20 Minutes to Fitness Logo Icon
20 Minutes to Fitness Logo Icon

Category: Clayton

What’s your reason to get fit this year?

 • 

People exercise for all sorts of reasons.

Everyone who trains at 20 Minutes to Fitness is here for a reason.

Of course, everyone wants to improve their physical fitness. They love that 20 Minutes to Fitness makes it possible to build strength and endurance with just ONE 20-minute session a week. They also appreciate the encouragement they receive from their personal coach, who stays by their side, setting each machine and making sure they use safe, proper form.

 Dig a little deeper, and you will learn that everyone who trains at 20 Minutes to Fitness has a reason why they want get fit. These reasons usually fall into one of several categories. What is YOUR reason? Or reasons? Many people have more than one!

  •  To meet a goal.

Some people want to be more competitive in sports. Or perhaps they want to be able to finish nine holes of golf without back pain. Or to walk three miles without fatigue. Some want to build strength so they can keep up with their children. Or their grandchildren. Or their great-grandchildren. For all these people, exercise is part of the solution.

  • So you can maintain your independence.

Most advertising for “people of certain age” focuses on senior living communities, reverse mortgages, medical alert devices and other reminders of their mortality. Some people don’t give up so easily. They exercise because it helps to keep them young. Building strength helps live independently, travel and check off items on their bucket list long into their golden years.

  • To look better.

There is often a bit of vanity behind the decision to get fit. Some people want to lose weight. Others want to maintain the weight they are at. Some want to build muscle because makes their clothes fit better. By helping to shape and tone the body, strength training does all these things.

The truth is people tend to carry themselves more confidently and have a better self-image when they look and feel strong. Strength-training also supports a healthy metabolism, helping efficiently burn fat long after a workout is complete. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

  • To feel better.

Exercise increases the flow of oxygen in the brain and releases positive, mood-altering chemicals. Both can help reduce pain and increase brain function, as well as help combat anxiety and depression. Some people exercise to relieve stress and manage anxiety. Or because it improves the quality of their sleep and memory.

Regular exercise also boosts endurance and overall energy levels. Some find that can enhance their ability to cope with life’s challenges. In addition, meeting milestones provides a sense of accomplishment. Training at 20 Minutes to Fitness, some say, just feels good!

  • Because someone told you to.

Sometimes, the motivation to exercise comes from an outside source. It could be a doctor who is concerned about your blood pressure or bone health. Or a rehabilitation specialist who says you need to rebuild muscle following a surgery or illness. Or a physical therapist who thinks exercise will help reduce pain and improve mobility.

That “someone” could be a friend or relative who has reaped the benefits of exercise and wants you to experience them, too. Or it could be a stranger who opens a door or offers to carry a package, reminding you that you aren’t as young and strong as you once were. Some people listen to this advice because, deep down, they know the person giving it is right.

  • Because you’re looking ahead.

Unless we exercise our muscles properly, we can lose five to seven pounds of muscle tissue each decade of our adult lives. We also tend to gain fat as we grow older due to the slowing of our metabolisms and a decline in activity. The good news: strength-training can reverse muscle loss.

Exercise also helps maintain flexibility and reduces the risk of age-related joint issues. It may even contribute to a lower risk of cognitive decline in older adults. It can help stave off osteoporosis and control diabetes. In fact, next to quitting smoking, doctors say that building muscle is the best thing you can do to give yourself the best chance for a long and healthy life. For many, exercise is a long-term investment that delivers excellent return on their investment.

  • Because exercise is fun!

We hear from plenty of people who admit that they don’t like to exercise. At least they didn’t like it until they came to 20 Minutes to Fitness. Now they see getting fit in a whole new light. It’s not easy. But because the entire workout takes just 20 minutes, start to finish, they know they can do it.

Plus, some people say they enjoy the social interaction they find here. They get to know their coaches, most of whom have worked here many years and have a knack for making each 20-minute session fly by. Some become friends with other people who train at the same time as they do, week after week. Training at 20 Minutes to Fitness, they decide, makes exercise fun.

—

Want to learn more about the people who build strength and fitness at 20 Minutes to Fitness? Check out this article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which profiles three great examples. 

What’s your reason for getting fit in 2024? (stltoday.com)

20 years of 20 Minutes to Fitness!

 • 

When Paul and Laura Miller first read in Newsweek about a 20-minute, once-a-week fitness regimen, they were skeptical.

The 2001 article, which described a safe way to lift weight in super-slow motion, seemed too good to be true.

But University of Florida Medical School research found the regimen improved strength, bone density and overall functionality in people of all ages and fitness levels. Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes was a fan. So was Barbara Walters. Both trained at InForm Fitness, a New York City studio founded by fitness guru Adam Zickerman.

“For 20 minutes, I can do anything”

“I hate to exercise,” Walters admitted on The View, after demonstrating the techniques to viewers in 2002. “But for 20 minutes, I can do anything.”

Intrigued, the Millers traveled to New York to experience the workout firsthand. Soon they were hooked.

Later that year, they opened 20 Minutes to Fitness in Clayton. It was the first studio of its kind in the St. Louis area. Staffed by physical therapists and other professionals, it offered a safe, efficient way to build muscle.

