Cheryl Eckhoff, Fitness Center Manager and Personal Trainer

Cheryl comes to us from East Grand Forks, Minnesota where she was active as a fitness instructor and customer service rep.  At Snap Fitness Cheryl is both the club manager and personal trainer.  She has a true passion for fitness and helping others reach their fitness goals. 

Cheryl lives in Shakopee with her husband Rod.  They enjoying golfing, traveling and attending sporting events.

Scott and Melanie Needham, Owners

Scott and Melanie have owned and operated Snap Fitness Prior Lake since July of 2007.  "We are very passionate about health and fitness.  Our goals is to help members see results and reach their fitness goals.  We promise to always provide a clean and well maintained fitness center."

Scott and Melanie also own three other Snap Fitness'.  Two in Eagan (Cliff Lake Rd. and Duckwood Dr) and Inver Grove Heights.  All their clubs have managers and personal trainers that are dedicated to helping members reach their fitness goals.

 

Marty

My name is Marty Olson and I joined snap fitness the end of august 2010.  At the time I weighed 212 pounds which was the heaviest I have ever been.  I always have been able to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and never gained a pound.  Unfortunately that changed for me in my late 20’s.  I tried joining clubs many times before and never stuck to it long enough to see my results.  This time I committed to this 100 percent and have been working out 5 nights a week for 30 minutes on the elliptical each time.  I also have made small changes to my diet but not major ones just simple choices.  First I have given up pop all together and just drink water now.  Secondly if I eat out for lunch I get a low calorie subway lunch i.e.: the Jared diet J.  For dinner I have not really changed anything other than just controlling portion sizes and not going back for seconds.  With these simple changes in my diet and working out consistently every week on the elliptical I have lost 28 pounds in just a hair less than 3 months.  If I can do this anyone can because I always have been a picky eater and told myself I did not need to work out.  Now that I see the results I will not stop I am committed to a healthy lifestyle for me and my kids.  I feel completely energized for the first time in years and love the fact that people tell me how good I look now.  When other people notice that motivates me even more makes me feel good about myself.  Like I said if I can do it so can you J.

Paula

Hi my name is Paula Johnson and I joined Snap Fitness in November of 2008, after dealing with a lot of health issues, gastric bypass, shattered/broken femur and broken arm. I also had both knees replaced and the start of osteoporosis. I had been doing some minor workouts at the gym located at my employers, using the training instructions I received from rehab after breaking my leg. 

Then my employer gave me the option of working out of my home, this was a great opportunity and I jumped on it, but I also lost the use of the company gym. I knew I needed a place to continue exercising because sitting at a computer 10 hours a day is hard on your back and legs. Also after my weight reduction surgery I was informed that the surgery wasn't not a fix all, I still needed to continue to watch what I ate and exercise. I knew this was true because I had gained 50lbs back of the over 200lbs I had lost. I said I would never go back to that weight, and I was slipping back into my bad habits.

So Snap Fitness became my daily lunch break, not living very far away I could get in a 45 to 50 minute workout per day and at the same time have contact with other members. Then, after several months of my workouts the Snap location hired a new manager Cheryl, and we became friends. She helped my advance my workouts giving me instruction on balance exercises, weights and cardio; she then started classes which I worked into my schedule and really enjoy. I started getting stronger, my balance and endurance improved and my energy level increased. I have lost 30lbs of the 50 that I had gained and several inches. This has enabled me to wear the clothes that I wore at 50lbs lighter. This journey for me isn't all about weight loss, it is about being able to be active and healthy enjoying life.

Thanks Snap Fitness for having your center close by and hiring a Manager who truly cares about the wellness and success of your members.

 

Paula

Kathie

 

It is not just about weight loss

 

I started at Snap Fitness on a very cold day in Feb 2008.  I had just started recovering from an illness which had caused me to lose 25 pounds.  Now that I lost the weight-not a weight program I would recommend-I wanted some good to come out of it, so I decided to try out Snap, it was close to my house and open 24/7.

 

I fell in love with cardio. 

 

The first couple of weeks were rough, I didn't know how to turn on the machines and everyone else seemed so skilled and strong.  But I was persistent and soon I was going beyond 3 minutes on the arc trainer to 10, than 15 than averaging 30 minutes a day plus 30 minutes on the tread mill.  I got to know a few people and asked how to use the machines-everyone was so friendly-and started using some of the features of the machines.  The weight was staying off, my health was improving and I was meeting new people.  I was not being successful on the other machines-but who cares, and the weights-I was afraid to even walk by them.

