Family-focused fitness center offers fun and exercise

It’s not rare to catch Karisa Haller practicing some new dance moves or the latest exercise when you call on her at her new Grosse Pointe Park business, Empowered Youth Fitness Center.

That’s because Haller is completely devoted to her classes, students and the community that has quickly embraced her fitness-focused gymnasium. Empowered Youth Fitness Center opened at 15121 Kercheval Avenue just a few months ago, but it already has a strong client base that makes it easy to come to work every day, Haller said.

Haller was an elementary-school teacher for seven years. As she was teaching, she was working on her Master’s degree in educational psychology. That allowed her to see her students through a new lens, Haller said. And she saw how a personal issue or struggles at home could affect a child’s life.

At the same time as her career was taking off, Haller began running for exercise. She enjoyed it so much that she began an after-school running program for the girls in grades three through six that she taught. The goal, Haller said, was to give them a focus on personal fitness and a sense of self-esteem.

“I got so many personal benefits from running that it really changed my whole lifestyle. It changed me physically and emotionally,” Haller said. “I saw the same things happen to the girls. Their whole bodies changed, and their academics also improved.”

The girls did so well that the school took notice. Haller began a family-fun run and opened it up to the whole school. The Belle Isle event also helped to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

“It became so much bigger than just a little running club,” Haller said. “It got the entire school involved.”

The turning point for Haller was that she realized she wanted to help even more children have the same experience. So, she decided to change her focus by starting Empowered Youth Fitness Center, which has something for people of all ages and fitness levels. She is a certified personal trainer and youth fitness instructor. Her main goal is to help youth people connect with their bodies and see the connection between working out, eating well and their overall physical health.

Empowered’s classes are broken down by age group and that age’s developmental abilities. Many of the classes, especially those for younger children, are based on games. That way, the children enjoy the whole experience of exercising, keeping their minds and bodies active, Haller said.

The classes for adults and seniors are designed to get the whole family involved in healthy activities, Haller said. She had taught fitness classes while she was a teacher to her co-workers, so adding classes for adults seemed like a good fit for Empowered, she said. She chose unique offerings like Zumba, which feature great music and newer moves to motivate those exercising.

“Children need to see their parents make fitness a priority as well,” she said.

Client Angela vonSchwarz has taken the adult classes as well as brought her 2-year-old daughter to Empowered.

“Ms. Karisa is very patient with (my daughter) and really gets her excited about exercising,” vonSchwarz said. “It is helping set a life-long example that exercise is fun and enjoyable.”

Haller also offers one-on-one personal training, which can be done in the gym or through workout schedules and regular check-ins between Haller and her client. Haller also can work with obese children and teens as well as those with special needs.