Because the workout takes just 20 minutes, it also freed clients to spend the remaining 10,060 minutes in their week doing anything OTHER than think about exercise.

Early converts included Dick Smothers and pro and amateur golfers

Betty Cuniberti, a former Post-Dispatch columnist and breast cancer-survivor, was an early convert. Writing about her experience, she effused over the workout’s many benefits, concluding, “I never dreamed at age 55, I’d hit a golf ball so far or wear a skirt so short.”

KMOX radio’s Charlie Brennan has trained at 20 Minutes to Fitness since 2006 because “20 minutes, once a week is something I can stick with. Plus, it has the added benefit of working great.” Pro golfer Jay Delsing credits the workout with helping him build the strength needed to rejoin the PGA Champions tour after back surgery.

20 Minutes to Fitness today has locations in Chesterfield and Clayton, along with Tampa and Sarasota, Florida, where Dick Smothers of Smothers Brothers-fame trained, claiming the workout helped him get in “THE BEST SHAPE OF (HIS) LIFE.”

Builds bone density, improves your golf game

Since its founding, 20 Minutes to Fitness has trained countless doctors. Other clients include a former Olympic ice dancer, high school football players, grandmothers seeking to build bone density, busy corporate executives, avid cyclists, father-daughter duos and thousands of ordinary people just trying to live their fittest and best lives.

All say they appreciate the one-on-one, by-appointment-only training. They like that it requires no memberships or long-term commitments. Most importantly, they love the results.

As 20 Minutes to Fitness celebrates its 20th year, the Millers, general manager Casey Breslin, PT, and their staff still meet people who are skeptical of a 20-minute, once-a-week workout. They understand. They suggest you do the same thing they did.  Try it.

Your first workout, along with a health screening and consultation, is free.


St. Louis Magazine reporter Jeannette Cooperman visited 20 Minutes to Fitness’ studio in Clayton and tried about our 20-minute, once-a-week strength training workout herself.  Then she wrote an article about what she experienced.

You can read it all here. Or here. Or here.  It’s all the same. We just don’t want you to miss it!

Have you been wanting to learn more about 20 Minutes to Fitness? Here’s your chance! Show Me St. Louis recently stopped by our studio in Clayton and spoke with Megan Arney, PTA, one of our fitness coaches, as she led a training session.

Worried about osteoporosis? Then you should read what 20 Minutes to Fitness client Dorothy Menetre has to say!

I came to 20 Minutes to Fitness because I was bored with the routine of a “regular” gym. It had become monotonous, and I was totally “burned out.”

I enjoy the fact that I can now do 20 minutes, once a week, and I am finished. The benefit I was not expecting is that a recent bone density scan showed a slight improvement in my bone density over the past two years. That is really exciting for me, and it will keep me returning for my 20 minutes.

Thanks very much, 20 Minutes to Fitness!

Dorothy Menetre
St. Louis, Missouri

“I’ve been training with Darrell at 20 Minutes to Fitness for almost a year and a half, and I love it.  He tracks my progress and adjust my workouts to keep me safe and challenged.  He encourages me and helps me push myself to work harder.  I know I’m getting fitter by the things (outside of my workouts!) that I’m able to do with a lot less effort.  Also my clothes fit better!! Working out at 20 Minutes to Fitness has really helped me to stay motivated with my other activities too.”

Connie Palmer
Trains at 20 Minutes to Fitness Clayton, MO

Can you actually rebuild muscle mass after age 60?

 • 

At 20 Minutes to Fitness, we’ve been answering “YES” to this question for almost 15 years. And we’re not alone.  According to the doctor quoted in this New York Times article,

“…men and women in their 60s and 70s who began supervised weight training developed muscles that were as large and strong as those of your average 40-year-old.”

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Bouncing between managing the desk at our Clayton studio and training clients at our Chesterfield studio, Vicki Antes plays an important role in keeping 20 Minutes to Fitness operations running smoothly. Her kindness, generosity and dependability shine through as she expertly juggles her many responsibilities. Providing us with snacks, hugs and hard work, Vicki makes an enormous positive contribution to our team. We’re grateful to work with her!

Meet Darrell Conner, a personal fitness coach at 20 Minutes to Fitness’s Clayton studio.  Darrell competes in Physique Bodybuilding competitions in his spare time. It’s a big commitment.

“Preparing for the competitions means no missed workouts and a strict meal plan for 12 to 14 weeks,” says Darrell, who has shared his story on KMOX radio at the request of station host and longtime 20 Minutes to Fitness client Charlie Brennan.

Bodybuilding may be Darrell’s hobby and fitness goal. But he understands it’s probably not what drives his clients to work out at 20 Minutes to Fitness. “The people who train here work hard every week to attain their personal goals,” he says. “This is why the staff and I enjoy coaching our clients through the process. It is motivating for me to see people of all ages get stronger, lose weight, overcome orthopedic issues and live a healthier lifestyle.”

“Our clients, staff and management have been very supportive during my preparations for competitions,” he adds. “All these things inspire me to stay focused and train to best of my ability.”