Lose weight at Anytime Fitness

By Pat Lakey
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BERLY BRUTO, left, exercises on an elliptical machine with the assistance of personal trainer Sarah Gomez at Anytime Fitness in Placerville. Democrat photo by Pat Dollins

QUOTE: “We have one lady, Peggy, who lost 52 pounds and was able to give up half her medications. It was wonderful to see the change in her life.”

OK, pop that last piece of See’s into your mouth and then let’s get going! Better yet, toss that candy and wrinkled brown wrappers into the trash, and get inspired to tighten up your body and recharge your health by visiting Anytime Fitness in Placerville.

Owners Cathy and Jason Dudley are waiting with a staff of half-a-dozen professionals to help with that New Year’s promise to yourself to lose weight and feel younger. It helps that Cathy, 39, possesses an absolute passion for fitness.

“I believe that when the owners of a gym are into fitness, that’s the key,” she said, modestly pointing to a gold-colored statuette of a woman body-builder, a trophy she won last July in a National Physique Committee competition in San Jose. “I’m proud of that accomplishment, and our entire staff shares a passion for fitness and for knowing what people need.”

Cathy’s lithe stride as she led a tour of Anytime Fitness, located at 3970 Missouri Flat Road, was matched by the confident pace of her husband Jason, 43, who is charged with maintaining the top-of-the-line exercise equipment in the 4,000-square-foot gym. Although the two are the epitome of fitness, they love telling the success stories of their clients, who now number about 1,000 since the gym opened two years ago.

“The success stories keep us going,” said Cathy as a client stopped by briefly to chat. “We have one lady, Peggy, who lost 52 pounds and was able to give up half her medications. It was wonderful to see the change in her life.”

Cathy also tells about a family of three who lost a total of 112 pounds in four months of working out at Anytime Fitness.

“The son lost 55 pounds, the mom lost 35 and the dad took off 22 pounds. We’re going to put them up on one of our ‘Success Story’ posters,” she added, pointing to several such posters that grace the interior of the spacious, comfortable gym.

Many of the success stories can be attributed to the inspiration felt as the enthusiasm of the owners and staff becomes contagious once you walk in the doors of the facility, located in Prospector’s Plaza, across from Kmart.

Cathy Dudley is exuberant as she shows off the equipment, which is “always working,” thanks to her husband’s efforts. No one ever need wait to have a turn at the life-changing machinery that lines the gym in abundance.

But ask Cathy about the 24-hour massage that is available, and you’ll see her eyes light up as she leads the way into a cozy room where a water-wave massage bed beckons, promising users a warm, penetrating massage in complete privacy. Cathy demonstrated the bed, pulling a red-light-emitting hood over her face as she lay on the massage bed.

“The red light therapy is for the skin,” she explained. “It takes out brown (age) spots.”

The water bed is power controlled, with the user deciding how much of a good thing they wish to experience. “I don’t think I’m going to want to get up from this,” laughed Cathy as she reluctantly rose from the comfort of the bed, which is available to members at all times.

In fact, the gym is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with staff available during prime time hours early in the morning into the evening. Membership fees are totally affordable, according to client Connie Randmaa, 68, of Pollock Pines.

“My husband Juri and I have been coming here for over a year-and-a-half,” said Connie. “We come two to four times a week, and we enjoy it because it’s closer than most workout facilities, and much more reasonable as far as fees. Plus, we like everybody here,” she added, as she headed toward her favorite, the treadmill.

Connie Randmaa pointed out, too, that because the Anytime Fitness franchise has nearly 2,000 facilities nationwide, and hundreds located in other countries, it’s always convenient to find a gym while traveling. She and Juri, for example, just took advantage of a locale in Billings, Mont.

Cathy Dudley said other Anytime Fitness gyms are located in dozens of locations near El Dorado County, and that another is planned to open soon in Cameron Park.

One featured workout innovation that may keep you dedicated to your New Year’s resolution is called “Fitness on Request,” a computerized program that shows 80 different exercise routines on a huge screen in a workout room.

“There’s everything from strength training, to seniors to spin workouts,” explained Cathy. “We find that often people will opt for a certain workout plan for New Year’s and then before long they find that it’s boring because there’s no variety. This offers 80 choices, and it changes monthly.” Clients may also bring their own video workout and plug it into the big-screen gizmo at Anytime Fitness.

There also is a variety of classes offered at the facility, including yoga, of which Jason Dudley is a master, Cathy said.

“We’re very hands-on here, and we can fit the client to a very individualized plan,” she added. “We can offer a structured plan that will ‘remember’ what settings to use to set up the exercise machines, which machines are used for a stronger, leaner every day.”

Client Lois Hinshaw said she enjoys the structure of the individualized programs, and she had high praise for Anytime Fitness.

“I’ve been coming here since last March, and it’s just so clean — beautiful and open,” said Hinshaw, 70, of Camino. “I like the individualized programs offered and I like the people who work here. It gets me and my husband Tom out of the house and staying active. We come here five to six days a week, and Tom has lost 60 pounds.”

Cathy Dudley said she appreciated Lois’ comment about the cleanliness of the facility, as she is a self-described “neat freak” who understands the importance of a pristine setting to promote optimum health.

Customers of Anytime Fitness include all age groups and levels of fitness. One client is a competitive mountain biker, she mentioned.

And remember that family trio that lost a total of 112 pounds in four months? The mom, Eileen Heath, 58, said making fitness a family affair at Anytime Fitness is what worked for her and her son, Jeremy, 25, and 57-year-old husband, Bryan.

The Heaths, from Placerville, love working with personal trainers Sam Conway (also manager) and Sarah Gomez, Eileen Heath said, adding that the trainers are “extremely motivating.”

“We go as a family, which I think is important because everybody needs a partner to get them going and keep them motivated,” she said. “I also like the fact that there is a wide range of people who go to Anytime Fitness — we always feel comfortable there.” Eileen said she and son Jeremy go to the gym twice a day, while Bryan makes a daily visit in the evenings after work.

Anytime Fitness is located at 3970 Missouri Flat Road, Suite 1, in Placerville.