Bio: Lesley Sims received her Fitness Specialist certification and her American Council on Exercise (ACE) certification in 1996 from Mission College in Santa Clara, Calif. She ran her own studio in 1997 until moving to Colorado in 2000. She became certified as an IDEA elite Personal Trainer that same year, and in 2003 received her Heart Zones Master Personal Trainer certification. She moved to Dolores in 2007 and has been training clients ever since. She has owned Unique Fitness since August 2012. She is currently studying to obtain a Metabolic Resistance Training certification. Sims continues to receive a wide variety of specialized cutting edge fitness training.



What does your business offer the community?

I offer a complete private setting, with one-on-one personal training as well as nutrition plans, metabolic resistance training, post-rehab including joint replacement recipients, pre-and post-natal fitness, TRX suspension training, senior fitness, flexibility and balance training, youth and adult sport training, and behavior and lifestyle modification.



What makes your business unique?

I provide customized nutrition and training services according to each person's needs because I recognize that everyone is different. I take the time to tailor training and advice to each person's own unique requirements and goals. As with anything else "one size does not fit all," so I also offer individualized nutrition plans based on metabolic typing, a system of determining what foods are best to help each person lose weight, eliminate food cravings, improve health, and prevent or reverse Type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other chronic conditions. I even offer online training for those who want to work on their own but need accountability and professionally designed workout programs.



What do you enjoy the most about the work you do?

I'm passionate about health and fitness. I love working with my clients, helping to empower them and improve their quality of life and health through fitness, nutrition and education. It's very gratifying to be able to help people make and achieve positive changes in their health and fitness.



What goals do you have for the new year, in expanding your services and customer base?

I'm planning on adding specialized classes and a Whole Body Vibration (WBV) machine, which speeds up results by activating more muscle fibers and can speed fat loss and metabolism, improve bone density, increase blood and lymph circulation, increase range of motion, flexibility and balance and much more. The WBV machine also helps with neuromuscular retraining for those with MS or Cerebral Palsy and stroke recovery. A 10 minute workout on a WBV machine equals 60 minutes of traditional exercise. I'll also be adding more "tools" to motivate and help my clients stay on track and monitor their progress outside of their training sessions.



What are your survival plans for running into economically hard times?

Plans are in the works to reach a larger segment of the community by providing more options and services. I also will soon add group metabolic resistance training classes which will be similar to "Boot Camp" classes but significantly different than what's already out there.