Fitness is the key to living a long and healthy life. Even just 30 minutes a day can drastically improve your cardiovascular health, boost your mood and decrease your risk of heart and other diseases. When starting your fitness journey, it’s important to find a friendly, clean gym with plenty of equipment that motivates you to keep consistent and achieve your fitness goals; and Sue Gallagher Holton knows how important an inviting and supportive environment can be to achieving goals.
For that reason, when she opened a Medford location of the national Anytime Fitness chain earlier this year, she aimed to create the kind of community that would open its arms to any and all types of guests, no matter where they were on their path to getting into better shape – even if it’s their first time.
“[My advice for people who are just starting out is] you just have to get there. Keep it simple and don’t push too hard right away,” says Gallagher Holton. “And use your free training sessions to learn how to use all of the equipment.”
A Medford Lakes native who was a standout athlete at Shawnee High School, Gallagher Holton learned the value of sweat equity from a young age. She eventually became a student at the National Personal Training Institute in Philadelphia – which provides enrollees the education and tools to become a certified personal trainer – and later returned as an instructor before becoming part owner of the school for 15 years.
At the same time that she was acting as a mentor to aspiring trainers, Gallagher Holton was building her own loyal base of clients as a personal trainer herself, working at gyms throughout the Medford area for two decades. When COVID struck and gyms were forced to close their doors in 2020, she helped people stay in shape on the outdoor deck of her home.
“I had people knocking down my door to train,” she says. “I was training nine to 10 hours a day, six days a week, and I had to turn people down. I had always wanted to open a gym, and that’s when I really started to think about it. I liked certifying trainers as well, but it wasn’t my passion. I know now that my passion was to open a gym.”
Teaming with Anytime Fitness after the lockdown ended was a no-brainer because of the resources the company provides. The Medford location is the largest of the brand’s 5,100 gyms across the country at 9,000 square feet and contains brand-new, state-of-the-art equipment. True to its name, it is open 24/7, perfect for those who work odd hours and need to exercise late at night or early in the morning and its nationwide presence means members can continue their training while traveling.
Gallagher Holton has only the most committed and experienced trainers on her staff, and they offer everything from small and large group training to individual or partner sessions.
“Everyone here is the nicest person in the world, both staff and members. All of my staff are highly experienced, motivating, supportive and friendly, and all have a dedication to help their client reach their goals,” Gallagher Holton says.
Anytime Fitness also has a wide range of classes, including Zumba, Tabata and cardio kickboxing. No matter what kind of workout someone is interested in, they are sure to find it here.
“I think motivation is what gets you started, and habit is what keeps you going,” Gallagher Holton says. “The serotonin after you work out just makes you feel so much better. Physically, mentally, you have to work out.”
Gallagher Holton hopes to open a second or third Anytime location in South Jersey in the future, and the support of her family will continue to inspire her. Her husband James is a local doctor, while her son Sean works at the gym as a personal trainer and is her “eyes and ears” on those rare occasions when she is not in the facility herself.
The success of the Medford location certainly shows that she has found her calling, as it has consistently ranked No. 1 in sales nationally over the past few months and already has more than 1,350 members. In addition to Gallagher Holton’s stellar reputation in the area, the draw has been the family atmosphere and the positive community that supports each other on their fitness journeys.
“Day in and day out, you see the same faces,” she says. “I thought I already knew everyone in Medford until I opened this gym, and now I know so many more. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t come and thank me for opening. But I say, ‘Don’t thank me, thank you for coming.’ I get up every morning and realize how amazing this all is.”
Anytime Fitness
200 Tuckerton Road | Medford
(609) 388-4143
AnytimeFitness.com/gyms/5214/Medford-NJ-08055
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 14, Issue 9.
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