The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Coach Mel takes ‘big leap’ forward
Harwinton fitness studio now open
HARWINTON — Melanie Joseph’s career took a twist, or perhaps that should be a lunge, when she left her job as an accountant after 22 years to become the sole owner of a fitness studio in Harwinton. Joseph opened Coach Mel’s Health & Fitness for Life studio at 161 Litchfield Road in August.
“I took a big leap. This is my passion and I wanted to do it,” she said.
Joseph, 42, who is better known as Coach Mel, started out by teaching two fitness classes a day. She has now expanded the business to offer from six to eight classes a day, seven days a week, ranging from morning Silver Sneakers classes — a free fitness program for seniors made available to them through Medicare — to higher intensity workouts in the evening. Less than a year after opening, the studio employs seven instructors.
The studio space is small and inviting. Visitors won’t find elliptical machines or treadmills. Instead, the building contains two open-space exercise rooms.
“What’s nice about being so small is I can see what’s going on. I will watch (class members) to see if the exercise is too hard or too easy. They can be at any fitness level. I can modify any exercise,” Joseph said.
Silver Sneaker member Donna Mullen, 75, of Burlington, said Joseph’s course has been helpful in learning how to correctly exercise.
“She watches very carefully. She makes sure we’re doing it right,” Mullen added. “I’m really into cardio.”
Joseph’s motto is “Be Healthy Before You Need to Be Healthy.” The idea is based on her experience as a breast cancer survivor who is about to reach her third year in remission. Six months before her diagnosis, according to her website, Joseph decided to “stop using running as my excuse to eat poorly.”
She changed her lifestyle, and one month after a double mastectomy, Joseph ran a five-mile race. “I’m listening to my body,” she said.
Donna Trebert of Harwinton takes the Silver Sneaker class six days a week. “I love every minute. Movement is most important. (Joseph) is very motivating I just keep coming,” she said.
“I don’t mind being here at 5:30 in the morning, (to prepare for the first class),” Joseph said. “This is my therapy.”
When Joseph returned to her old job after the mastectomy, it was a struggle.
“I didn’t want to get behind a desk. I wanted to get out and help people,” she said. She got her personal training certification and began teaching at Harwinton Community Hall. Joseph is now certified in as many as seven fitness programs.
For schedules and other information, visit www.coachmels.com