Snellville, GA Health and Fitness

A board-certified general dentist and dental surgeon, Dr. Gangwisch has practiced in Lilburn since 1979, and has relationships with local patients that stretch back more than 20 years. Together with his colleague Dr. John Hulsey, he has cultivated a practice that specializes in taking the fear out of a trip to the dental chair. To ease the discomfort and nervousness sometimes associated with dental work, Dr. Gangwisch regularly administers a variety of anesthetics that render patients blissfully numb to a wisdom tooth's extraction and subsequent embittered insults. In addition, his staff often allays anxieties by outfitting patients with headphones tuned to pleasant music. Likewise, reclining patients can distract themselves from the dental proceedings by watching the flat-screen television mounted into the exam-room ceiling.

After a career creating fitness programs for groups such as prenatal women, obese youth, and people with debilitating diseases, Althea Lawton-Thompson opened her own studio dedicated to helping people of every age and ability embrace wellness in a fun atmosphere. Along with her team Althea leads a bustling schedule of up to four classes a day. Classes range from Tribal Fusion, which combines African dance and jazz moves with toning exercises and light resistance, to Althea's own creation Yo-Chi-Lates, which she acknowledges sounds like a fruity drink, but is actually a blend of yoga, chi gong, and Pilates. Special programs include training for those with joint and muscle pain or immobility from lupus, fibromyalgia, and other conditions. Camps for kids inspire the fitness and self-esteem youngins need to arm-wrestle college counselors and win admission.

Additionally, concern for the earth is literally built into the studio. The dance floor's natural bamboo floors are suspended over a pine subfloor to create a sustainable surface that lowers impact as students jump into Zumba's Latin-inspired moves. In the personal-training studio, the floor is made of recycled natural-cork material, and recycled carpet comprises the lobby floor's mosaic. Low-voltage fluorescent lights cast a glow inside, and most of the center is underground, keeping it cool in the summer and safe from low-flying reindeer in the winter. :m]]

Fitness 19's founders launched their first family-oriented gyms in 2003, hoping to splash the exercising experience with local flavor and familiarity. At each of seven Georgia locations, Life Fitness cardio machines—including treadmills and ellipticals—unite with strength-training machines and free weights to help members to build leaner physiques as certified personal trainers patrol the deep-red-carpeted workout area. The expert staff can also guide clients through yoga-, martial-arts, and weight-loss-centric personal-training sessions. Every location also hosts a kids' room, where youngsters can craft macaroni kettlebells under the supervision of a full-time staff member.

Head coach Keefa Hawkins and her staff of certified CrossFit instructors often quip that CrossFit Iconz classes are “hard and fast, with no cuddling afterwards.” The coaches eschew traditional gym amenities of cardio machines, cushy locker rooms, and trainers that give you piggyback rides to your car, packing their no-frills gym with functional training equipment and free weights instead. Throughout the week, the staff lead students of all ages and abilities through challenging, high-intensity CrossFit workouts comprised of a constantly rotating tapestry of functional movements designed to enhance strength, agility, and coordination. The instructors even conduct CrossFit classes for kids, where workouts are specially tailored to suit the unique physical developmental needs of youngsters.