Martin Moesgaard doesn’t believe aging has to mean slowing down, being unable to move or suffering from constant pain.
For him, movement and exercise are part of healthy and fulfilled living, even for older adults.
Moesgaard, the owner of TrainMovePlay, thinks that while age should be taken into consideration when it comes to fitness training, it should not limit anyone from reaching their fitness goals. Located inside of Zeal Fitness Studio on Walton Avenue, his studio provides personal training, small group fitness and assisted stretching for people of all ages to help increase or maintain mobility regardless of what season of life they are in.
“We see a need to help people who still want to be able to feel young and have a high quality of life, and to continue doing the things they want to do, even though they feel some physical limitations,” he said. “It could be working on things like just getting up and down from the floor with the kids or grandkids, or getting in and out of a boat.”
Moesgaard is a native of Denmark, where healthy living is a prominent part of daily culture. His approach to fitness focuses on the Danish forening (fur-ING-en) model, where people of all ages go to associations or clubs that provide non-competitive sports and fitness opportunities. In his experience, age does not limit a person’s health or abilities.
“It’s big deal in Denmark — movement across the lifespan,” he said. “It’s recreational sports and physical activity for everyone from mom and dad to mom-and-baby gymnastics to the seniors playing soccer or volleyball. It’s a very ingrained part of the Danish lifestyle to get your daily physical activity. That influenced me to see that age does not have to be limiting for you to have a high quality of life and enjoy using your body.”
In Denmark, Moesgaard and his family were all members of different clubs and associations that focused on movement and sports. Later, he coached gymnastics and taught acroyoga, a form of yoga combining yoga and acrobatics. In 2014, after coaching a Danish-style gymnastics club in Australia, he moved to Berea, Kentucky where he met his wife, Sarah. After living for a short time in Denmark, they moved to Lexington and opened the TrainMovePlay studio, which has adopted a motto reflecting his Danish upbringing and foreninger culture: “Movement for All, Movement for Life.”
Their studio provides an outlet for those who want to train and want to improve mobility in an age-appropriate atmosphere.
“I think a lot of people here maybe hit a certain age and don’t want to be in the big box gym with all of the teenagers anymore. They want to be with their peers or with a trainer working out one-on-one,” Sarah said.
Moesgaard said he likes to meet with clients initially to assess where they are and where they want to be to figure out a plan to help them meet their goals. Then, through either one-on-one or small group sessions, he is able to help them achieve their goals.
“A lot of my clients want to be able to use their body better than they are capable of right now, but they don’t really know how to do it or where to start,” he said. “Some of them have either injured themselves because they weren’t quite sure what they were doing, or they don’t really feel comfortable walking into a setting where they can be physically active.”
Working at the studio, Sarah said, can help individuals achieve more than they might in their home gym.
“Sometimes, they have tried stuff at home and realized they can do years of work and not really see any results,” she said. “They don’t know how to program for themselves… Some of our clients are much more interested in letting a professional tell them ‘Do this and you will see results.’”
Martin and Sarah Moesgard, pictured above, operate the personal training business TrainMovePlay inside the Zeal Fitness Studio on Walton Avenue. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Because the TrainMovePlay team has years of experience, they can adjust those plans based on a client’s physical well-being at the time, she said.
“Martin has this huge bag of tricks, so if working that knee joint in a specific way is not going to work for you today, then he can say, ‘Let’s try this,’” she said. “If we’re on our own, we might decide we’re not going to do that exercise today, when really the immobility is probably worse for the joint than finding a healthy way to work it.”
While the studio has seen its share of success stories, Moesgaard said it’s the smaller successes that move him most. From helping someone recover from hip surgery to helping another client alleviate their back pain and walk without pain again, Moesgaard said his focus is on meeting his client’s needs.
Meeting those needs, big or small, is the way Moesgaard measures success. For one client, not being in pain was a success, he said. The client came in with issues with his back that affected his ability to sit comfortably and caused him to miss hours at work.
“Now he’s in a place where he may feel it a little, but he can play with his kids on the floor,” he said. “He can go for hikes. He can go for runs. He’s not afraid of sitting down… He doesn’t think about it anymore and he does the things he wants to do, which is a big deal. It’s what matters to them, and I think that’s pretty good.”