just what the doctor ordered

Rebecca Murphey

These days, when people go to the doctor's office, they may spend as little as 15 minutes with the physician. In that short time, doctors get to cover the basics, and not much more.

But 75 percent of those doctor visits are for health issues that can be addressed with lifestyle changes.

"Exercise is as good or better than a lot of medicine," says Cory Annis, a Carrboro physician. "It's definitely less expensive."

But getting patients to take up an exercise program isn't easy for Annis.

"I can point my patients in the right direction, tell them what they need to change, but I can't be with them, week after week, to help them actually make that change."

In an era of managed care and rising costs, Elizabeth Towe, a certified personal trainer and 18-year veteran of the fitness world, sees an opportunity for personal trainers to fill the gap.

"A lot of people think that personal training is only for athletes and fitness fanatics, and it's just not," she says.

"I've had clients who were struggling with fibromyalgia or diabetes, clients recovering from strokes or a knee injury -- sometimes people who just can't make it to the top of the stairs without having to catch their breath. And some people just want help with living a healthier life. When it comes down to it, it's really a quality of life issue."

More people are spending their days at a desk, not moving enough, or moving in ways that can be harmful in the long term, and then going home and sitting in front of the TV. This has contributed to rising levels of obesity, which some call the biggest health care challenge facing the country today.

Dr. Annis thinks the studio will draw people who never would have considered personal training.

"We've all struggled with living healthy lives, with making time to make a change in how we live," she says. "A personal trainer can be a great way to get on track, and to stay on track. Someone holds you accountable for what you've promised to yourself."

Towe, 37, has seen this first-hand. As program manager at the R&D Fitness Center at GlaxoSmithKline for five years, she helped members put movement back into their lives.

"A lot of what I did, it was about building relationships," she says. "After I helped someone put together a fitness routine, so much of my job was just keeping in touch with them, seeing how they were doing. Sometimes it's just that nudge, knowing that someone cares, that people need to stay on track."

Towe opened Balanced Movement Studio in Carrboro to create a place for herself and like-minded personal trainers to carry out their philosophy.

"I tell people that this isn't just about how they feel today or next week. It's about being able to pick up their grandkids when they're 70, or being able to walk without a cane."

To Towe, movement is the key to a healthy life.

"Our bodies are meant to move," Towe says. "People who incorporate fitness and movement into their lives improve their quality of life by doing what their body was meant to do. It's that simple."

Towe says that many people are so intimidated by a large gym that they forgo fitness entirely. She knows that it's important for personal trainers to work with their clients in a private, non-intimidating setting, instead of seeing them at local facilities.

With that in mind, she's outfitted the studio with the latest in cardiovascular equipment -- treadmills, elliptical machines and Spinning bikes -- as well as weights and strength training machines.

Scattered amid all the equipment, you'll find big rubber balls and other toys you might not expect to find in a gym.

"They're actually called `stability balls,'" Towe says. "But there's so much that you can do with them! A lot of my clients, they struggle with simple balancing tasks, and just sitting on these can be a challenge for them. Those machines, they all serve a need, but sometimes a simple thing like a ball can go a long way toward helping someone."

Towe is a big believer in working on the body as a whole, making it work more efficiently.

"In the industry, we call that `functional training' -- we're not just focusing on abs or biceps," she says. "We're really trying to train the body to work as a whole."

Towe thinks the private gym will be a big draw for clients who are intimidated by run-of-the-mill fitness centers. She herself grew frustrated with the commercial fitness world, where she worked for 14 years. She found that the focus was on money, and not necessarily on members.

"We know that a traditional gym situation can scare people away from fitness. Plus, it's hard to find people who can help you with what you need if you just walk into a gym.

"Here, our commitment is to our clients. We really want to help them live better lives."

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