Coach Mel’s Health & Fitness for Life, located in Harwinton, looks dainty and unassuming from the outside. But let me tell ya, the studio and classes they offer pack a mighty punch..and jab, and front slip, and jump, and lift! Coach Mel’s cute boutique studio has a couple of rooms for boot camps, training, and offers a large array of some of the fitness industry’s most popular group classes. We tried a little bit of almost everything in a special session put together just for us, and we were “thanking” Coach Mel the next day, and the one after that…
Post sponsored by Coach Mel’s Health & Fitness for Life
What’s happening at Coach Mel’s Health & Fitness for Life?
Group Fitness Classes, Athletic Strength & Conditioning Training, and Craft Classes (more on that later!). They offer over 30 classes per week with something for everyone, including P90X, Pound, Kettlebell AMPD, INSANITY Live, SilverSneakers, and a bunch more! Check out the full schedule here. Want to try a class? Scroll to the bottom for a special Unlocking Connecticut offer. ??
Meet Coach Mel – aka Melanie Joseph!
At the beginning of 2015, Coach Mel decided to focus on both her fitness and eating healthfully. It was just after she finished the P90X 3 program by Tony Horton, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because breast cancer ran in her family, she elected for a bilateral mastectomy which was done in July of 2015. Fortunately, as Mel was healthy going into surgery, she made an amazingly quick and pain-free recovery (she was one of the “lucky ones,” and didn’t require chemo or radiation). She actually ran in a 5-mile road race exactly 1 month after her surgery and ran it just 23 seconds slower than the prior year! That’s when Mel’s mantra came to be, “be healthy BEFORE you NEED to be healthy.”
Be healthy BEFORE you NEED to be healthy…
Career change!
Opening Coach Mel’s Health & Fitness for Life had been brewing in her mind since her surgery in 2015. Finally, she knew it was time for a career change (an accountant by trade) and left her job of 22 years to follow her passion and open her studio. She knew she wanted to help others to be healthy and became a group fitness instructor and a certified personal trainer in 2016. Knowing she wanted to open a location in her hometown of Harwinton, Coach Mel’s opened its doors in August 2017.
The vibe
Coach Mel has created an environment that inspires others to bring healthy habits into their lives, starting with exercise, followed by healthy eating. It’s a friendly space that supports each other; no competition, just friends! She aims to make exercise part of her clients’ lives, not something just to lose a few pounds. Exercise that clients will do because it makes them feel great, it allows them to do what they want to do when they want to do it, and enjoy it!
Who can do it?
Fitness classes are for ALL fitness levels, men and women. They cater to all ages, including SilverSneakers classes, and Pound for Kids. They have small classes so instructors can give individual attention.
We can do it!
Jenny and Mel gave us 10-minute condensed versions of a few of the classes they and other fab instructors teach. Just enough time for us to get the moves (simple and incredibly effective), take a few “boomies,” work up a sweat, and wish we had time to do more (Bev), wish we were sitting in a spa somewhere (Lora). JK, Lora loves a good workout! We both especially loved Pound, a workout that combines drawing out your inner rock chick AND burns some serious CALS at the same time!
For the record, we tried:
Insanity Live – Unleashing our inner athlete with plyometrics and speed.
Core de Force – An MMA inspired class. Fighting moves leaving us feeling we could take on the world!
Kettlebell AMPD – A full-body workout using all the best kettlebell moves. We forgot just how great kettlebells are.
AMPD Fusion – Everything! Kettlebells, resistance bands, upright rows with bells, V steps with the bands. We werked!!
Pound – Pick up those lightly weighted drumsticks, learn some simple moves, get into the music….and POUND!
Don’t be scared off by the name of a class, by the way, INSANITY and P90X aren’t as scary as you may think….the instructors at Coach Mel’s are good at showing you variations to bring it down a notch or to push you to work harder.
Wanna give Coach Mel’s a try?
Coach Mel’s is giving a free class to anyone who emails them that they read about them on Unlocking Connecticut. Email [email protected] with the subject like “Unlocking a free class,” or call 860-921-0200 to register for a free class.
They kicked our butts, in a really good fun way!
Mel says, “Exercise is not a one size fits all piece of clothing! We offer a wide variety of classes to allow each person to find out what works for them, what they don’t really care for, and what they can’t wait to do again.”
A healthy mind…
A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body, and to that effect Coach Mel’s has craft classes on their schedule! Learn to Crochet is a very popular class along with their monthly Crochet Sampler classes. Stay tuned, they’ll be adding other types of craft classes soon.
Coach Mel’s also offers a “get it done” night once a month. This is the opportunity to get out of the house to get IT done, whatever IT is. It’s a fun, relaxed social time that allows accomplishing whatever you would like to accomplish. They believe taking a project off of your plate can be very rewarding and also remove a level of stress from your life. (Friday evening 6 – 10 pm – once a month).
Brilliant, we say!
Coach Mel’s Health & Fitness for Life
161 Litchfield Road, Harwinton, CT
860-921-0200
Pics: Lora / Words: Bev
I want to make an appointment for Fitness training and exercise service for my family (private group training for two).I want you to get back to me with the total estimate for 2 month private training for 2 people 1(Female) aged (19)and 1(Male) age (21) for 8 weeks 1hr daily 2 times a week.And i want them to Gain strength, Mobility, Flexibility?