Camas trainer marries the mind and body for complete fitness
It’s not mind control.
"If I could do mind control, I’d be working for Bush telling people to lay down their arms and be making billions of dollars," said Herman Johnson, laughing.
Johnson is the man behind L.A.U.N.C.H Fitness Corp., a Camas-based business that focuses on total health through nutrition, strength and condition, relaxation techniques and the power of the mind. Total health is relative depending on a person’s goals, from wanting to compete in marathons to moving past fears of spiders, public speaking and being smothered.
The name L.A.U.N.C.H Fitness – which stands for Learn Achieve Ultimate Natural Comprehensive Health – is relatively new, but Johnson has been in the business for more than 30 years, including two years in Camas. He has a degree in psychology and sociology from Jamestown College in North Dakota and is a practitioner of Emotional Freedom Technique and myoskeletal alignment and is affiliated with the National Endurance and Sports Training Association and American Board of Hypnosis.
A two-time All-American in track and field, Johnson was inducted into the College Athletic Hall of Fame in personal and team categories. He is an assistant track coach at Concordia University, Clark College and Hudson’s Bay High School. In the past, he taught fitness courses at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho and Mt. Hood Community College and directed fitness and aerobics at Cascade Park Fitness Center in Vancouver.
Johnson runs the company with his wife Kären, a pharmacy technician coordinator at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
Johnson said 85 percent of physical anomalies are mental.
"If you can marry the mind and body, you can accomplish many things," Johnson said. "Does that make me a marriage counselor?" he asked with a wink.
"I’ve been a personal trainer and a coach forever," he said. "I’ve always known that the mental health plays a huge role in the physical health. All I want for people is what they want for themselves."
Most of his clients find him through word of mouth. He averages 15 to 20 sessions, which range from $85 to $200 an hour, per month. Johnson doesn’t have financial goals to meet, but says his income is healthy. And unlike many businesses, he wants a high turnover – a sign that his clients are getting healthy.
Prior to getting married, the 53-year-old didn’t have much of a business plan. But Kären spurred a marketing plan so that eventually, L.A.U.N.C.H Fitness will grow into a learning institution so students may learn from Johnson and start their own businesses.
"It’s rare to have someone with 35 years of training in physical athletics and fitness and the psychological side," he said. "I don’t think anyone has that around here. Really my goal is to take care of as many people who want to change their lives. To help them get rid of their past burdens so they can launch their future."
