Personal Gym

For personal trainer LAURIE ROMAND, Full Circle Fitness is more about building relationships than building muscle, although personal strength and health are fundamental to its holistic approach to fitness.

“We don’t have big machines. For those used to the big gym atmosphere, we don’t have that. We have eight to ten people in each training session, so we can focus on each and every person who comes in,” Romand explains.

Romand and her husband, Dan, opened the boutique-style Full Circle Fitness to provide a space to those looking for a comfortable atmosphere to work out, yet where they are still held accountable.

“Our clientele is those over 50 who may have weight problems and don’t like going into big gyms because they feel like they need to be fit before even going in there and people who struggle with accountability,” Romand says.

The couple had two Full Circle Fitness locations in New York before deciding to take their business south to Wilmington in 2019.  Their “non-threatening environment” focuses on helping people feel good while being a part of a community.

“We don’t want people to crawl out of the session. We want them to leave feeling good, so they want to come back,” Romand explains. “We are different and unique. It becomes home – a place where friendships develop. You are not the girl in the grey sweatpants, you have a name.”

That personal connection goes beyond the typical gym atmosphere. Romand is a certified Cancer Fitness Advanced Specialist, helping those who have been diagnosed with cancer to continue to remain active through and after their treatments.

“My eyes are wide open to all the different types of cancer, as well as the treatments,” Romand says. “Connecting with doctors and using the hands-on tools get that personalized approach as they go through the process.”

That approach is taken with clients of all abilities who Romand calls “differently-abled – those who are able to do things, but they do things differently.”

The name Full Circle Fitness means more to Romand than just a name. Their “full-circle” physical, mental, and spiritual approach to fitness considers every aspect of the person’s well-being and abilities.

Prior to becoming a personal trainer, Romand’s thirty-two years of experience with working in long-term care facilities, ten years at a funeral home, and thirty years working as Snickers the Clown, allows her to truly provide a “full circle approach to fitness.”

“I tell my clients, ‘I got you covered!’” Romand jokes about her wide and varied experience in all aspects of life experience. “You are not alone in this. You have support and a full circle of services. We love our work and we love our clients.”

Romand is confident that all of her experiences have led her to exactly where she is meant to be now, at Full Circle Fitness, helping people reach their goals and feel better about the person in the mirror.

“The best feeling I have, is that for many years, I added life to the elderly and now I’m adding years to people’s lives.”

To view more of photographer Aris Harding’s work, go to arisharding.com.

Want more WILMA? Click here to sign up for our WILMA newsletters and announcements.