Knightdale Gyms and Fitness

The massage therapists at My Perfect Forms Massage and Personal Training tailor their treatments to match each client's needs, whether that means working out an athlete's muscles with a sports massage or gently relieving the tension in an office worker's stiff neck or mouse-clicking finger. Sessions take place in private treatment rooms decorated with soothing earth tones. Patrons can also opt for personal-training sessions that sculpt bodies with a blend of cardio, strength, and resistance training.

Drawing from her training in dance and yoga and the Pilates certification she earned in 2001, owner Ashley Hayes leads fitness classes that emphasize mindful movements. She animates a hands-on mentality during Pilates and barre dynamics sessions, which require students to consistently monitor their range of motion. Ashley imparts this approach to help her students increase stamina and muscle tone through the repeated execution of the proper technique, as opposed to brute repetition. Her elegant exercise regimens can build long, lean muscles over time while encouraging the kind of posture that makes a drill sergeant feel like Quasimodo.

From the very first tee shot over a lake to the pond protecting the left side of the 18th green, the course at River Ridge Golf Club pits players against the physical and psychological challenges brought by omnipresent water hazards, including the Neuse River that intersects the course on several holes.

Architect Chuck Smith’s 1997 design weaves course play through a 6,740-yard gauntlet furnished with a plush carpet of bermuda-grass fairways and rough that gives way to fast-moving G-6 bent-grass greens. The course's signature 5th hole rewards golfers who keep their tee shots on the fairway with a short-iron approach that must clear a large pond and any caddies sunbathing in the large greenside bunker.

As a semiprivate club, membership at River Ridge unlocks a slew of benefits not available to the general public. Though the practice area—composed of a driving range and putting and chipping greens—is open to everyone, only members may make use of the locker rooms, club storage, and handicap program provided at the clubhouse. Additionally, members are granted access to special events, tournaments, and PGA pro Tim Cockrell’s lessons, which help players calibrate putting strokes and find their swing after a long time away from the game to search for their favorite golf ball that got lost in the Neuse River.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Total length of 6,740 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 72.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 138 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

Course architect David Postlethwait designed the dramatic fairways of the course at Riverwood Golf Club—named Readers’ Choice for Best Golf Course by Triangle East magazine—to reward both distance and accuracy. Nestled alongside the Neuse River, the course’s Bermuda grass fairways lead to newly renovated bentgrass greens, and golfers aim away from two ponds, a smattering of water hazards, and the ball-hungry salamanders that lurk in sand bunkers. Before hitting the fairways, players can warm up at one of the driving range’s 36 hitting stations.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 7,012 yards

• Course rating of 73.2

• Slope rating of 129

Though its title may conjure up images of base jumping or spelunking in volcanoes, Xtreme Sports challenges its members to tackle standard recreational activities with intensity. But its coaches and trainers also know that sports and physical activity should be fun, so whether their charges are shimmying to Latin rhythms in a Zumba class, improving athletic prowess during athlete boot camp, or honing teamwork skills during summer camp, they are getting positive reinforcement. This helps the instructors lead both adults and children toward their individual goals of losing weight, improving agility, or bench-pressing family members.

Whether he’s practicing chiropractic or conducting health lectures, Dr. Josh McMillon never loses sight of his ultimate goal: to guide his patients toward a renewed sense of “hope and vitality.” This lofty mission, which Dr. McMillon shares with his staff at Proactive Health & Wellness, serves as the philosophical foundation of his chiropractic program. His knowledge of human anatomy and mastery of technology-assisted therapies such as portable ultrasound and the Graston Technique allow him to measure nervous-system functions and break down fascial restrictions to ensure optimal health.

These chiropractic services represent only one aspect of the center’s program for holistic health. Massage therapy soothes tension and coaxes toxins out of muscles, potentially fending off disease. Similarly, yoga classes relax the mind and body with poses that improve one’s abilities to breathe deeply and slither through drain pipes. Proactive Health & Wellness maintains a commitment to the community that extends beyond its flagship trifecta of therapies; the center’s outreach programs include free health lectures and quarterly food and clothing drives.