Grand opening of The Fitness Place draws many visitors

The Fitness Place opened its doors to the public Saturday for its grand opening under new owners. With equipment set up both upstairs and downstairs, there were plenty of opportunities for trying out some of the machines under the supervision of the staff. Owners Lyndsay Reyes, Abby Reyes and Angela Tanis were on hand to greet visitors and answer questions about the business. Like its predecessor, Alder Street Tanning & Fitness, the new business offers a fully automated facility with keyless entry, programmable machines, informational posters explaining how to use the machines, showers and clean towels for the after-workout refresher and regularly monitored security cameras. Unlike the previous business, there are no tanning booths at The Fitness Place.

After meeting and greeting potential clients for most of the day, the evening was spent at Any Occasion Banquet Hall with a free dinner of do-it-yourself wraps or salads with cubed chicken breast or ham and lots of different vegetables to select from. A grape salad was provided for dessert, and there was lemonade and iced tea.

Three speakers were on the program for the evening, introduced by Abby Reyes. Dr. Troy Eldridge of Eldridge Chiropractic in Odessa talked about taking care of one's body and not giving in to our own excuses for not exercising and staying in shape. Kelly Weber, with a degree in fitness training and a job at the physical therapy department at the Odessa hospital, talked mainly about nutrition and the avoidance of highly processed foods. Suhanna Hamilton of Spokane spoke about her personal experience with a AdvoCare nutritional supplement program that will be available at The Fitness Place.

Following the dinner and program, the owners gave away door prizes including stress balls, potted plants and free gym memberships.

The owners had no clear idea of the actual numbers of visitors to their grand opening, but said that they had had a steady flow of people throughout the entire day. They said they were surprised that many of those visitors had chosen not to come to the free dinner that evening, but they were happy with the turnout nevertheless.