During a time when the fitness industry is facing continued setbacks due to the pandemic, Northwest Personal Training is working hard to continually bring hope and health to residents of Clark County.
Sherri McMillan opened the business in 1999, with a focus on providing one-on-one personal fitness training. The business specializes in working with clients aged 40 and older who want to focus on their health. Trainers work on all fitness components with their clients, including cardio, core conditioning, flexibility, mobility, nutrition, and more. “We operate from the belief that exercise is medicine and health is wealth,” said McMillan. “Exercise is the best anti-aging initiative that you can do.”
Northwest Personal Training began with just two employees and today, there are 16. When that the pandemic hit in 2020, they lost 20% of revenue when compared to 2019. During the time of government-issued shutdowns, the company renovated the studio, updated its website, and came up with a plan to restructure their training model to increase spacing between clients.
McMillan explained, “We used the time the best that we could to assure we could come out of this stronger than ever. We were not going to let COVID take us down – unfortunately 30% of the fitness industry has closed down for good. We were not going to let that happen to us!”
While the pandemic deeply impacted her business – and the fitness industry as a whole – McMillan shares that there have been some blessings to come out of it, too. Clients have recognized that they can still get a great virtual workout in – even if they are traveling, or don’t want to leave the house. The team at Northwest Personal Training regularly offers these online workouts for clients, in addition to providing training sessions in their client’s homes. However, most clients choose to utilize the newly remodeled studio space.
“It’s been the toughest two years in my fitness career,” shared McMillan. “We are slowly rebuilding our team with some world-class trainers who are passionate about helping people and changing lives. Our systems and our passion on health and fitness, as well as our mission to help people, got us through. We are also so thankful for our fitness family – team and clients that bonded together to get us through!”
Looking ahead, McMillan is excited about providing the keynote presentation at the International IDEA Personal Training Institute in Virginia at the end of February. She will also continue her work on the Washington Fitness Alliance, advocating and providing a voice for the fitness industry.
“The fitness industry needs a stronger voice to be considered as part of the health spectrum,” she said. “It’s much easier to prevent disease than treat it!”
