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It sounds like a Marine drill sergeant's exhortation to his troops: "If you think there's no room for improvement, then you're not trying hard enough." But exercise physiologist and personal trainer Dan Zahler uses these words to encourage clients because he believes that a body, like a machine, can improve.
The 28-year-old co-owner and training director at Anytime Fitness in Wilton is lean, muscular, light on his feet and quick with a smile. The Ohio native, who lives in Greenwich with his pediatrician fiancee, was, as he puts it, "obsessed with physical fitness from a young age." He is an accomplished athlete who played semi-pro baseball, high school and college football and lacrosse -- and he also boxed in the Golden Gloves.
But his holistic approach to health and fitness started far from the playing fields. "My father was a mechanical engineer and his perspective and knowledge helped me understand the body as a machine with working, interconnected parts," he said.
Mechanical engineers design everything from bicycles to supersonic jets, and Dan maintains that like any machine, a body can be tweaked and improved, particularly with the proper mindset. Rather than applying a "one workout fits all" system, he works with each client individually to design routines. His approach takes into account such variables as age, body type and physiology, as well as health and fitness goals.
His greatest challenge is working with a client who is "not mentally ready to reach their goal," because "just showing up doesn't mean you'll get into shape."
Like machines, bodies can run efficiently and with an economy of motion. But unlike machines, bodies do not have "on" or "off" switches. "It takes work to get into shape and more work to stay fit," he said.
Dan Zahler can be reached at AFWilton.com.
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