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Newtown, PA

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Nov 01 2018

What’s The Best Diet?

The Best Diet

This might be the most popular question asked in the fitness and nutrition space, and every site you check is giving you a different answer: Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Macros, Atkins, Low-Fat… But what’s the REAL answer? The answer is actually very simple… It’s whatever works best for YOU. I know, I know… not the answer you wanted, but there are so many “experts” who know nothing about you or how your body reacts to certain foods or macronutrient splits.

The fact that you’re reading this article tells me that you’ve probably tried most, if not all, of the diets I mentioned above, so you have some sort of idea of how you feel when you’re eating certain foods. For example, maybe you’ve done Paleo or the Whole30, which eliminate grains from your diet, but you know that when you eat rice or oats, you feel 10x better during your workouts. It wouldn’t make sense for you to stick with either of these diets if it affects your performance in the gym. Maybe you’ve tried a low-fat diet and found that you feel extra groggy and sluggish throughout the day. Now you know you need to include some more healthy fats in your diet.

How to Find Your Best Diet

Finding the “diet” that works best for your body and mind takes time. Any diet that promises you quick and drastic results is not the type of program you want to follow. Once you get those extreme results, you’re more likely to undo those results within days or weeks of stopping. It’s important that you find the foods and quantities of foods that feel good for you and also are aligned with your health and fitness goals. The best diet is one that is sustainable and makes you feel and perform at your best, both physically and mentally.

Tools You Can Use

Some of the best tools to try and figure out what “diet” you should be following are food journals, food logs, or a nutrition coach. The more common food logs are MyFitnessPal and LoseIt!. These allow you to log food type, food quantity, weight, water intake, and other meal related items. A food journal is a little bit more in depth and is something that can be handwritten.

For a successful food journal, it’s important to give you best guess to your quantity of food and list EVERYTHING, and yes I mean everything (even that cookie you snuck in the middle of the night), and also write down how you’re feeling during certain times of the day. Write down your moods/emotions, physical state, sleep quality, and anything else you think might be attributed to the foods you’re eating. With a detailed food journal, you can go back and see how you’re feeling a few hours, maybe even a few days, after you have certain foods. This can give you great insight into what works and doesn’t work for you. If you don’t think you can handle doing all of this on your own, you can always hire a nutrition professional to help give you more tips and tools to help you along your journey.

Just remember, the best diet is the diet that works best for you!

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Filed Under: Transcend Fitness Club

Aug 16 2018

Transcend Fitness: Big Club Amenities in a Small Club Setting

Huge shout out to one of our members, Stuart P., who wrote up this article about us.  A little peek into our fitness club. Thanks Stuart!

 

In the heart of suburban Wrightstown, Pennsylvania, behind the carousel, the kid-friendly train ride, and live peacocks (yes, there are live peacocks), there is a fitness center offering members a complete range of exercise options at a reasonable price.

 

Established in 2010, Transcend Fitness has been helping clients get back into shape one fewer pound at a time. It is literally a mom-and-pop shop in a farming town, with 30-something owners Tommy and Jessica (“Jess”) Coates raising three young boys while running the gym and finding time to serve as personal trainers as well.

 

“We realize you have options where you can exercise – whether in Newtown, Doylestown or your office gym. But at Transcend Fitness, we have developed a reputation with our members as having big club amenities in a small club setting,” said Tommy Coates, an exercise enthusiast who ironically met his wife, Jess, on the Northampton Indians Football field at age 10 when both were playing football there. “We offer one-on-one personal training, along with group classes, cardio and strength training for all ages.”

 

“Members know the staff by name – if you need something, just ask,” he said.

 

Transcend promotes a family culture where you are welcomed into the gym by name. Tommy and Jess roam the 8,000 square feet facility and, from time to time, they bring in their three young boys (ages ZZZ, ZZZ, and ZZZ) to run around and make you smile with their boundless energy. Its facility offers cardio and strength equipment zones, with equipment that was purchased new in 2018; equipment that always seems to be open for you when you want to use it. An abundance of natural light fills the gym and, with the suburban scenery as a backdrop in the cardio zone – along with the big TVs – your mind gets occupied and your workout seems to go faster.

