Bartlett, TN Health and Fitness

Becca Marino fought an eating disorder for 13 years before enlisting in a six-month recovery program. During this time, mentors surrounded and supported her. Thanks to their encouragement, she broke free of the eating disorder and nourished a desire to help others do the same. Marino marched off to earn a bachelor's in health, fitness, and recreational resources, specializing in exercise science. Then, she racked up personal training certifications to start her career in fitness. But even as she went to work in gyms, wellness centers, and other fitness facilities, she felt as if she couldn't help people the way she wanted to.

In 2009, she broke down the barriers that kept her from inspiring others and opened Fitness Inspiration!. She and her team promote mindsets and beliefs that facilitate external action. This positive approach to physical and mental transformation manifests itself in every workout, from personal and small-group training sessions to group classes and boot camps. Teachers also host wellness workshops and outreach events that nourish self-worth and awaken a desire for participants to treat their bodies like temples or shrines to JTT.

Becca's powerful positive methodologies won her a 2012 Natural Memphis award for Best Personal Trainer, and her Best Me! boot-camp program was awarded the title of Best Natural Body Care Program.

Eccentric Fitness' experienced and passionate instructors help clients of all fitness and skill levels boost their self-esteem and diminish their waistlines with pole-dance, yoga, and dance classes. Learning flirty choreographed strip-tease routines, guests saunter atop the studio's hardwood dance floors accented by black and purple walls. Ladies leap onto poles to tighten their upper and lower bodies with spin techniques, or annihilate calories shimmying to hip-hop dance numbers. Reaching beyond the body to the mind and spirit, Eccentric’s instructors lead guests through a variety of yoga classes, including those with a focus on flexibility, men's yoga, and moves to strengthen the muscles used for pole dancing or impersonating your favorite letter of the alphabet.

Dexter Tenison knows how to lose weight. Weighing nearly 300 pounds after college, Tenison decided it was time to make a change. Throwing himself into martial arts and personal training, he discovered a healthier lifestyle that he realized was inspiring others to reach their own goals. With that, he decided to open Memphis Adventure Boot Camp. Voted Best Health Club by Memphis Most in 2011, Tenison’s all-female boot camps combine the group vibe he found in his martial-arts classes with the personal attention and drastic results from personal training. Camps span several weeks at a time, aiming to whip frames into shape with ever-changing fitness regimes that spice up traditional exercise, such as jogging and resistance training, with fresh add-ins, including obstacle courses, lunging, and building body bridges across quicksand. To cater to all conditioning levels, every workout is easily modifiable, and no participants will ever be pushed to overexert themselves.

MemFit Boot camp creates an atmosphere and workout routine that caters to clients of nearly any athletic condition. Participants sweat away fat and strengthen muscles doing pushups and crunches in the gym or condition outside in the fresh air alongside motivational peers, trainers, and woodland creatures. A series of ever-changing anaerobic and cardio workouts keeps participants both engaged and energized, helping each of them to reach their personal goals. Broken into six-week increments, boot camps are held in the early morning or evening to accommodate 9–5 schedules.

Dr. Ken Clenin knows that, when it comes to wellness, there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. That's why, before he crafts his personalized treatment plans, members of his staff chat with clients about their body's joints, muscles, and steam-powered pistons, honing in on any chronic conditions or new trouble spots. Since many health issues can be traced back to excess weight, the center specializes in helping clients shed their unwanted pounds. Using their Ideal Protein Weight Loss Protocol, staffers kickstart sluggish metabolisms with treatment plans that skip gimmicky diets for nutritional coaching and sensible eating. The staff also helps clients with fat reduction, using a noninvasive Zerona machine that deploys low-level laser light that's designed to melt fat and contour physiques. In addition to weight loss programs, the center is also home to licensed and certified chiropractors, massage therapists, and holistic practitioners.

Drs. Richard Hathcock and Alan James of Memphis Laser Fat Loss liken the effects of their LipoLaser treatments to those of exercise. Both weight-loss methods stimulate the body's fat cells to open up, which can lead to the shedding of excess water and fatty acids. The physicians use paddles equipped with painless, cold laser lights to administer the 10-minute treatments. Although the staff recommend 9–18 sessions for losing a good number of inches, they also emphasize that clients need to regularly exercise and eat only the healthiest flavors of tin cans in order to maintain their new figures. Memphis Laser Fat Loss can assist with these lifestyle changes and help patients get into shape in time for the holidays through additional services such as nutritional counseling.