Staff photos by Angie Baan
Jogging And Beyonc
Trainer shares what inspires her
to inspire others toward fitness.
Robert A. Sklar
Editor
"I have a sincere love and enthusiasm for fitness,
health and well-being that people find inspiring,"
says trainer Jan Jacobs.
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Client Janice Cohen works out with a stability ball.
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untington Woods native Jan Jacobs started jog-
ging after returning from a 1977 summer hiking
trip in Telluride, Colo.
"I felt stronger and fitter from hiking at high altitude
and didn't want to lose what I had gained," the Beverly
Hills-based personal trainer recalled. "I loved how I felt
during and after a run so I started setting new goals: lon-
ger distances, faster times."
Jacobs then started winning trophies and medals — and
was hooked. She began reading books and going to lectures
on women and running, nutrition and exercise, and other
health and fitness topics.
One thing led to another, and she decided to become an
expert in health and exercise. She enrolled in the graduate
program at the University of Michigan to pursue a master
of science degree in exercise physiology, which she earned
in 1986. At the time, she was working as a dental hygien-
ist and winning athletic awards in distance running and
triathlons.
"My patients would bend my ear with exercise-related
questions and would call later to tell me how much I had
motivated them:' Jacobs said. "That's how I got the idea to
start training people. I found my enthusiasm to be genu-
inely contagious!"
In 1989, the new exercise physiologist opened her own
business — Fit for Health. In most cases, she does one-
on-one fitness training in the homes of her clients; some,
however, train in her home gym.
Jacobs thrives on the positive impact she has on people's
lives. "I have a sincere love and enthusiasm for fitness,
health and well-being that people find inspiring:' she said.
She believes a healthy lifestyle is the key to preventing
chronic disease. But her most gratifying work is with the
elderly population. "By improving their strength, flexibility
and overall functional ability:' she said, "I help them main-
tain or regain their independence and ability to participate
more fully in their activities of daily living."
Jacobs works out five to six times a week. She chooses
from cycling one to five hours, running from 45 to 90 min-
utes, weight training and core training.
Over the years, Jacobs has finished 10 marathons (with a
personal best time of 2:58 for the 26.2 miles, 385 yards). In
1987, she went to Caracas, Venezuela, to compete in the Pan
American Maccabiah Games where she won a gold medal
in the half-marathon.
Jacobs also has tackled triathlons and the duathlon
(run-bike-run). She competed in three World Duathlon
Championships, including one in Ferrara, Italy.
More recently, Jacobs has done bicycle racing in the
40-kilometer time trial, earning two gold medals and one
silver medal.
To stay fit, Jacobs recommends three 40- to 60-minute
exercise sessions a week. Serious, competitive athletes train
upwards of 15 hours per week. Equipment requirements
depend on individual goals. "However, big, expensive gym
equipment is rarely, if ever, necessary:' Jacobs said. "I use
dumbbells, stability balls, foam rollers, bands, tubing and
other items that I can easily transport with me to client
homes.
Jacobs meets with new clients to design and refine cus-
tomized training programs or to provide adjunct training
like weight training and core strength development. Her
clientele include cardiac patients on the mend from sur-
gery.
Client ages span the spectrum, but Jacobs finds great
joy in training high school athletes in sports like swim-
ming and downhill skiing. "I've helped them achieve All-
American status!" she said proudly.
Using her own home gym, Janice Cohen of West
Bloomfield has trained under Jacobs for almost 10 years,
typically two hour-long sessions a week. "My original
focus was on upper body because I am a regular walker,
but in more recent years, Jan has incorporated yoga and
pilates into our workout. And we always do stretching:' said
Cohen, a retired West Bloomfield Schools media technician.
Cohen also has sought special exercises to strengthen her
back and abdominal muscles. "I feel that these workouts
have given me more strength and flexibility than walking
alone could have ever done she said.
Cohen's gym is equipped with weights. But Jacobs "is
always bringing toys to add variety to our workouts: rollers,
bands, weighted balls:' Cohen said.
Cohen and her husband, Larry, a runner, have two sons,
Aaron, 26, a Los Angeles film editor, and Jordan, 22, a
Michigan State University senior.
Cohen characterizes her trainer as a great motivator, well
versed not only in the art of exercise, but also the newest in
physiology, vitamins and other health supplements.
Says Cohen unabashedly: "Jan is my one indulgence
— and she is well worth it!"
Jan's Details
Family: Husband, John; two sons: Aaron, 9, and
Jack, 6
Synagogue: Temple Shir Shalom, West Bloomfield
Professional: Certified exercise specialist through
the American College of Sports Medicine, 1988.
Certified aquatic exercise instructor, 1994. Certified
pre- and post-natal exercise instructor. Special inter-
ests: cardiac rehabilitation, exercise, aging.
Fees: Charges in 10-session increments with a two-
session-per-week minimum. (248) 646-1312