manhattan digest

Fitness has been all the rage for years upon years now, and with the warm months right around the corner many of us New Yorkers are struggling to lose those last couple of pounds and look bathing suit ready when it becomes 70 degrees or hotter.  Luckily we have found one program that works best for you, regardless of your time schedule, goals or any other adversaries.

This is Marissa’s Form Fitness, which is run by Brooklyn based Marissa Molloy.  A fitness adventurist for most of her life, Marissa recently developed a fantastic health and fitness program that is designed to go at the speed that you like and get you to the finish line with amazing results.  I have had personal friends do this and they recommend her program ten fold.  I recently sat down with the trainer & new mommy to discuss her program, its benefits and routines, and where she hopefully sees it going in the future.  Take a look.

What made you want to go into the fitness industry in the first place?

I guess you can say I just “fell into” the fitness industry. I had been working since I was 15 years old (or whatever the legal age for teens to work was 15 years ago)! So after getting married and having my first daughter at the age of 24, I became a stay-at-home mom. I basically went from working full-time for the previous 9 years of my life to sitting at home with a baby in what felt like two seconds. Next thing you know, I had a second daughter and I felt like I was completely losing myself. Yes, having children is an amazing blessing that I would never give up for anything. But, I was always the “working type”. (I’d skip class in college to pick up an extra shift at work!) I missed working, A LOT. So I applied for a local position to manage a women’s health club. I fell in love. The atmosphere was amazing, the members that were a part of that gym became like a second family, the co-workers I was around every day turned into best friends and the sense of happiness I felt when I walked through those gym doors couldn’t be contained. I found myself wanting to learn more and more about the fitness industry. Why your body needs to workout a certain way in order for results to be seen, why women had a tendency to “yo-yo” with their weight, how to properly convey the importance of working out and taking care of your body to someone who loathed going to the gym, I wanted to learn it all and I was a sponge. I was fascinated and I took advantage of having an amazing mentor at my fingertips and soaked up everything I could. When the gym I managed changed owners, I felt like someone punched me in the gut. The new owner had zero (and if there was a number less than zero, I would use that) knowledge of the health and fitness industry. She had no social graces and no clue how to interact with people. She was an all-around horrible business owner and person, let alone “boss”. I needed out. But I couldn’t bring myself to completely step away from the fitness industry and all the women I’ve grown so close to over the years. I knew I wanted to continue my journey in the fitness field, as I felt it was just beginning. So, I decided to take everything I learned from my previous boss and the amazing contacts I had made, and create a company of my own; Marissa’s Form Fitness!

Everyone gets inspiration when they are doing something they are passionate about.  What is yours?

I get extremely happy knowing I’ve helped someone better himself or herself. I have been in a position where I needed help and someone showed me how to achieve everything I needed and wanted in order to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. That’s what motivates me today. I love having the opportunity to help someone achieve their goals and make positive changes in the way they live their life every day. It’s a great feeling to know that with your help, someone is healthier, happier and just in a better place physically, mentally and emotionally. And yes, exercise does affect all those aspects of your life! You will feel more energized and you will reduce your stress levels when you work out. You’ll be able to live a happier life once you become active and your self-esteem and confidence will sky rocket. It’s an amazing feeling and I recommend it to everyone!

Tell me about your brand and the mission objective.

Marissa’s Form Fitness is a mobile Personal Training company that literally brings the gym to you. We consist of a group of expert Personal Trainers that will come to your home, office, local park, etc. to give you an amazing workout and help you to reach your fitness goals. We want to make working out more accessible to the every day New Yorker who’s often too busy to make it to the gym. It takes a lot of dedication to get yourself to a gym for a workout after you’ve worked a long day, have a family you’d like to spend time with or finish running errands for everything else you need each day. Some people literally don’t have the time to go to a gym and in return, their health suffers. By creating a mobile fitness company, we’re making health and fitness more accessible to everyone. There are no more excuses now. We will come to you to give you a workout. We will create a personalized workout program based off your needs and what you’d like to achieve health-wise. The only thing you need to do is take the first step and call us for a consultation. We literally do everything else. Once we design a program specifically for you, the workouts begin!

Do you really find that we live such a hectic lifestyle that working out is often left on the back burner, or do you feel like it’s an excuse that people make often?

I can honestly tell you; people’s lives get so busy sometimes, that we often take care of ourselves last. Why is that? We make sure our husbands, wives, kids, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, etc. are fed and taken care of but we’re always the last one to sit down and eat. Between work, family and social life, the average New Yorker doesn’t have a minute to even think of fitness or going to the gym. We can’t add time to the day, but we can make working out more manageable so there are no more excuses. Did you know that only 14% of Americans are members of a gym? Why do you think that is? Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure plenty of people make the excuse that they’re “too busy” to workout. But a lot of the time, they’re just scared to start something new. It is hard to make changes in your life and stick with them. But if you do it with the right support system around you and it’s a fun and simple process, people will be more likely to stick with it. Form Fitness is that support system to it’s clients and we take pride in operating the company that way!

What is the experience like when a personal trainer comes to your home?

Before your initial training appointment where you begin your workouts, we will have a consultation. We need to learn what your goals are. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to gain muscle? Do you have any medical issues? Take any medications? These are extremely important questions that must be answered before we begin planning a program for you. After your consultation is complete and a training program is written up for you, we will set up your first couple of weeks of Personal Training appointments.