 

“We are constantly thinking about how we can add value to the membership,” said Tommy Coates. “The more we can offer at a competitive price without sacrificing the feel of a boutique club, the better.”

 

If cardio classes are more your speed, you could enroll next door in Functional Training, which offers MyZone group fitness high-intensity training. “While most gyms provide program training for the instructor, we give our instructors guidelines and allow them to create their own intensity, creativity, and passion for their personality to come out,” said Tommy Coates. “I want the instructors to come out of their own shell and for our members to buy into the program and take a certain instructor’s class.”

 

If you are looking for one-on-one support, the Personal Training program may be the right choice. Transcend’s Programs Director, Emma Willson, has created a program where she points members to the appropriate trainer under a unique concept called The Commitment Plan. It’s a system where if you sign up for two sessions a week, you are obligated to be at those sessions. What Transcend found was the results were far better than when a client has, for example, 10 sessions that they could use at any time. “I can guarantee to the member that he/she is going to see results in eight (8) weeks if they stick to the program of training 1, 2, or 3 times a week based on what they are trying to accomplish,” said Tommy Coates. “I can’t guarantee results when you have 10-20 sessions to use up over the next 3-4 months.”

 

Regular exercise can make you feel happier, help with weight loss, increase your energy levels, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and even helps with your brain and memory. So if your primary doctor recently recommended that you get some exercise, consider beginning your journey with a Transcend Fitness personal instructor who can help you gradually get back into shape. They can design a personal exercise program that gets you on the right path to fitness.

If you live in the Wrightstown area, you may have found the perfect place to exercise and be home in minutes.

 

“Fitness is your life is being improved in one shape or form,” said Jess Coates. It’s personal training on a family level.”

 

So if you live in Wrightstown, Pennsylvania and are looking for a local gym, why not stop by Transcend Fitness for a complimentary seven-day free trial https://transcendfit.com. Just look both ways before crossing the railroad tracks.

 

Transcend Fitness is located behind the Shops at Carousel Village at Indian Walk, 591 Durham Road (Route 413), Wrightstown, PA 18940, (215) 598-7800.

 

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Jul 31 2018

Keeping it Whole

Food is MORE Than Calories

I wanted to take a moment today to talk about why I always recommend including whole foods into my clients’ daily food consumption. When we eat, many people focus on the calories going in and out of your body, but food is MORE than calories. The foods we eat all have certain properties and components that all have an effect on our bodies.  This is why sometimes you feel bloated when you eat certain foods or feel great when you eat others.  

But WHY are Whole Foods Better?

Whole foods and vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals per serving than processed and chemically manufactured foods. The vitamins, minerals, and overall makeup of the food you are consuming CHANGES the way it is absorbed and used in your body. Vitamins and minerals, while not a fuel source or calorie-containing, are essential to carrying out almost all bodily functions. For example, Vitamin B helps your body with energy production and immune function, Vitamin D and Calcium work together to support bone health and strength. The more whole foods you can include, the more vitamins and minerals you are consuming, the better your body is able to function, the better you feel!!

Even though counting calories and macros might help lead you to your goals, filling those calories using whole foods will get you there even faster and feeling better.

How to Incorporate Whole Foods into Your Diet

Whole foods are any foods that have not been processed in any way, or has been minimally altered. An easy way to pick out a whole food is to choose something that doesn’t have any other ingredients than what it is. For example, a carrot doesn’t have any other ingredients other than: carrot. The best way to start incorporating more whole foods into your diet is to shop on the outside aisles of the grocery store. Choose foods like fruits and vegetables in their whole form (or maybe pre-cut if you’re low on time) and meats. There are TONS of quick and easy recipes using just whole foods that you can make a staple of your weekly meal prep. One of my favorites is this Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper from Stupid Easy Paleo.

Give your body the fuel it needs and see how much better you can feel!

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Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: nutrition, recipe, whole foods

Jul 24 2018

Who is Personal Training for anyway?

You get enough out of your workouts… Right?

Does this sound like you: You’ve been coming to the gym for years.  You stay pretty consistent with your workout routine and are able to get to the gym 2 – 3 days per week.  You design your own workouts based on the movements that you know and are familiar with.  You feel pretty good about the progress you’ve made so far in the gym.  Things are going alright, so why consider getting a Personal Trainer?

