ONCE RACHEL GRIBBEN GOT BACK IN SHAPE
SHE TURNED HER ACCOMPLISHMENT INTO A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS.
STORY BY Elizabeth Heubeck PHOTOGRAPHY BY André Chung
Rachel Gribbin knows what it’s like to face the challenge of losing a significant amount of weight. The 34-year-old’s story—at least the part where she put on the weight—is not unlike that of countless other women.
In high school Gribbin was an active athlete, running varsity cross country. Then in her 20s she married, had two children 13 months apart, and was working full time as a Spanish teacher. She never lost all the weight she had gained with her two pregnancies, and then she tacked on a few more pounds. Regular exercise and healthy eating habits took a back burner to the daily rigors of caring for her children (now 9 and 10), maintaining a household and holding down a full-time job. Eventually, Gribbin ballooned to 50 pounds over what she believed was her ideal weight. This part of her story, unfortunately, is not uncommon.
But what happened next is. The next chapter of Gribbin’s story tells of her renewed commitment to personal fitness, as well as the making of an entrepreneur.
GETTING BACK IN SHAPE
Rather than simply chalking up her weight gain to childbirth and easing into larger-sized clothing, Gribbin decided to take control.
She started by changing the way she ate. “I started eating real food,” she says, which meant, for Gribbin, eschewing packagedand processed food that is quick and easy, but typically loaded with sodium and other less-than-healthy ingredients.
Then, in 2009, she got serious about getting back in shape. Having stopped working full-time to stay home with her children, Gribbin had more time to explore fitness. She began taking Pilates and fitness bootcamp classes, which combine fat loss with camaraderie. Perhaps it was her inner teacher that led Gribbin to become certified to teach Pilates. After working with a personal trainer to meet her own weight loss and fitness goals, Gribbin decided to become certified in personal training. That was the seed that eventually blossomed into her business, Fuseology Fitness.
STARTING SMALL
But it didn’t happen overnight. Once Gribbin had received personal training certification, an acquaintance asked if she’d consider training her. That was in 2011. Today, Donna Kaplan remains a client.
“She really knows her stuff,” says Kaplan, an office manager who lives in Columbia. “You never know what you’re going to do with her. You never do the same workout twice.” A devoted participant in Gribbin’s bootcamp class, Kaplan appreciates its variety. One day the class might be held outside, another day inside; sometimes they work with weights, other days not. The diversity keeps her engaged and staves off boredom.
Kaplan also appreciates the personal attention Gribbin gives to each client. “She knows my knees bother me. She shows us modifications. She’s really cautious,” Kaplan says.
That first client led to others. Soon, Gribbin was offering an outdoor bootcamp class to her neighbors, and meeting women in their homes for solo or small-group exercise classes while their children napped. To date, Gribbin has done no paid advertising. She’s accrued all her clients through referrals and word of mouth, which indicates a high level of client satisfaction.
“It’s fun. It’s motivating. You get to see people push themselves, to progress over six months,” Gribbin says of fitness training.
FUSEOLOGY’S APPROACH TO FITNESS
Gribben’s philosophy is to mix things up. “I’m a fan of cross-training,” she says. “I think it’s about having a good balance” of activities. Unlike many franchise studios that push only one form of physical activity, whether it’s spinning or barre, Gribbin stresses variety.
“Muscle confusion” is the main reason. When performing the same form of exercise repeatedly, the working muscles get accustomed to it, and eventually stop working so hard. Muscle confusion, says Gribben, does the opposite. She exposes her clients to activities that require the use of different muscle groups so the exercise routines not only keep muscles on high-alert; they do the same for the mind. This tends to result in less workout boredom – which can lead to burnout.
Then there’s the food part, which Gribbin takes just as seriously as physical activity. “It’s a total package. I make that very clear up front. There is a dietary piece,” she says. Gribbin encourages her clients to use Myfitnesspal, a free mobile application that serves as an electronic diet and exercise journal. Gribbin herself uses the app and shares her food intake with clients, even when it’s not ideal. “If I have a cupcake and a glass of wine, I want them to see that,” she says.
She’s showing her clients— especially those whose issues with food border on obsessions—that, on occasion, it’s okay to treat yourself.
“I’ve had people call me at the fast food drive-through in tears. It’s so mental. Food can be like a drug,” Gribbin says.
She believes that diet—not to be confused with ‘dieting,’ a no-no in Gribbin’s world—is 80 to 90 percent of clients’ success. “They can exercise three times a day but the changes won’t come unless they change how they eat,” she stresses.
Gribbin shares everything she’s learned about healthy weight with her clients – from addressing good eating habits to finding a varied activity regimen that works for each one personally. And she keeps expectations realistic. “It takes time, patience, and dedication,” she says.
So, too, does growing a business.
FUTURE GROWTH
“For the time being, I’m happy,” says Gribben of her business goals. “I toy with opening my own studio all the time. I would love to have my own space.” She pauses. “But right now, I’m very comfortable with the flexibility I have. My kids are at that impressionable age. I want to be there at the soccer games, the swim meets,” she says.
For now, Gribbin is committed to operating her business the way she approaches fitness – both with her clients and herself. “I think it’s about having a good balance in your life,” she says. *
