover, and then restart. We also offer a variety of yoga classes. And many more classes good for all levels.
Gaby said she became motivated to open her own fitness center to benefit those living in Oceana County and the surrounding areas, so those residents didn’t have to travel far to receive quality fitness mentoring.
“I was a stay-at-home mom and I had to travel to Muskegon just to get into some fitness classes at the time,” said Gaby. “It was nice, but I felt like between the drive and then getting back home it was just a really long time – too long – spent in my car. I felt a lot of pressure to get there, and to get back, so I just decided to bring that into our area.”
So, Gaby opened her first fitness center in New Era. Then, two years ago, she opened another in neighboring Pentwater.
“I wanted a place closer to home, where I could create accountability” she said. “I always found that working out was a lot more fun and enjoyable when I had somebody to do it with. We also partner with some local businesses to promote events, and we do a lot of workshops related to fitness.
“I, personally, enjoy yoga and strength training. There are different benefits to each type of workout. Strength training really allows a person to increase their bone density, especially as your body begins to age. And yoga helps with flexibility and balance, and also mental awareness in general. I love being able to help inspire self awareness and encourage people to live their best life.
“Our clients are really good at letting us know their limitations, so we offer modifications. If somebody might have an injury, or a previous injury, and they let us know, we’ll offer them modifications to their workout