A Personal Trainer can take your workout from “alright” to GREAT

Even though your workouts are getting the job done, they might not be designed to give you your best workout for your goals.  A Personal Trainer can help take you to that next level and provide you with all of the tools you need to reach your fitness goals.  Here are 3 reasons EVERYONE should have a personal trainer as a part of their workout regimen:

  1. Validity: Personal Trainers hold certifications and degrees that allow them to understand a client’s movement, abilities/disabilities, and how to design workouts to extract the most from a client. 
  2. Knowledge: A Personal Trainer is responsible for being well-versed in the latest industry trends and fitness research. They also are trained to provide you with the best possible way to personalize workouts that are specific to your fitness level and goals.
  3. Commitment: When an appointment with a Personal Trainer is made, there is a moral and financial obligation to uphold that appointment. The consistency of seeing a professional trainer will be enough to make a significant change in your life. Your personal effort will be the next determining factor.

Personal Training IS for everyone

Personal trainers provide the knowledge and support you need to make the most out of your time in the gym.  They can provide you with a great plan, accountability, and an extra push to get that rep you didn’t think you could get. The most difficult part is committing to the first training session with your new Trainer. At Transcend Fitness Club, we make that process easy. Our job is to pair you with one of our trainers on staff that most resembles your goal pattern, which will allow us to guarantee a positive, SUCCESSFUL relationship.

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Jul 17 2018

How to use Myzone to Personalize YOUR Workout

Myzone has a couple of meanings here at Transcend. You may know Myzone as the class that isn’t Functional Training on the other side of the barn, BUT it’s not just the name of our group fitness class. Myzone is one of the newest and best ways to track your performance while training. It also allows us to personalize your workout.

What makes Myzone different?

You’ve probably seen a TON of performance trackers out there such as Fitbit, Garmin, and the Apple watch… So what’s so different about the Myzone tracker? The Myzone tracker shows your performance in real time on the tv screens in our gym. The tracker is in the form of a heart rate strap and monitor that goes around your torso, which then sends the data to either your phone or the screen in the gym. The tracker shows your effort output in the form of percentages and colors. Myzone monitors will also store your workout data so that you can review your workout performance over time.

How to track your personalized workout

You can use your Myzone live tile to track YOUR workout in real time. All of the data used by Myzone are based on YOUR workout effort and your current fitness level. You’ll notice that your heart rate percentage is what takes up most of the screen but not the only thing on the tile. The tile shows how many calories you’ve burned, your current heart rate, and many peoples’ favorite, MEPs or Myzone Effort Points. How do you get more MEPs? By putting in more effort! The higher the “zone” you’re able to achieve and stay in during your workout, the more MEPs you’ll earn. Monitoring your heart rate, calories, and MEPs allows you to put in the amount of effort right for YOU.

What are the different “zones”?

Myzone has 5 zones of tracking displayed by color and percentage based on your max heart rate:

Gray zone: 50-59% of your max heart rate – RESTING
Blue zone: 60-69% of your max heart rate – WARMING UP
Green zone: 70-79% of your max heart rate – MOVING/ LIGHT STRENGTH
Yellow zone: 80-89% of your max heart — MODERATE TO HIGH INTENSITY
Red zone: 90-100% of your max heart — MAXIMAL OUTPUT

The number of MEPs earned per zone are as follows:

Gray zone: 1 MEP/min
Blue zone: 2 MEP/min
Green zone: 3 MEP/min
Yellow and red zone: 4 MEP/min

Next step: Try a Myzone class!!

Our Myzone classes are scalable for members of all levels and abilities. Class size is limitless and incorporates Stationary Bikes, Water Rowers, Bodyweight and Weighted Movements. Myzone has an app that you can download so when you’re done working out your results will be saved to your phone so you can view all of the workouts you’ve done with the belt! Personalize your workout by trying a Myzone class. Want to use the belt outside the gym? No problem, all you have to do is strap the belt on and pull up the app and you’re ready to go! Don’t have a Myzone belt? Visit the front desk to get yours and strap it on the next time you’re working out! Check out our class schedule to get started!

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Filed Under: MyZone Tagged With: Myzone

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