Once your training sessions begin, the trainer will come to wherever you choose to conduct a Functional Movement screening. This is to determine where you are fitness-wise. Something that makes us different than other training programs out there is that we test every single client to see where they are physically to ensure no ones time is wasted. For example, if you are a 35 year old who runs every day and is looking to build muscle, you will score a certain amount on this test and a program will be designed especially for you based on where you are in your life at that point in time. We don’t begin every client at the same starting point. It would be a waste of your time and money. We want to start you based off of where you are physically at this very moment. On the other hand, if you’re a 65-year-old woman who recently decided to get active again after years of inactivity, you will score a certain amount on these tests and we will start you where you need to be. Everyone is different and every workout should be different based on the client. It’s never beneficial for a gym to start each and every person at the same starting point. It’s not practical and it doesn’t benefit anyone involved.

Is there an allotted time frame or is it flexible depending on the client?

Each Personal Training session is 1 hour. We can book whatever time you’d like. For example, if you’d like to train at 6:15am before you have to get ready for work, that’s not a problem. Or 8:45pm after you’re kids are sleeping, great! One thing I learned from managing gyms is that Personal Training clients are often forced to book on the hour or on the half hour only. What happens when you get out of work at 5pm, can be at the gym by 5:45pm, but need to be home by 7pm to eat with your family. If you were training in the gym, booking a training session would be rather difficult because you’ve already missed their 5:30pm slot, and you’d be waiting around too long for their 6pm slot which would also make you late to have dinner with your family! If you can leave work at 5pm, get home by 5:30pm and start training with us in your living room at 5:45pm, you’ll be done by 6:45pm, already be home, and ready to eat right after your workout. We’ve just eliminated one extra place you needed to be during the day – the gym! No more extra stops before or after work. No more rushing to and from your workouts. Just go home and we will come to you! You don’t have to leave your house to get an amazing workout. To those that think you need those huge machines in the gym to have a Personal Trainer, did you realize that trainers barely touch those things? Every amazing trainer I’ve witnessed throughout my years in this industry steers clear of that type of equipment during a Personal Training session. They tend to work with stability balls, foam rollers, resistance bands, and other equipment we have on hand within our company!)

What do you find is the most common need for clients now that we are well into 2015 and summer is right around the corner?

The most common need among clients right now is to tone. Swimsuit season is quickly approaching and everyone is looking to tweak their bodies to see a noticeable difference not only in their everyday clothing, but also when they go on vacation or to the beach. Even the clients that don’t have to lose over 5lbs want to tone their arms for tank tops, legs for shorts, backs for amazing shoulders and stomachs for a smaller waistline. It’s all possible and it might be easier than you think (as long as you follow your program)!

Is this program affordable for the everyday New Yorker?

Yes! There are so many options available to get your health back. We have so many services available that are fully customizable, guaranteed and affordable it’s crazy to think someone would work out any other way! Gyms have so many upfront and hidden fees you could easily spend thousands of dollars over the course of a year working out in one! We’ve eliminated contract fees, annual fees, monthly membership fees, maintenance fees, locker fees, premium class fees, and basically every other fee a gym can come up with; they’re non-existent with us! The cost of your program depends directly upon the amount you’d like to train. If you still think Personal Training is too expensive for you, we have many other workout programs that you can follow in the comfort of your own home for such an affordable rate! Some even under $100! Aside from the workouts, we have amazing shakes and cleanses available for clients and they’re truly incredible. It’s a no-brainer to try Marissa’s Form Fitness to see the difference everywhere; from our customer service to our affordability, we’re a great company and we can’t wait to change the way people workout.

What is the ultimate difference between what you are doing and every other type of fitness program available in NYC?

To answer this I feel like I have to explain how I managed the health club I was in to get my point across correctly… I never felt like what I was doing was work. I always felt like the next woman that walked through those doors needed my help. Whether it was guidance throughout a workout program, help choosing which program would best suit their needs, or help figuring out how they can lose weight, I was helping each and every woman there and I loved it. And because of the fact that they looked to me for guidance, great relationships were formed and I still keep in contact with these women today. They became an extended part of my family. They knew my daughters and needed constant updated on them, they knew what my personal goals were and they genuinely cared for me just as much as I did them. It was a great feeling to have and I treasure that to this day. That’s what sets Marissa’s Form Fitness apart from any other “workout company”. We genuinely and truly care for each and every client we have. There is a huge difference between working out with us and working out in some mass-produced chain gym. And when you workout alongside people that encourage and support you the way we do, you’ll be more equipped to reach your goals and then some!

Aside from the extraordinary customer relations we have with clients, we’re looking to make working out more convenient for the everyday New Yorker. Let’s face it; we’re busy! We’re lucky if we get through one single day without the feeling of being pulled in different directions. If working out were made easier for you to do, would you still pass it up? Take advantage of working out using such a convenient and effective way of training that guarantees you results!

To put it simply, what sets us apart from other gyms in NYC is the fact that we will travel to you and we sincerely care about our clients; a commodity that’s often lost in the huge gyms where members are just viewed as a number or dollar sign instead of a person.

What are your hopes and dreams for this in 2015 and beyond?

I plan on working my a** off each and every day to ensure Marissa’s Form Fitness becomes a household name. I dream of making it easier for New Yorkers to reach their health and fitness goals by cutting costs, making trainers easily accessible and offering a constant support system to clients. I won’t stop! My 5-year goal will be to expand Form Fitness across America! I just see a company like this growing and growing. Fitness is everywhere so why shouldn’t we be?!

If this is something that interests you for 2015 and beyond, reach out to Marissa directly via the photo above.  Official website is here.