This paid piece is sponsored by GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness.

Right around their milestone birthdays, Marvin and Beth Nelsen made a life-changing move.

“We turned 65 and decided we needed to be doing something if we wanted to live to be 110 and thought we should go to the gym,” Beth Nelsen said. “We decided not to try and do it on our own and that we needed a trainer so we didn’t hurt ourselves.”

That was six years ago. Today, the 71-year-olds are regulars at GreatLIFE Performance Center, where they work with trainer Jen Johnson twice a week.

“Their biggest goal in coming to the gym is to keep moving as they age,” Johnson said. “They are very, very active, so we work on balance training, a little bit of strength training with cardio sprinkled in. They know I’m standing there waiting for them, and they come in because they want to stay active. The fact they can climb stairs and not be winded or bent over is a big deal.”

Both Beth and Marvin also have been diagnosed with type two diabetes, so stay active and consulting with Johnson around nutrition is key.

“It’s been tremendous,” Nelsen said. “We really wouldn’t be able to do all the things we do without a trainer, and we do a lot.”

She’s not exaggerating. The couple helps regularly at their daughter’s childcare business. And since becoming GreatLIFE members, the family – which includes 10 grandkids – has traveled to Disney World, the Wisconsin Dells and many other area destinations.

“The fact they can take their grandkids to Disney World and walk the whole thing is awesome and I’m so proud of that. It’s a huge win,” Johnson said.

“Everybody knows they need to get to the gym, but as you get older it’s easier to say you’re tired that day, so this puts the accountability in place and it has absolutely resulted in helping them achieve a more active lifestyle.”

It also helps that going to the gym has become a family routine.

It started with several of the Nelsens’ grandchildren, who came with them to play basketball and then began working with trainers themselves.

“They love basketball and thought they needed strengthening, so one of our teenagers and two of our 10-year-old grandkids come regularly,” Nelsen said.

Her daughter, Cayla Rush, recently returned to the gym too. She worked with a trainer prior to the pandemic and then went back within the last month.

“It’s going really great; I now remember why I did it. I love the personal trainers at GreatLIFE. It’s such a positive atmosphere,” she said. “I’m sleeping better, I have more energy, I’ve seen weight loss and I just feel like my mind is clearer.”

She’s noticed a similar change in her parents too.

“It’s their energy. It keeps them young,” she said. “We don’t really realize what their actual age is just because they do stay so active physically.”

For her daughter and two nephews, “GreatLIFE has been great,” Rush added.

“The trainers are so good with kids. It helps their confidence. My daughter is in fourth grade and loves the jokes they make while they’re building her strength for sports and keeping her active. It’s teaching her to grow up healthy – and I think it helps that Grandma and I go because she wants to stay healthy and exercise too.”

Among the family members, they’ve worked with several trainers. In addition to Johnson, trainers Jake Floen, Rudy Sinflorant and Claire Van Overschelde have worked with them.

As a family, they also take advantage of other GreatLIFE benefits. Rush and her kids enjoy the pool at Woodlake Athletic Club, they’ve had fun at basketball camps and the whole family loves GreatLIFE Suburban Lanes, where members enjoy bowling included with their membership.

“We love bowling; it’s really been tremendous for our family and they’ve been super nice at Suburban Lanes,” Nelsen said. “When all our relatives come down from Minneapolis we go together there’s 22 of us.”

Ready to put your family on the path to a more active lifestyle? Johnson says it’s not hard to start.

“To start, we just have a conversation and do a GreatSTART assessment to find out what you need and who you’ll mesh with best as a trainer,” she said. “Our goal is to set you up for success.”

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