Lauren Albert was at a point in her life when she wasn’t getting much exercise. She had several friends who were members at The Max Challenge in West Windsor, and they had good things to say about it. So she decided to give it a try.
The Max Challenge is a five-day-a-week, ten-week program for people who are looking to improve their fitness levels, learn about better nutrition, and lose weight. Classes take place five days a week for 45 minutes a session at a licensed franchise of The Max Challenge.
Halfway through her first challenge, Albert was feeling great about the effect the program was having on her mind and body. “It’s a lifestyle,” she said. “You can’t change your life just by doing 45 minutes a day of exercise. You have to have a total commitment to getting fit and eating right. The Max Challenge instills that.”
Albert was so impressed by the program that she and her husband, Paul, decided to buy a franchise of their own. They opened The Max Challenge in the Pennington Shopping Center in April, offering classes five times a weekday: at 5, 6 and 9 in the morning, and at 6 and 7:30 at night.
They said that response from the community has been great so far. Ten-week challenges start periodically through the year — the next one begins at the end of June — but members can join at any time. Membership is good for one 10-week challenge.
Albert said when new members join in the middle of a challenge, they find it easy to get into the flow. Exercises get progressively more challenging throughout the cycle, but each exercise is designed so that people of all fitness levels can train together. Albert leads some of the classes, while others are led by trainers on staff who have been certified by The Max Challenge.
“We don’t consider ourselves a gym, and we’re not a weight loss center,” Albert said. “We’re a transformation center. We say to people, ‘Stay off the scale. You’ll know when things are changing.’”
Fitness is just one element of The Max Challenge. Going hand in hand with that is a nutrition component. From the start, members learn about the right foods to eat, in the right proportions and at the right times. The program is seen not as a diet but as a way of educating members as to how to live longer and healthier lives.
“It’s all based on people going to the same supermarkets they always go to, but making it really clear what and how to eat,” Paul said. “No processed foods, a lot of fruits and vegetables. It’s not paleo, it’s not low carb, but there are elements of that. Most of all, we want to make sure they’re not hungry.” Once a week, members get “treat meals,” where they can eat whatever you want.
The five-day-a-week schedule gives some prospective members pause. But Lauren cites Brian Klein, the founder of The Max Challenge, in response. “Brian Klein would say, well, you brush your teeth every day,” she said. “People find that once they get started, they get addicted to it. It just becomes a habit.”
Such a habit, the Alberts said, that many legacy members who have completed one 10-week challenge immediately sign up for another. “It’s a thing we say: ‘Count your challenges,’” Lauren said. “The results are so good that they keep coming back for more.”
The Alberts certainly have gone back for more. While Lauren was still a member at the West Windsor location, she encouraged Paul to give it a try. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea because he had recently had knee replacement surgery.
“I went to my orthopedist and said, ‘Would it be all right if I tried this?’ and he said, ‘Absolutely not,’” Paul recalled. “But I did it anyway.”
After he had completed the challenge, he went back to the doctor for another visit. The doctor examined his knee and asked him what kind of exercise regimen he had been following. Paul told him that he had stuck with The Max Challenge.
“He said, ‘Well, whatever it is, keep it up,’” Paul said. “I had more flexibility and strength in the knee than before the surgery.”
The Alberts live in Princeton Junction. Paul retired from a sales and distribution job with Red Bull last year. Before that, he worked in a similar position for Coors. During his time with Coors he met Lauren, who was also working for the beverage giant.
They married, and in 2000, after the birth of their daughter Sydney, Lauren took time off to take care of the baby. In 2004, with Lauren eager to return to professional life, the couple opened Sydney Albert Salon Spa in West Windsor, in the Whole Foods shopping center, which they still own and operate.
“We love the salon and spa industry,” Lauren said. “This is another opportunity for us to do something very fulfilling.”
The Max Challenge, 25 Route 31, Pennington. Phone: (609) 303-3012. www.themaxchallenge.com.
,
