Take the first step in your first journey with Atlas Health—personal or small group training that can be done in the privacy of your home, outside or in the New Canaan-based studio at 40 Vitti Street. For the holidays, enjoy 20% off on packages of 5 (now $500) or 10 sessions (now $1,000). Contact [email protected] or at 203.564.6255 to book your sessions.
What inspired you to start Atlas Health and when did you open in New Canaan?
I started Atlas because what I was seeing was a move in the industry towards two things: First, you were seeing almost a “biggest loser” mentality, I found that there was an unrealistic expectation people were starting to have about how much weight and how quickly they could lose that weight. What we try to do is help our clients establish healthy and realistic habits that they can apply to a balanced lifestyle approach.
Second, there was a lot of misinformation out there in terms of nutrition. We get emails almost daily about a fad diet a client wants our thoughts on. What I always tell them when it comes to nutrition is “the plan you stick to is the one that will work for you.”
We just opened the studio space in October of this year. We were happy to partner with Dr. Peter Phillips who was seeing a rash of injuries come into his office for physical therapy, and he realized many were avoidable injuries people had sustained while training.
What is your fitness philosophy?
Resistance training, resistance training, resistance training. My clients will tell you I always say both resistance training and cardiovascular training both burn calories, but only one builds a toned well-defined physique. I find that a concern some of my female clients have is that they worry about becoming what they call to “bulky,” and I always tell them that unless they plan to eat their body weight in protein, they will be okay.
Tell us about your background and how you became a personal fitness coach…
I was an athlete all through high school and college. I carried that love of sports into a career as a trainer and am now expanding on that to include more of an overall approach to wellness where I focus on nutrition, sleep habits and recovery.
How do you train athletes so they can improve at their sport?
Well first we try to get our athletes and their parents to understand there is no such thing as “sports specific training” keeping in mind that certain sports do have certain requirements in terms of muscles used or an ability to recover quickly. We train our athletes to improve their speed, stamina, strength, power and most importantly, muscle endurance. Our motto is: “Do what others won’t today, so you can do what others can’t tomorrow.”
For busy parents, do you have a special fitness approach?
Well first convenience; we come to you! Because we are functional trainers, we don’t need a lot of equipment. We do ask each client to invest in a couple of things, but other than that we bring whatever we need. Along with that what I really try to do is build healthy habits that fit into each client’s needs and schedule. Also, it’s important to be there for each client. I tell them all: “When you need me, I am there.” I make myself available 7 days a week.
How are you handling the different workout options to adhere to COVID-19 safety regulations?
We just make sure we are diligent in doing what we need to do to keep each client safe and to address any concerns they may have in mind. We sanitize every piece of equipment after each use, and we wear masks while training. Although most or our clients are home clients, any time we are in the studio it’s either just the trainer and the client—or if it’s a class—then just the class participant along with the trainer.
Is there a discount we can offer to New Canaan and Darien Moms readers?
Yes, we offer a 20% reduction in cost to New Canaan and Darien Moms (just mention this promotion when booking).
What is the most important question you ask each prospective client when you meet them?
It is “how can I help you get to where you want to be”? I don’t use a cookie cutter approach to fitness, because everyone responds differently to different styles of exercise and coaching. I find that if I can get you to embrace the process, even if you never actually love the process, we will achieve whatever your goals are.