Member Testimonials
HNH Fitness strikes chord with Paramus musician
Ruth DeMarco-Conti, HNH Fitness Member
As a freelance musician, Ruth DeMarco-Conti has played her violin and viola in Broadway orchestras for hit shows, backed up Frank Sinatra, performed at Mariah Carey’s wedding and for President Richard Nixon. But her toughest gig wasn’t working with the famous and talented. It was staying healthy and regaining the self she thought she’d lost.
“I’d been overweight for almost 10 years and felt so unhealthy,” Ruth says. “I was so sick and tired of feeling horrible.” And given her family medical history, she feared diabetes and hypertension were in her future.
For Ruth, 54, food had become “my comfort and my companion.” She knew she needed to take action. But with a husband, two college-aged children, commitments to three elderly aunts, and an active career in a profession preoccupied with physical appearance, she had more than extra food on her plate. She would need the help of experts who would know how to motivate her and who really cared.
Responding to a second promotional postcard she’d received in the mail for HNH Fitness, Ruth, who lives in Paramus, drove to Holy Name Hospital’s medically-based fitness center on Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, and signed up before the facility even opened. Initially, she was overwhelmed by her inability to exercise for only minutes at a time. But as her strength and stamina increased, and the pounds starting coming off, her outlook steadily improved.
With the help of one of the center’s nutritionists, Ruth (ironically, a former exercise instructor for the Elaine Powers Figure Salons in the 1980s) made dramatic changes in her eating habits. She cut down on salt and sugar, and swears it has reset her taste buds, making food more flavorful. She takes smaller bites and eats lesser amounts more frequently. She enjoys lots of fruit and yogurt, and has learned to make healthy choices at meals and snack-time. And when she needs comfort, she looks to her musical instruments instead of the refrigerator.
But the most radical change of all was her altered focus. Ruth says she has substituted her addiction to food with a commitment to exercise: “I had to replace food with something, so now I go to the gym.” Most mornings, she’s stepping, spinning, stretching and/or lifting for one to three hours.
Ruth says the staff keeps her motivated and she feels their expertise and sensitivity set HNH Fitness apart from other gyms and health spas.
“They take an interest in you and are so encouraging,” she says. “No one judges you. They just want you to do the best you can do.”
Although she’s only halfway to her weight-reduction goal, Ruth feels “100 percent better.” She is energized and sleeps well, and her whole outlook has changed.
“I relate to people better,” she observes. “I’m easier to live with because I’m happier with myself. This has changed my whole aura.” And, she adds, “My clothes fit. I’ve gone down many, many sizes.”
More than a means to an end, Ruth's attention to exercise and diet has become a way of life. “I’ll always go to HNH Fitness because of the way it makes me feel,” she declares. “The way it makes me look is just a fringe benefit.”
Workouts at HNH Fitness lift weight off Exec’s shoulders
Angelo Messina, HNH Fitness Member
Angelo Messina, 45, has been working out since he was in college and has belonged to several name-brand gyms. He bikes and spins, he lifts and pumps, he kicks and stretches. He’ll say things like, “The slower you go, the greater the burn.” The man knows his stuff.
A member of a highly regarded gym in Paramus for 14 years, Angelo thought he was satisfied. Then the construction of HNH Fitness, taking place near his office on Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, piqued his curiosity. He considered the convenience factor and decided to investigate. Once Angelo had a look inside and spoke with the representative, he was sold.
“The staff and the equipment are second to none,” declares Angelo, a resident of Old Tappan who has persuaded six friends to join HNH Fitness. “Clearly, everything is state-of-the-art.” The center, he says, has a machine, exercise class and system for every fitness goal—whether that’s weight control, bodybuilding, or risk factor reduction.
In the six months since he joined HNH Fitness, Angelo has dropped about 13 pounds. But losing weight and addressing risk factors are not at the crux of his commitment to exercise. The real goal, he says, is stress relief. As a partner in an executive recruitment firm, a husband and father of four, Angelo says he tends to “stress out real quick if I don’t work out for two or three days.” Exercise helps him maintain balance in his life and makes him feel better about easing the rules a little. “It’s a checks and balance system,” he explains. “If I work out, I can enjoy a drink or two over the weekend, that slice of cake or an ice cream on Sunday.”
Angelo visits HNH Fitness five-days-a-week, usually before work or at lunchtime, for about an hour and a half. He’s especially impressed with the center’s FitLinxx system, which stores his personal data and monitors his progress, allowing him to plan a more effective workout.
While some other gyms are referred to as “pick-up” joints and are known to have members scantily clad to impress the next person, Angelo says HNH Fitness is quite different. “The people are really nice, from the members to the staff. It’s a very professional, non-intimidating environment,” he adds
For him, the center’s amenities are unexpected perks: The sauna and steam rooms are well stocked with full-size towels and grooming products, the bathrooms are clean, and he likes to eat lunch at the HNH Fitness cafe where he says “everything is fresh and nutritionally balanced.”
Angelo doesn’t see the day when he might curtail his HNH Fitness regimen. As far as he’s concerned, he’ll be coming “indefinitely.”
“I have no plans to slow down anytime soon,” he asserts. At this rate, Angelo might not have to worry about that for a very long time.
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