November 2008 - The Suburbanite

People in the workplace need to stay in shape, and Monica Brant knows what it takes to build a better body.

Brant came to Build-a-Body Personal Training to speak about how to eat right and exercise to build and maintain a body one can be happy with.

"We have to motivate each other in everything we do," she said. "Coming from a fitness side of it, we feel better when we are fit and feeling healthy."

Talking to mostly women, a number of them from ComDoc who along with Build A Body PT put on the event, Brant spoke about how she ended up being a fitness speaker from her roots in a small Texas town.

"It was not a dream of mine to be doing public speaking or even in the public eye. I think, it's just me, a girl from Texas," she said.

Brant lived in a home where farm work was an everyday thing. She was a horseback rider through high school along with sprinting for the track team.

She began competing in fitness competitions, which differ from body building competitions in that it is how fit you are rather than how big, in 1991. Women started competing in 1987, and one of those competitors, Marly Duncan, was an inspiration.

"Marly Duncan was one of the first competitors in women fitness," Brant said. "I had a poster of her on my wall. Eventually we did magazine covers together."

Her inspiration currently comes from a different source.

"Now it’s the women I meet, like this group, and the inspirational stories that I hear," she said.

The main focus of her talk, her training regime, was ted in closely with her diet. Food intake to Brant is important, striving for a consistent diet. When she does splurge, a rare occurrence, rather than let it continue, she will work out extra hard the next day to make up for the splurge.

"Don't allow one meal to become three to four days," she said. “Routine and consistency (in your diet). My change and variety comes in my workouts."

Her book, "Secrets to Staying Fit and Loving Life," is where to find more details on the foods she eats and her workouts. She said 30 minutes to an hour three or four times a week is enough to see results.

On the diet side, keeping a food journal of everything one eats can be major help to a healthy diet. By knowing how may calories you eat in a day, people can figure out what works best and which foods cause them to feel lethargic or unhealthy.

Brant also suggested eating every two to three hours, but not a full meal. Just something small, like an apple and some almonds, to help keep the metabolism going.

"Diet is the hardest part to fix," she said. "Food is such an outlet for us. We need to use food to get healthier."

For complete healthiness, Brant said meditation makes for a good balance of exercising the body and mind. She has found wellness in her faith and recommends others find something that helps them spiritually.

Andrea Capuano, ComDoc's Director of Human Resources, met Brant before and knew she would be a great person to have come talk.

"She was a big inspiration for me," Capuano said. "I'd see her in fitness magazines. She has a down to earth quality about her."

Capuano said she bought a phone consultation for a friend who was getting into body competitions. After meeting her, she knew Brant would be a good motivation for those trying to get in better shape.

"We have a group of women at ComDoc going through strength training on site," she said.

"Thought it would be a good kick in the pants. I talked to our CEO, Riley Lochridge, he wanted to do it for the customers and community. That's when we moved it to Build-A-Body. They are doing the strength training for us on site. Lisa (Kelleman-McClain) and I have a good relationship. A great business opportunity for her.&quto;

ComDoc has been doing a "wellness journey" for three years. They have tried different training exercises, with strength training being the current exercise.

"It's really important for people to pay attention to their health. Dealing with the rising cost of health insurance, realize the best way to keep it down is to keep them out of the hospital."

The exercising and training put in place at ComDoc along with things like hearing Brant have seen positive results so far.

"(We have seen results in) weight loss, body mass loss. Plus they all seem to be really inspired. How different they feel, happy their moods are improved. One lady sent me a note and said it's the best they've felt in years."

For more information about Monica Brant or to buy her book, go to www.monicabrant.com. For more info on Build-A-Body PT, call (330) 361-9199 or go to www.buildabodypt.com. For details about ComDoc go to www.comdocinc.com.

August 2008 - The Repository

It's All New.

Build A Body Personal Training has opened a studio in Green at 3339 Miller Park Rd., Suite A.

The company, owned by certified personal trainer Lisa J. Kelleman-McClain, specializes in developing private, one-on-one personal training sessions for clients intimidated by a typical fitness center.

Build A Body also focuses on developing fitness and health-related opportunities for local organizations that wish to create a wellness program for their employees.

Group fitness classes and an in-house massage therapist are available.

August 2008 - South Side Leader

GREEN - Build a Body Personal Training has now expanded to include a second studio in Green. The facility specializes in private, one-on-one personal training.

"Some people want to train to improve their golf game, while others want to train to lose weight," said owner Lisa Kelleman-McClain, CPT. "These people would need to perform completely different exercise programs to achieve their goals, so we develop the training programs according to their individual health and wellness aspirations".

Every trainer at the facility is nationally certified, according to Kelleman-McClain.

Build a Body Personal Training also offers small-group, semi-private personal training and group classes in yoga, flexibility, belly dancing and boot camp, general strength training, ballroom dancing, step, stability ball, self-protection/self-defense, line dancing, a seniors’ class and more.

August 2006 - Fitness Management Magazine

To help her clients start the year off right, Build a Body Personal Training owner, Lisa Kelleman-McClain created the Fit Fix in 2006 walking challenge, which was held the entire month of January. The goal was to not only help members get used to physical activity every day, but also to help those who wanted to lose weight.

Participants were provided a pedometer and a Portion Plate, a dishwasher-safe plate that offers a tangible demonstration of how much food an individual should eat with illustrated portion areas. Participants were instructed to wear their pedometer every day, and to record the number of steps they took each day on a report form. Pedometers were set for stride length, and participants were told to strive for the government recommended 10,000 steps each day, which, according to Kelleman-McClain, is "a little difficult!"s Participants trying to lose weight were instructed to monitor their heart rate and work out in the recommended 55 to 85-90 percent target heart rate zone.

Prizes were determined by the total steps taken. First prize was two free personal training sessions, and second prize was a one-hour consultation with a registered and licensed dietician. Participants were able to keep their pedometer and Portion Plate.

A total of 20 clients took part in the walking challenge. First place prize winner, Tiffney Holland-Kerekes walked a total of 370,408 steps, and she also set a record for the facility clientele with a one-day count of 25,082 steps. Second place winner, Robin Whitacre, walked 286,686 steps. "The walking challenge...was fun!" says Kelleman-McClain. "Of those who participated, everyone mentioned how much the pedometers encouraged them to get up and walk." Kelleman-McClain says she plans many more contests, including a free boot camp, a nutrition contest and a "Train the Trainer" day.