MUNCY - Bob and Edwina Richards look like the kind of people who should be running a fitness center.
Both are lean but with well-defined, chiseled bodies that are a bit uncommon for people in their 40s.
Pointing to photos of themselves along the wall of Live Well Fitness, their exercise facility in downtown Muncy, one can see slightly younger versions of Bob and Edwina, but people who'd been trapped in bloated bodies.
Article Photos
MIKE?REUTHER/Sun-Gazette
Edwina Richards lifts a kettleball as her husband, Bob Richards, looks on. The two operate Live Well Fitness in Muncy after personal weight-loss goals led them to develop interests in fitness.
Bob, 48, had developed bad habits over the years.
As a police officer in South Jersey he worked different shifts, often failed to eat healthy, didn't exercise.
"I had sleep apnea, high blood pressure and acid reflux disease," he said.
Edwina, a nurse, didn't embrace a healthy lifestyle either.
"What really hit Bob was bending over and not being able to tie his own shoe," Edwina said.
But they wanted to be more fit.
"We yo-yo dieted for 25 years," she said.
A few years ago, they decided to get healthy once and for all.
The began not only to work out, but to study fitness.
Before they knew it, they had opened up an excercise facility on John Brady Drive, just east of the Lycoming Mall.
"We specialized in weight loss and personal training," Bob said.
The business grew, and by 2009, they had moved to a bigger place at Main and Water streets in Muncy.
The gospel of fitness, the couple believe, is what works for them.
"We know what we do is right," Bob said. "There is a positive atmosphere here."
A patron can come to Live Well and work out, but Bob and Edwina think what sets their exercise facility apart is the personal one-on-one training they can provide people.
Live Well offers classes in basic cardio/strength, cardio kickboxing and yoga.
And, there's that special type of fitness training.
The couple feel there is no better way to build lean muscle and endurance than with kettlebells.
In January 2011 the two became certified kettlebell trainers.
Kettlebells are like free weights and come in different sizes. But kettlebells have handles, unlike free weights, which are attached to bars.
Bob said he began noticing a real difference in his body after using kettlebells.
Now, he and his wife not only work out five days a week with kettlebells, they also compete in national competitions.
They also work with clients interested in kettlebell training.
"We have six other kettlebell trainers besides us," Bob said.
In fact, he said Live Well is the only fitness center in the area with certified kettlebell trainers.
"All of our trainers were once our clients," Edwina said.
Some of the kettlebell trainers have their own stories to tell, like the one who shed more than 100 pounds from a 306-pound body.
"It strengthens your body like nothing else," Bob said. "It's a total body exercise."
Essentially, kettlebell training combines muscle strengthening and endurance.
One-on-one training is crucial for many people.
After all, Bob explained, "when you are trying to lose weight, you need support."
Clients can set goals and work toward them.
Beyond training, the couple espouse the benefits of proper diet.
As Bob put it: "You can spend all day in the gym and it won't do you any good."
Live Well will hold a sports camp next Saturday and Sunday.
Ivan Denisov, a world record holder for kettlebell lifting, will be on hand.
Also appearing will be Valery Fedorenko, a Russian credited with introducing kettlebell training to the U.S.
