Kim Lazar Gustavson

What can I say? KIM is *SUPERLATIVE*. She is *GENIUS*. She is *AWESOME…
NESS* :) (She is also very modest, so would probably blush if she saw this.)
While Kim does personal training and leads stroller fitness classes in the park, she also
–pushes us to increase our fitness and stamina in class, tailored to our fitness level, even in the class format.
–pushes us to increase our fitness and stamina *OUTSIDE* of class, during the rest of the week by giving a challenge and sending out encouraging emails that are also instructive. She helps to make exercise a regular part of our life.
–shows us how to stay fit, even within the constraints of our busy family lives, with our own body weight or adding very minimal in the way of props (like an exercise resistance band – something we can take anywhere) or a park swing!
–is well-​read and up to date on the science behind exercise (using high intensity interval training and things like plyometrics) and how it helps not only our bodies, but our minds.
–fosters a sense of camaraderie. Through this class, I have found many new *good* friends with children the same age as mine. I’ve been to another stroller fitness class where the instructor did not do this.
–is very mindful of our stroller babies’ comfort and interest level, changing class exercises accordingly.
–clearly enjoys what she does and teaching in the park. She reminds us to appreciate the splendor of the trees and the orange-​pink sky as the sun sets.
–has a blog teeming with great ideas on how to incorporate fitness and fun into family time:
–is a wonderful person that I really like.
It you are thinking of trying a class or personal training with her, you know the mantra: JUST DO IT!

Kim is AMAZING! She helped me with post-​natal training just after my daughter was born and have been seeing her – individually or in small groups – for four years. She is extremely knowledgable and takes her work seriously and she is in great shape. She has reflected a lot of what it means to be a parent (for me, a mom, though I know she works with lots of men) and has been a great guide through my ever-​changing body – post-​natal, regular person, then pre-​natal. I really appreciate that she tells me why particular exercises work and helps me make subtle adjustments that can make a big difference to the efficacy or even safety of particular exercices. She has focused me very differently at different timess.
Most of all, though, I love Kim as a trainer because she is *FUN!* While being a serious professional, she is simultaneously creative, fun, funny, passionate, easy-​going, and really understands people’s real lives – how a busy family person moves and the issues things like carrying a child around or sitting at a desk create, the constraints life creates that make exercise hard, and the opportunities it presents to exercise individually as a busy person and also as a family. She is extremely constantly introducing new fun exercises, often that evoke child-​like play – that’s when we really exercised organically, right? (Skipping, bouncing balls, games with a partner). Seeing Kim is a highlight of my week.
I know that she also teaches kick-​boxing and spinning in gyms, but for the training I’ve done with her, has all been in a public park. We use curbs, trees, even the jungle gym as our fitness machines along with simple props that she brings – rubber balls, bungee bands, etc. I like how this empowers me to feel like I can really exercise anywhere, anytime.