Joan Brame may not know your name when you walk into Empower Fitness, but she certainly will before you leave.
“We really work hard on developing a connection with our members,” said Brame, co-owner of Empower Fitness along with her husband, Stephen. “It’s very much a community atmosphere. The classes we have are very small, so people can get to know each other and the instructor.”
In 2004, the Brames became the owners of a women’s fitness center franchise, but after five years, decided it was time to be more independent.
On July 6, 2009, the facility doors reopened at a new location with a new name: Empower Fitness.
“The major change at that time was to really expand our mission,” Brame said. “Our mission has always been to improve the health of women in our community, but we wanted to expand our focus to include a mind, body, spirit focus. We wanted to include that it’s about much more than just coming in and exercising, because it’s very multifaceted.”
As part of the ‘mind, body, spirit’ focus, Empower Fitness has expanded its classes to include things like meditation, yoga and tai chi. Members (and nonmembers) can even partake of Reiki and various types of massages in the new ‘Healing Room.’
“We really worked hard at coming up with a name that represents how we feel about health, and we think that name denotes strength, because our mission is to empower women to get healthier,” Brame said.
Part of the way the staff seeks to empower women is through the business’s programs and continuing health education. In October, members could attend workshops to learn about emotional eating, breast health and flat-tummy foods.
And a jump start program helps keep members on target for the goals they set for themselves. Upon joining, members receive a full assessment and customized workout and nutrition plan. The program continues with regular reviews to measure progress or adjust goals.
“It’s all directed towards connecting people here,” Brame said. “In this business, getting people to come in and exercise is the hardest [part].”
Brame said that’s why Empower Fitness is such a community-based business. About half of the facility’s members are from Lawrence, but the rest are from other towns. Brame herself lives “right around the corner” from the fitness center.
Less than a year after ending a 32-year career in which she worked first as a faculty member at the Rutgers Graduate School of Social Work, then as an administrator at a Trenton hospital, Brame was ready to become a business owner.
“I retired at the age of 55, and I felt there was another life in me,” Brame said. “I always wanted to own my own business, and I loved physical fitness.”
Empower Fitness is located in the Lawrence Shopping Center at 2495 U.S. 1 at Texas Ave. in Lawrence. It is open on Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon.
More information is online at empowerfitnessnj.com. Phone: (609) 882-4500.
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