Studio FIT: ‘I feel so much better'

Certified personal trainer Carissa Gokay believes fit is more than just a state of being — it's an acronym.

When she opened Studio FIT in Willows Walk Mall in July, she knew the name of her business had to say it all.

The 25-year-old trainer provides functional, intense training or "FIT" to people who want the most from their workouts.

"A workout has to be effective," said Gokay, who graduated from California State University, Chico, with a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology.

When Gokay moved to Willows to be closer to boyfriend Jake Thuemler, the Bay Area native found people in a small town were not different than those in a big city when it comes to concerns about their health.

"Just looking good is no longer the only reason people work out," Gokay said. "People want to feel better."

Exercise has become the most important tool for managing everything from stress and depression to healing injuries and preventing disease, Gokay said.

An effective workout helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, back pain and osteoporosis, she said.

Looking good is a perk, said Shey Schmidt, 18, who has lost 30 pounds since she started working with Gokay even before the Butte Street studio opened.

"I feel so much better," Schmidt said. "I feel a lot more healthy and have a lot more energy."

Studio FIT is the latest business to open in the Willows Walk Mall, just next door to Yeti's bar and grill.

To Gokay, the intimate new studio is a dream come true.

"It's everything I wanted," Gokay, who starting working with some of her clients in her own home last year.

Since opening, Gokay has built her clientele to more than 25, and believes others will want to see the same, amazing results.

As a certified personal trainer, Gokay has worked for larger fitness establishments in the past, but she believes that people respond better to the intimacy of working in small groups.

Gokay trains about three or four people at a time, taking them through high-intensity 30-minute workouts that are designed to boost metabolism, shed fat, increase lean muscle tone and make you feel your best.

Although any exercise is better than no exercise at all, Gokay said too many people spend too many hours a week on exercise programs that are ineffective when it come to building lean muscle and losing excess weight.

Poor results are often the reasons people abandon their exercise programs, she said.

Gokay said she trains her clients to use their own bodies to build strength and muscle, and to get the highest results from a 30-minute workout.

"It's never the same thing every day," she said. "That is the only way to get positive results."

Whether beginning an exercise program or having been working out regularly, Gokay said her workouts are for everyone, whether they want to work out three times a week or six times a week.

She said she also teaches her clients the most effective exercise they can do at home or while traveling, using no special equipment.

"I keep it fun," she said. "If exercise is fun, people are more likely to stick with it."

CONTACT Susan Meeker at 934-6800 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.