Personal Training by the Beach

Mark Falk, Owner of Fitness on the Bay, thinks anyone can make time to exercise, and this gym's close proximity to Corey Beach in Blue Point may make prospective clients more inclined to work out.

Falk, a personal trainer, loves what he does. "I was always into fitness, but when I turned 40, my weight went from 155 to 175. I had hurt my shoulder, wasn't working out as much. Eventually I went up to 200 pounds," Falk said. "Then I dropped 20 pounds in eight weeks with five percent body fat. I went from being thin to all ends of it, so I thought I could help other people get in shape. So I went to get certified to be a personal trainer."

Falk said what he did with his own body is not unrealistic. "People need to let themselves get to the point where their body just takes off. Men may lose weight faster than women initially, but women will hit a point where it comes off fast, too, but it may take a little longer," he said. "The key is to stick with it long enough because once you do, you change your body. You start to build muscle which is more dense so you are adding lean tissue to your body."

Falk started his personal training career five years ago. He opened the gym in its present location on Corey Avenue in June 2008. "I was looking in the area and when I saw this building I thought it would be a great place for a gym. Now I do this as my primary full time job, seven days a week and I am right near the beach," he said.

Before taking on personal training as a full time career, Falk worked as a web designer and public relations consultant. He moved to Blue Point five years ago with his wife, and together they have four children between them. He believes anyone can find the time to exercise. "There are 10,080 minutes in a week. For optimum health we all need to exercise for 180 minutes a week, which works out to 30 minutes six days a week," he said.

He also is not a fan of one-size-fits-all types of trainers. "Everyone is different, so it depends on the person you are training. It is not a cookie cutter approach, you go by the person. A person might be strong but really they are weak, or they might look weak and really be strong. You have to do a neuromuscular facilitation to evaluate where they are physically," he said.