Community Magazine July 2014

74 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE “People tell me: ‘I don’t feel good…I’m getting fat…’And I say to them: Get up and move! Go walking, go swimming, get on a bicycle – just get up and move and you’ll feel better.” says Ronnie Nahem, one of our community’s premier personal trainers. “I stress lifestyle change,” he continues, “not just doing something for a short period of time. You have to do something that you can sustain and that you won’t fall out of. If you do something you can commit to, you’ll get all the benefits of health and strengthening.” Ronnie knows these benefits firsthand. Currently 55, he’s been working out since he was 15. Back then, he hoped to get big enough and strong enough to earn a place on the high school football team. He did – and then went on to play Division 1 college football. Fitness has been a way of life for him ever since. “It’s always been ingrained in me to work out,” he says. “The benefits, to me, are a major priority. It makes me feel good to exercise. It was always a part of me.” Personal training as a career choice, though, is a relatively recent endeavor. It came about once he left the retail business after 30 years of hard work. Noting how unmotivated he was, his wife said to him, “What can you do that you love, that you can make a living off of?” The obvious answer was personal training, but Ronnie never thought people would pay for his experience and enthusiasm. “I thought, who’s going to pay me to train them? And yet I’m still doing this full-time 11 years later.” What an inspiring story Ronnie’s is – a story of finding joy in a vocation in middle age, of feeling entirely renewed and grateful simply because you’re doing what you love. Certified for personal training from AFAA, Ronnie trains people at his home in West Long Branch, New Jersey. With a full gym at their disposal, he and his clients do it all – stretching, strength training, kick boxing, interval training, weightlifting, TRX, steps, cardio, kettle balls, battle ropes… His sessions last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, though he says the trend now is shorter workouts with more intensity. “In order to keep a person committed, excited and motivated,” he says, “you must keep up the intensity – or you’ll lose them.” Ronnie’s trained a lot of rabbis over the years, perhaps because he’s one of the only male instructors working privately during the day in our community. “They always tell me, ‘This is Hashem’s way of allowing you to give back. That’s what you were put here for – to train and to keep people healthy. That’s your mitzvah.’” In his gym hangs a quote "I'm exercising in order to be stronger to serve Hashem." Ronnie, who does private and group sessions, takes pride in his ability to tailor his training programs. “As a personal trainer, you work according to what the client is looking for,” he says. “It depends on what the goals are. Weight loss, weight gain, health, injury repair, an increase in stamina or strength. I have clients as young as 11 years old and as old as 90. What’s good for one may not be good for the other. And because I’ve been doing this for 40 years, I can make a program for anyone.” Though some people take up a sport as a form of exercise, many people prefer the services that a personal trainer provides. “You come to a personal trainer to focus on doing exercise the right way,” says Ronnie. “Most people I know don’t exercise the right way. Their form is bad and they’re opening themselves up to injury.” That’s where Ronnie comes in. Epitomizing the “personal” in personal training, he serves as spotter, prizing safety all else. He works hard to educate and motivate his clients, knowing just how much to push them so they can reach their goal. Ronnie shares the story of a man who was so heavy he couldn’t walk to shul on Shabbat. Under Ronnie’s care, he began to eat healthier, get stronger and yes, shed those pounds. He can walk to shul now. “Any type of movement is positive!” Ronnie urges. “You can run a marathon or you can walk around the block twice. It’s all good. Just move your body! Find out what you like to do and do it!” Simple but wise words from one of the best in the business – maintain an active lifestyle, avoid the temptation to remain sedentary, and take the first steps towards good health. The Key to Staying Healthy: Advice from one of the community’s premier personal trainers, Ronnie Nahem “Move Your Body!” Ronnie Nahem KELLY JEMAL MASSRY