Rose Barnish Shares Her Personal Study of Exercise Behavior

Rose Barnish Shares Her Personal Study of Exercise Behavior

Our members aren’t the only ones working towards goals and striving to become a better version of themselves. Elite Sports Clubs staff share some of their own stories about their health & fitness journeys.

When I was little, my older siblings were in college or older and very scholarly. They and my parents would sit around the kitchen table, debating current events and other topics, and smoking (keep in mind this was the 60’s & 70’s).

Sometimes I could not relate to their erudite conversations, and would “escape” outdoors and run around the yard, or have a friend over to play outside. We had a huge yard and swing set… and I would swing while singing, trying to touch my toes to the apple tree branches.

If I couldn’t be outdoors. from the earliest time I can remember, I’d exercise…dance, somersaults in the living room, or watch a TV show called “Exercise with Gloria” 🙂

Rose Barnish Elite Spin Class

Rose Barnish (right) having a little fun while teaching her spin class.

I always loved movement and feeling healthy—fascinated by what makes people have the habits they do. So, I took on a second major in college, psychology with an emphasis in managing behavior.

In my first jobs out of school as restaurant manager and health club sales manager, I instituted behavior management systems to help groom desired staff exercise behavior. Then while getting my MBA, I concentrated in the behavior science aspects of business: corporate culture, sales and marketing, as well as economics.

Later, I used the same principles in my corporate wellness consulting business. Using simple goal setting, exercise behavior tracking and reward strategies, I was able to grow a wellness program for a Fortune 800 company from basically ground zero to over 20% weekly attendance (over 200 weekly participants in 20 on-site classes, massage, and fitness center).

We ran health fairs and workshop lunch-and-learns with an emphasis on progression of behaviors from the information-gathering stage to actual exercise behavior change, conducting on-site assessments and grooming intervention strategies.

But all the while, I’ve loved to exercise! Exercise helps you be your best, not just physically but mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually—at least for me. And why not strive to be the best you can be? Deep down, we all do want that!

Are you not sticking with the habits you were hoping for when you joined? Contact Rose!
Rose is a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor (AFAA); National Fitness Examiner (AFAA); Lifetime Spin Instructor (Mad Dogg Athletics) and is a Member Services Representative at Elite Sports Club-Mequon.


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