Michelle Wittwer and sara jesperson are two personal trainers who realized their shared vision for an exercise option combining fresh air, fitness and friendship. In 2013 the pair re-branded a training program they’d developed to create Trumi, a comprehensive fitness program incorporating aerobics, strength- and resistance-training, stretching, nutrition education and community-bonding. The idea took off in the Twin Cities and continues to expand, with 21 franchises and counting in Minnesota, Arizona, Montana and Colorado.
Wittwer says that one reason Trumi has met so much success in our region is that most of its workouts are held outdoors. “Most Minnesotans quit the gym in the summer because they want to be outside,” she says, pointing out that Trumi’s small group workouts have also been a go-to for those who are too shy to join a gym. “People think [they] need to get in shape before [they] can join a gym; they’re afraid of being judged.”
Currently Wittwer teaches two classes at Stonemill Farms Community Center, four mornings a week, open to men and women 18 and up. She points out that the cost buys clients more than just the workouts—“a complete package” that includes nutrition counseling, special event invitations and weekly e-newsletters with insight on key topics and fitness strategies, like setting goals or maintaining a food log.
Laura Prow began taking Wittwer’s class in June 2013 after trying a few sessions with a friend. “Both of us have exercised three or more times a week with Trumi ever since,” Prow says. “I’ve tried group exercise before, but I’ve never been able to commit. I always felt like a nameless face. Nobody ever seemed to notice if I was there or not. Trumi has everything I never knew I needed to stick with it.”
Another client, Doreen Roepke, enjoys “[feeling] connected to people who care about my health, welfare and participation.” She’s even gotten another generation involved, bringing her daughter Ellyson along to 5:30 a.m. workouts and signing her son Emmit up for the Trumi Troopers kid-centric program, a non-competitive physical activity and nutrition education program that Wittwer teaches at Middleton and Liberty Ridge Elementary Schools.
Lori Jahnke, owner of the Woodbury South Trumi franchise, teaches Trumi Renu (ages 60 plus) at Bielenberg Sports Center. “The best part is working with my clients and seeing the changes they are making in their day-to-day lives,” she says. Her thrice-weekly class offers a “lower impact” version of the signature Trumi class. Jahnke observes that community bonding is especially crucial to this over-60 population, who “can tend to be more isolated.”
This aspect is a large draw for clients of all ages. “Clients are always telling me that it’s the people [who are] changing their lives,” Wittwer says. “You see the same people every morning. You engage in outside activities, exchange texts, Facebook posts, recipes and more.” Both Jahnke and Wittwer stress the importance of nutrition education as well. “Healthy eating is 80 percent of weight loss,” Jahnke says. “As they say, ‘you can’t out-run a donut.’”
Jahnke’s own experience is telling: when she first joined Wittwer’s class, she was overweight, pre-diabetic and was considering medical means of reducing her cholesterol. “With the information I got from Trumi, I was able to transform my life,” says Jahnke.
