ThriveFit Training focuses on mobility, strength and burning fat

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With the arrival of a new year — and in the wake of some holiday bingeing — it’s time to consider one’s health and fitness. Ready to address this issue is a new facility near Ponte Vedra that uses a unique national program to help people get into shape.

ThriveFit Training has opened at 145 Hilden Road, Suite 109, Ponte Vedra Beach, in the former River City Personal Fitness location just off U.S. 1. It’s in the Shoppes of St. Johns Oaks.

“At ThriveFit Training, we offer one-on-one personal training; and then small-group training is our main focus,” said Anastasia VanDyke, owner, general manager and coach.

The small-group training is based on strength and conditioning expert Mike Boyle’s MBSC Training program, which ThriveFit Training licenses. Each group is limited to six people.

The program doesn’t place emphasis on high-repetition exercise. Rather, it focuses on mobility, flexibility, building strength through progressive movements and keeping the heart rate at the best fat-burning stage.

“That mobility piece is huge for us,” said VanDyke. “That’s just something we see at any age in life. Having that mobility is critical in making sure you stay healthy and you stay mobile as you age and have that longevity. So, whether you’re 30 years old and you’re working at your desk but you’re sedentary or if you’re 75 and trying to enjoy retirement, that mobility and that strength is critical.”

The program is split into 12 monthly phases.

“We start you in week one with these movements,” said VanDyke. “ By week four you’ve mastered that movement. You can increase your weight. That’s going to prep you for what we do in the next phase.”

The facility uses a couple of special tools to monitor progress and identify issues.

One piece of equipment measures not just weight, but also body fat content, skeletal muscle mass and, importantly, visceral fat.

“Those are way more important indicators of health and longevity over just your weight,” VanDyke said.

Comparing progress to a baseline offers data that can help identify obstacles to progress.

Another important piece of equipment is a heart-rate monitor, which keeps the focus on burning fat rather than sugars.

VanDyke co-owns the business with her parents, Marcie and Kevin VanDyke, who have owned Anastasia Fitness in St. Augustine for 10 years. That facility is more of an open gym, though it also offers the ThriveFit program and has exercise classes, a pool, an outdoor gym section and pickleball courts.

When the Ponte Vedra location became available, Anastasia VanDyke, who had previously worked in corporate real estate doing industrial remodels, got her opportunity to work in the fitness field, about which she has long been passionate.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know more of the community,” said VanDyke, who grew up in St. Augustine.

To learn more, book a consultation or see the schedule for sessions, go to thrivefittraining.com.

To coincide with the new year, ThriveFit Training is waiving activation fees before Jan. 31 and offering a six-week challenge, a transformative weight-training program designed to jumpstart healthy habits and workout routine.