Leroy Hull works out with personal trainer Nicole Catts at Lantana Fitness.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Paula Dettwiller
There are two different approaches to running a health club, says David Arm, owner of Lantana Fitness along with his wife, Renee.
“One is, get their money and hope they never show up. That’s the corporate model,” he says. “The other is, have them show up, be successful, and tell their friends about it. That’s our model.”
To help members be successful, Lantana Fitness goes beyond the usual offerings of fitness classes, weight machines, lockers and showers.
It offers the services of a registered dietitian — something Arm says is unique to health clubs in this area — who works in concert with the club’s five personal trainers to help members lose weight, fight heart disease, even reverse diabetes.
The registered dietitian is 37-year-old Andrea Szebeni of Hypoluxo.
“When you first meet with Andrea, she’ll discuss how you like to eat, what you like to eat, what your goals are, ask you what medical conditions you might have — diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol,” Arm says. “Then she uses a special device to measure your basic metabolic rate, and another device to measure your ratio of fat to lean muscle mass.”
Pulling all this data together, Szebeni designs an eating plan tailored to your individual medical profile and lifestyle. Then she becomes your advocate, spiritual adviser and biggest supporter.
“She’ll take you to Publix and show you how to shop,” says Arm. “You can text her from a restaurant and ask her, ‘Hey, what should I eat?’ She is passionate about this.”
Szebeni
With a master’s degree in nutrition, Szebeni is more educated on the topic than many physicians.
“I tell clients: I know your No. 1 goal is to lose weight,” Szebeni says, “but my No. 1 goal is to get you off medications. As a professional, I know if I can do that, then the weight’s going to come off.”
Club member Leroy Hull of West Palm Beach is living proof.
Hull, a 63-year-old retired Vietnam veteran, weighed 265 pounds when he started working with Szebeni about a year ago. He was recovering from heart bypass surgery and had developed diabetes. His blood sugar level was over 250. In addition to insulin shots, Hull was taking more than 20 pills per day.
“My doctors at the VA told me I’d have diabetes for the rest of my life,” he says.
Szebeni put together an eating plan specifically for him, taking into account how much he likes to eat out.
Meanwhile, certified personal trainer Nicole Catts developed an aerobic and muscle-building workout program just for Hull.
With full accountability to, and encouragement from, his Lantana Fitness team, Hull stuck to both plans. He has lost 40 pounds, shrunk three pant sizes and eliminated most of his medications, including insulin.
“I’m down to six pills a day,” he says, “three heart pills and three vitamins.”
Ann Hackl of Hypoluxo also found the help she needed at Lantana Fitness.
“Being diabetic, I had been turning to the medical community for help with weight loss,” says Hackl, 63. “But my doctor and several other medical professionals I consulted with didn’t know how to help me. So this was like a godsend.”
With Szebini’s nutritional guidance and Catts’ tailored workouts, Hackl says she has lost a significant amount of weight and gained control of her diabetes with less medication.
“The two of them putting their heads together have really sent me in the right direction,” she says.
Personal training and registered dietitian counseling are paid services separate from the cost of club membership. For more information, see www.lantanafitness.com.
Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Find her at www.pdwrites.com.
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