Over 35 years, 25 certifications, three remodel projects, 30 fitness classes per week, one fire, one gym. While Fitness World owner Jerri Timothy’s life may appear to be a long list of fitness-related numbers, the Wyoming native’s heart is only invested in one place: with her fitness family.
Timothy began her fitness journey when she was only 20 years old. Living in Powell, Wyo., she was recruited by a Jazz Works instructor to become certified in the program. One certification started the ball rolling in Timothy’s life and it has not slowed down.
“Even though I have done this for 35 years, I have never burned out,” Timothy said. “I just love what I do.”
This love has now turned Timothy into a fitness guru with 25 fitness certifications under her belt along with a history of personal training. The years of training have taken her throughout the country, where she has met leaders in fitness such as Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, Shaun T, Denise Austin and more.
“All of those icons were a part of my world and my fitness journey,” Timothy said.
In 2002, Timothy made her way to Price along with her husband Randy. The duo quickly put down stakes in the area, opening Price’s well-known Fitness World on Main Street in 2004.
Now, a basic week for Jerri includes teaching some of the gym’s 30 fitness classes as well as leading classes at USU Eastern and the Carbon County Senior Citizen Center. On top of that, Jerri can be found offering personal training sessions and posting daily on the gym’s Facebook page, where customers can find class schedules, exercises, diet information, motivation and more.
Since November, another task has been added to the Timothy family’s list: recover from a fire that devastated the gym’s weight lifting area. The fire, which was caused when a treadmill malfunctioned, ruined much of the weight rooms as well as the apartments above the gym, which served as a second income for the Timothy family. Now, months later, Fitness World is still waiting for an insurance settlement to return the gym and living quarters to full capacity.
“It is the fire that put us out, but not completely down,” Jerri said. “It was devastating. The community has been helpful. People would stop by my house and just give me a check and I would just cry because of all of the support.”
This support is what keeps Jerri and Randy on their path for Fitness World’s restoration.
“We started this, other people grew from it. It had so much life and livelihood and joy,” Jerri said. “A part of my life died when that happened and I want it back.”
That fight has led to many meetings with insurance adjusters, investigators, restoration crews and the like. While the weight room’s restoration is not a quick battle, Jerri and Randy are determined to keep offering customers a place to work out and improve their lives. This comes in the form of classes for aerobics, spin and more as well as personal training sessions.
Fitness World is open to the public for a monthly membership of only $35 per month. This includes entrance into all of the gym’s classes each week as well as personal training available for an additional fee. Gym goers can also pay per class, only $5 each, and the first class is always free for newcomers.
Fitness World is located at 47 West Main Street in Price. For more information or to sign up, call (435) 613-SLIM or visit “Fitness World” on Facebook.
