Get fit: Balanced Fitness and Health connects with clients

Balanced Fitness and Health is anything but an average health club. Located at 1130 Seventh Ave. in the heart of downtown San Diego, it’s more than just a place for nameless faces to work out.

“We run it like a big family here,” said Brian Kawano, co-owner of Balanced Fitness and Health. “It’s not a big-box gym where you’re just another face.”

The Cheers of the gym world, Balanced Fitness and Health is the place where everyone knows your name and everyone is treated like family. In addition to providing a fabulous facility in which to get healthy, the club’s owners also hold sponsored social outings and health-related events and seminars.

“It is a very tight-knit community here,” Kawano said.

Last October, when Kawano and his partner Rodrigo Iglesias became the gym’s new owners, they decided to make some drastic changes in not only the facility’s appearance, but also in the services it offers.

Renovations aimed at expanding the facility’s usable space started last November, and were fully completed in May. The overhaul included nearly doubling the workout area to 6,800 square feet, upgrading the locker rooms and opening up the inside of the facility by uncovering skylights that previously had been closed off. The facility also added a group exercise/class room that is used for everything from Pilates to hardcore aerobics.

“When we took over, we looked at the place and thought it was kind of laid out weirdly,” said Kawano. “So we wanted to redo it to take full advantage of the space’s potential.”

It’s not just the physical changes that have helped to provide a more personable environment at the gym. It’s the knowledgeable staff members who help to create the family vibe.

Among them are the six top-notch trainers who each have several certifications and each specialize in something different. The main difference between Balanced Fitness and Health’s personal trainers than those at other facilities is that Balanced Fitness and Health’s trainers work as a team to provide the best outcome for clients.

“We believe in order to get the best results, you need a balanced approach, so it’s very common to see our trainers share clients,” said Kawano. Not only does the club encourage the practice, but Kawano said clients seem to appreciate it as well.

Each of the personal trainers has a different specialty. Brandon Cheeks specializes in athletic performance training. Brandon Michael helps clients who need rehabilitative and corrective exercise techniques and has worked with clients ranging from professional athletes to the chronically ill. Adam Hutchins incorporates his professional MMA experience and discipline into his training.

Silvia Giamanco is a professional triathlete and is able to help those clients who wish to focus on endurance training, as well as those who just wish to get in better physical shape. Brent Elston believes in adding variety to workouts in order to keep them effective. His use of a variety of training helps his clients to avoid the dreaded results plateau.

Balanced Fitness and Health also has Lauren Brown on staff. She is a both a certified trainer and licensed primary sports nutritionist. She helps clients match an eating plan with their exercise routine to achieve maximum results.

“Her approach to nutrition is very realistic,” said Kawano. “Not everyone can just flip a switch and start eating better.”

Kawano can attest to Brown’s abilities personally, as he was her first client when she started at Balance Fitness. “I lost 21 pounds in a month,” he said. “It was amazing.”

Memberships at Balanced Fitness and Health are month-to-month with no contract obligations. In addition, customers who are not fully satisfied after the first 30 days will receive a full refund on their membership.

To learn more, visit balancedfitnesshealth.com or call 619-358-9986.

Source: DiscoverSD