By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
File photo/Valerie Franchi
Westborough – It seems every day there is yet another gym or program opening up that promises to help you lose weight. At the two Get in Shape for Women studios owned by sisters Jody Chaffee and Toni Parr, in Northborough and Westborough, respectively, there is a different philosophy. They are not interested in just helping you lose weight but rather want to give you the tools to empower your life through body transformation. So while that might mean weight loss; getting overall healthier physically, emotionally and mentally, so that you can live the life you are meant to have, is key.
The Get in Shape for Women (GISFW) business model is based on four core principles: weight training, high intensity interval cardio training, nutrition and accountability.
But there is a fifth element – the relationships with personal trainers – that is really the key to the studio’s success, according to Chaffee.
“As soon as a woman starts here, we say ‘welcome to the family,’ and we mean it,” she said.
“We are not just a gym where you come in and we take your money and then no one interacts with you,” she said. “We get to really know you, what your goals are and what your particular challenges are. We really care about you as a person.”
The small, intimate studios are set up with cardio machines, including elliptical machines and treadmills, as well as free weights, kettle bells, medicine balls and strength machines.
Clients sign up for specific times, usually three times a week, for workouts. During the first 30 minutes a trainer will lead a small class of one to four women for weight training. The next 30 minutes are dedicated to cardio and high-intensity interval training.
“There are only eight women at the most working out at any time,” Chaffee said. “You don’t get lost in a big gym and there’s always someone to help you and motivate you.”
In addition to workouts, the staff will work with you on a nutrition plan, including taking into account any dietary requirements you may have. The plan emphasizes six balanced meals per day, one every 2-3 hours, six days per week, with one “free day.”
Accountability is an important part of the program, Chaffee said, so clients are weighed each week and body fat assessed monthly to ensure you are staying on track.
“If you follow this plan, it will work 100 percent of the time,” Chaffee said.
There is a “Wall of Fame” that displays clients’ testimonials that include before and after pictures and their success stories.
Seminars and special workshops on topics such as nutrition and stretching are also held on occasion. The studios also host fun events for clients such as “paint nights” at a local studio and holiday parties.
GISFW’s philosophy of family also extends outside of the studio. Clients and trainers participate in events such as the Turkey Trot held in Westborough last November that benefited local organizations and a clothing drive that was held for Abby’s House in Worcester.
This June the Westborough location will celebrate its seventh anniversary while the Northborough studio opened three and a half years ago.
Get in Shape for Women is located at 45 E. Main St. (Route 30), Westborough, and 318 Main St. (Route 20), Northborough.
For more information, visit www.getinshapeforwomen.com or call 508-329-1406 (Westborough), and 508-466-8529 (Northborough).
