One woman’s passion for fitness 

 

TRYON—A new business has set up shop at 27 South Trade Street in downtown Tryon. Heather Grigg is a health and fitness trainer who has made it her mission to help make Tryon a healthier place. Grigg started her own personal fitness journey in 2015 and has not looked back since. 

Grigg’s mother is from the area and she moved into the Green Creek community back in 2004. The Grigg family attends Grace Foothills Church that performs their services in the Tryon Theater. The Grace Community space is four doors down from Grigg’s new studio.  

“The Space is available for the community to rent for different events so why not use it for classes and personal training for the community,” Grigg said. “I give God all the credit for me being in this beautiful space in Tryon, everyone in the area has been so nice and inviting.” 

Grigg likes to share her personal fitness journey with others to help encourage others. “I was completely and utterly over not feeling good and being over weight. I decided something had to change and exercise was what I was going to change” Grigg said. “I joined a local gym where I was able to take a class once a week. Then due to a job change I was able to start going three to five times a week. I fell in love with Zumba and then dance fitness. As my fitness level grew so did my love of working out.” 

That passion for fitness and healthy living motivated Grigg to teach her own classes and ultimately open this new business. “I have been teaching group fitness classes for a year and a half and I have been doing personal training for a little over a year now,” Grigg said. “When I first joined a gym I was so afraid of being judged or laughed at because of my weight but that did not happen at all. I was welcomed in and that is when my love of fitness really came to be.” Grigg wants to encourage that some positive and open atmosphere at her studio, all are welcome to try her classes. 

Currently Grigg offers fitness classes three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The classes are all offered at 9:00 a.m. at 27 South Trade Street in the studio. Grigg hopes to expand the business in the future to offer classes in the afternoons. “My goal is to have 15 to 20 regular attendees for my morning classes and then expand classes to the afternoons as well,” Grigg said. “I am also currently working on getting set up to do live stream classes for those who can’t make it to the studio.” 

All three of the classes are forty-five minutes long and focus on different types of workouts. “Currently I have three classes per week. Monday at 9 a.m. is Cardio Flow,” Grigg said. “Cardio Flow is a fun and up beat forty-five minute class that I lead, all of the songs are choreographed and easy to follow.” Grigg also stated that the class is designed so that older clients can keep up workout and it is low impact while fitness enthusiast can speed it up and work to match their own fitness level.  

“Wednesday at 9 a.m. we do a Full Body Burn, don’t let the name fool you. That class uses body weight to tighten and tone arms, abs, butt and legs,” Grigg said. “It is also set up so that anyone from the newest member to the advanced will get a great workout.” The Full Body Burn rotates every few weeks, “I keep it the same for several weeks then change it up so that we keep the body guessing,” Grigg said. 

The Friday class is Grigg’s favorite, “While all of these classes are great and I enjoy them all, Friday is the class that I look forward to the most,” Grigg said. “Friday is Body Extension. That workout takes us on a journey of balance, relaxation, and stretching. Stretching is so important to keep our muscles loose and ready to use.” Friday’s workout focuses on full body stretches and different balancing movements that help to loosen and relax muscles.  

Fitness By Design gives Grigg the opportunity to continue to pursue her own personal health and weight loss goals while sharing her experience with members of the community. It took Grigg roughly six months to get the results she wanted but it she hopes to help others by sharing that experience, “My body did not want to lose weight no matter how much I exercised and dieted. It was like my body was working against me and totally hated me for trying to get healthy,” Grigg said. “It took six months of doing all the right things for me to lose ten pounds, but I stuck with it and finally the weight started to drop and I started noticing muscles. I am currently down sixty pounds from when I first started this fitness journey.” 

This business allows Grigg the opportunity to pursue her passion and become more involved in the community. “I can say I am so blessed to be able to do what I love,” Grigg said. “God created me just as I am to serve others and help them fall in love with health and wellness just as I have. I look forward to meeting the great people in our community.” 

—By Samuel Robinson 

Sam.robinson@tryondailybulletin.com