 

I was content-I could do cardio forever

 

Then we got a manager/trainer, Cheryl, running the club.  The first big difference was the club was much cleaner.  After a few weeks, Cheryl was talking to me as I was working on the Arc trainer and quietly said to me, let go.  I looked at her in horror, she actually wanted me to let go when I was using the Arc trainer, and gasp, the tread mill.  I thought she was crazy, but to humor her, I took off one hand.  The next day I tried it without two hands, for a little while, soon it was no hands-I could feel my balance and core getting stronger.

 

There is always more to learn about your body

 

As Cheryl encouraged me to take on more challenges with the cardio machines, she also started talking about expanding my exercising into weights.  Really, this seemed way beyond me, weights are for body builders-not I and I love cardio-how can I give up the calorie burn of cardio for weights.

 

Cheryl kept talking about the benefits of strength training (and the long term calorie burn that goes into the next day) and not letting your body get bored.  I started listening and finally signed up for some personal training time.  I did not know anything about what my body was capable of doing, and it was so exciting to try and do new strength exercises.  I was feeling stronger.

 

Others noticed my progress; this was so encouraging as others saw I was improving in confidence and skill.

 

My goals were simple maintain my weight, get strong enough to chop wood and to start are very old lawn mower.  (I'm still not able to chop wood, but I'm maintaining my weight and I can start the lawn mower)

 

You can teach old dog new tricks

 

The strength training with cardio was helping me reach my goals.  But now Cheryl was going to offer classes.  I had never had any exercise classes before and was hesitant to do them but a group of us afternoon exercisers decided to give it a try.

 

Now, I was learning new exercises, getting advise on how to do the exercise right so I was making a visible difference to my body-people in the classes know that I can easily cheat and make it look good but get no benefit-of course I never fooled Cheryl.  She was patient with me and made me realize my taking short cuts was only hurting myself, sometimes you really do need to go slow to benefit.

 

I now added a new goal to my list; I wanted to be able to perform the exercises as elegantly as Cheryl, my hero.  And in some cases I have succeeded and in others not so much-but I no longer mind practicing to get it right.

 

Boot camp-is not scary, really it is not

When Cheryl offered boot camp this summer, I jumped at the chance, actually I ran at the chance to take this class.  I wasn't sure what to expect but I was ready to take it on.

 

The class was awesome.  The people in the class were so encouraging of each other that you felt not only your own success but the others in the group success.  Each session was unique and never boring; Cheryl pushed us to our limits building our strength as she went.  We were amazed at the end of the class when we re-did the first class and found it so much easier than the first time because we became stronger.

 

The class loss over 60 inches total.  My goal wasn't to loss inches but to become stronger-I succeeded at both.

 

Never enough classes

I have gone to many of the classes that Cheryl has given.  I love the group work out and encouragement.  People help each other with motivation-usually this gives out before the body.  The classes help perfect the exercises so when, I exercise alone I know that I am doing the moves correctly and getting the most benefit possible from them.  In the classes you get to know others and benefit from their knowledge about exercising and diet.  The encouragement from the others in the class, especially Cheryl, is some times the only reason I can do the exercises those day.

 

A forever commitment

 

Exercising has become a long term commitment for me.  I want to make sure I'm not overweight again.  I want to be strong.  Exercise is important to me for my mental health.

Snap Fitness has changed my life for the better; I hope others can have a similar experience.

 

Don't forget -- take your hands off when using the cardio machines.

 

kathie

Ted

Hi My name is Ted Westall,

I started Snap fitness on June 18th 2010. I have been working out on the elliptical machine for 30 to 40 minutes and weight training both free weights and machine weights for 30 to 40 minutes two to three days a week. The results have been great. I've already lost 10lbs and went from a 36" waist back to a 34" waist. I have to say I've been eating better in addition to the exercise but it's Snap Fitness that has given me the inspiration to make a few easy eating choices. For example I will only drink water when eating out for lunch also I will eat soup and a sandwich instead of Big Mac and fries. I have been extremely happy with Snap Fitness and the on site manager Cheryl Eckhoff.

If anyone reading this has any questions please feel free to contact me via email or phone.

Sincerely,



Ted Westall