Colleen Sturgess is all about giving back. She’s seriously altruistic in every sense of the word. A little over a year ago, Colleen and her boyfriend, Jaron Raben left their jobs to start a fitness center for senior citizens.
Welcome to Beyond Fitness.
With their grand opening a little over a week away, Beyond Fitness is revolutionizing fitness, the age gap, and how we respond to elders in the community.
Boca News got the scoop on this exciting new business. Read on to learn more!
How it All Started
Back in 2015, Colleen and Jaron took a trip to New Zealand that changed their lives. The two experienced a different way of living halfway across the world. They saw how families worked together and the importance of community. They decided to create a fitness center with these virtues in mind!
After returning to the States, Jaron was laid off from his job. What started as a difficult experience turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Colleen quit her job a few weeks later. She knew she was destined for something bigger than the typical nine-to-five grind.
Colleen drew inspiration from a trip to Indianapolis. She visited Rock Steady Boxing, a program that uses boxing regiments to help patients with Parkinson’s disease. Rock Steady found boxing training helped seniors work through this debilitating disease by connecting their internal life to a physical, external outlet.
Her front row seat to the healing power of exercise propelled Colleen to start her very own senior gym here in Delray Beach. Colleen and Jaron created a business plan, found investors, and built their business from the ground up (literally).
Intentions for Beyond Fitness
The duo wants to create a home environment where people feel comfortable being their authentic selves. Nowhere is this more important than with the elderly. Seniors spend an overwhelming portion of their time in doctor’s offices and therapy.
Not to mention, we as a society tend to neglect the elderly when they have so much wisdom and experience to impart to us.
Not only will seniors attending classes at Beyond Fitness have something exciting to look forward to every week, but the classes will be fun, exciting, and community-focused.
The gym has teachers who will focus on boxing for patients with Parkinson’s. They’ll also have yoga, meditation, tai chi, and zumba classes for those struggling with arthritis. There will even be bone-health belly dancing classes for Alzheimer’s patients!
Behind Beyond Fitness
Colleen and Jaron picked the name Beyond Fitness because their center is about much more than fitness. Fitness is important but health goes beyond simply working out. Health is about exercising the mind as much as the body. Meditation classes help to achieve this holistic type of health.
Meditation exercises the mind by helping people be still. This increases focus, calmness, and leaves behind a general sense of happiness. Empowering the elderly to be more comfortable and calm in both their minds and bodies helps them become more present and positive.
Grand Opening
The center opens September 8th! They are located at 5850 West Atlantic Ave. Unit #141. It’s not just for the elderly – everyone is welcome in the gym.
Come down to the grand opening and experience this revolutionary gym from the very start! We know we’ll be there!
Candace Dayaz says
This is just plain awesome. Fitness isn’t just for the young. It’s something we should strive for throughout our lifetime! Thanks for sharing.