Body & Soul Fitness Studio, a women only exercise facility, recently opened in Lancaster. It is located in the Slaymaker Business Park, one block south of Clock Towers. The club provides strength training machines and free weights, along with cardiovascular equipment including treadmills, stationary bikes and an elliptical cross-trainer.

Differing from traditional gyms, Body & Soul emphasizes fitness for the total woman. The goal is to provide fitness education and training in a supportive environment to women concerned with their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In keeping with that philosophy, a variety of mind-body-spirit holistic programs are offered, including an ongoing Women In Transition group and a book discussion. Also scheduled are workshops on “The Power of Prayer and Universal Law” and “Women's Empowerment”. Personal training, yoga, and massage are also available.

Owner, Mickey Glick, is a Lancaster native and a graduate of Lancaster Catholic High School and Millersville University. She is certified as a personal trainer and as a resistance training specialist, both through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She graduated from the Assets Business Design and Management Course in August 1999.

Glick says she considers helping people to safely get the most benefit from their time and effort to be the most important aspect of her job. Her goal is to create a comfortable place for women to exercise, where being healthy is the number one priority, not trying to attain the “perfect” physique.

Lancastrians may recognize Body & Soul's location as part of the former Slaymaker Lock Complex. After walking into an old factory building, many visitors are pleasantly surprised when they enter the actual studio; the section housing the fitness facility has been completely renovated. Mickey says, “I grew up on “The Hill” (“Cabbage Hill” is an area near St. Joseph's Church so nicknamed because at one time its population was predominately German) so I was very familiar with Slaymaker Lock. I'm happy to be able to help support the revitalization of a complex like this.”

The emphasis at Body & Soul is on a healthy lifestyle. According to the owner, despite diet industry claims to the contrary, not everyone can be thin, but everyone can be healthier. The wide ranging benefits of regular exercise are numerous and well documented. They include: increased muscle and bone strength, improved sleep quality, lowered blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduced stress and depression, increased energy, lowered body fat, disease prevention, improved self image, increased mental acuity. Glick suggests that women try to look at exercise from a quality of life perspective. Instead of trying to force their bodies into an “ideal” shape by working out, women should get into a mindset of exercise as healthy body maintenance, just like bathing and brushing their teeth. They then will be more apt to stick with it, which will result in many physical benefits including some of the cosmetic changes they desire. The key is cultivating lifelong behavioral changes instead of engaging in short term quick fixes.

Glick adds, “Loss of strength and mobility is not caused by the aging process but rather is the result of too little exercise. The phrase 'use it or lose it' applies perfectly here. Unless challenged, we lose approximately one-half pound of muscle mass per year beginning around age 25. By the time an inactive person reaches 75, they've lost 25 or more pounds of muscle.” According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the antidote to this situation is a strength training regimen performed two to three non-consecutive days a week.

The atmosphere of co-ed gyms intimidates some women. Others, for a variety of reasons, simply prefer working out in a single sex environment. That's where Body & Soul Fitness Studio comes in. The studio offers everything necessary for a total body workout, and it's exclusively for women. All members receive individual instruction on the safe, correct, and most productive use of the equipment. The studio is a friendly place where women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds can relax and be themselves. To schedule an appointment for a personal tour or for program information or registration, women may call 509-7777. The studio is open seven days a week.