San Clemente Gyms and Fitness

As a certified clinical nutritionist and AFAA-certified personal trainer with 30 years of experience beneath her belt, Nannette Aviles has seen it all. She struggled with yo-yo dieting and an eating disorder that brought her to the brink of despair on one Christmas Eve—but she reached out for help and eventually learned to truly take care of herself with a balanced diet and exercise. At her fitness and nutrition facility, she now helps other women do the same.

Rather than focusing on only one aspect of fitness, Nannette merges hands-on boot-camp training with diet planning aimed at helping ladies shed fat and sculpt muscle. The plan empowers clients to avoid eating for comfort and to instead opt for nutrient-rich foods that boost energy and metabolism levels. Her over-the-phone food-coaching service further encourages women to embrace food and their bodies in safe, healthy ways, eschewing trendy diet and exercise fads such as edible shake weights.

Registered nurse Francine Oca fondly remembers tagging along to work with her aunt, a professional makeup artist. She'd watch in awe as brushes whisked across faces, brightening eyes and highlighting smiles. Though these tune-ups were small, they made a world of difference to women's perceptions of themselves.

Today, Francine helps women cultivate beauty and confidence as an aesthetic nurse at Live Gorgeous OC—a skincare clinic that specializes in noninvasive enhancements such as laser treatments, dermal fillers, and wrinkle-smoothing injections. Along with Dr. Corazon Iniguez Oca, a physician who has taught at UC Irvine, she performs services that shrink forehead lines, minimize unwanted hair, and correct pigmentation problems for all skin types and colors.

To promote safety and peace of mind, the clinic offers FDA-approved treatments whenever possible. Though the treatments often summon a girlish glow, Francine doesn't believe in making all faces look as young as an egg in a baby bonnet. Instead of performing unnecessary treatments, she will guide clients toward products and habits that make skin look naturally fresh and vibrant.

The weathered wooden beams of vaulted ceilings tower above groups of exercisers in Art of Fitness. As serene as the spa it's a part of, the studio fills with sunlight and views of the Pacific ocean, making the lofty, blue-walled space bright and airy as guests meditate in yoga classes or shed outdated notions of progress on stationary bikes. An outdoor patio and neighboring spa offer tranquil respite from muscle building as children frolic in the childcare center.

As serene and impressive as the interior is, it's the staff of personal trainers that stands out. The team is a certified bulwark of track-and-field stars, Brazilian dancers, boxers, and neuromuscular massage therapists, all pooling their wildly disparate backgrounds to help guests blast past plateaus and slim silhouettes.

ElliptiFitOC's fleet of StreetStrider cycles combines the unique riding maneuvers of a traditional elliptical machine with the mechanics of an outdoor bicycle, freeing the once immobile elliptical from a stuffy indoor existence while fostering low-impact, cardiovascular workouts that engage all muscle groups. Riders cruise under the cover of umbrella-like palm leaves as they step and glide through courses that carve past the glassy waters of Santa Margarita Lake or the flying monkey trees of Barbadanes Park. Each riding session lasts 45 minutes and allows exercisers to glide at their own pace or race against the clock to see how many laps they can complete. Riders must be 12 or older and can schedule a group ride or private, one-on-one lesson by clicking here.

At times, the atmosphere at Waterbabies Swim School is almost ethereally idyllic; clouds drift overhead as wriggling youngsters dive through hula hoops and parents cradle their infants to embark on a first float. More than 20 years ago, Wendy Gallagher developed the model for this utopic swim academy—lauded by CBS Local as having some of the Best Swim Lessons in Orange County in 2011—in a backyard pool in Capistrano Beach. She noticed how the intimate setting helped children enjoy lessons and eased the anxieties of parents watching their offspring submerge and surface as fully-grown otters. Guided by that experience, she installed modern facilities on the grounds of a quaint, 1920s white-stucco bungalow. The changing rooms feature kid-sized bathroom fixtures and, out in the backyard, a saltwater pool remains heated year-round to a balmy 92 degrees for both swim lessons and parties, staying clean via an Ozone system that instantly kills bacteria.

In Gallagher's aquatic curriculum, water safety is paramount, followed by a loving approach and the conviction that parents of infants can teach their babies how to swim. As a certified Pilates therapist, she quickly sees and corrects improper alignment, and as a mother of four, she knows how games and songs can be used to make lessons more fun and more effective. Instructors are equally sensitive as a result of training with Gallagher and are all certified in infant swimming by the United Swim School Association, a continuing-education organization. To ensure safety and personal attention, lessons max out at three students, and there are never more than two lessons occurring simultaneously in the pool.

For Dr. Garry Kim, the struggle to lose weight is a familiar one. After successfully shedding 45 pounds and keeping it off for more than 15 years, the medical director of American Weight Loss Centers has made it his focus to help others reach their weight-loss goals. He combines his medical knowledge of metabolism with current findings in nutritional science to customize weight-loss programs to each individual client. By evaluating each person’s dietary habits and lifestyle, Dr. Kim is able to help them address the issues that keep them from losing weight while leading them toward lower cholesterol, improved self-confidence, and the increased energy to live a healthy life and proudly conquer their high-school reunion’s dance-floor hamster wheel.