Strong Heart and Lungs, Long Life

Ramp up your cardiovascular fitness at Breath of Fresh Air Fitness Club. Scroll down for a discount for Morgantown magazine readers.

10,000 steps a day—it’s a benchmark we hear all the time for preventing diabetes, stroke, and heart attack. But what’s the best way to get there?

“The most important thing is finding a workout that you enjoy,” says Kelsey O’Neill, one of three exercise specialists at Breath of Fresh Air Fitness Club on Don Knotts Boulevard. “Say you come in and try the elliptical because it’s low-impact on the joints, but you’re not enjoying it. Maybe next time try a bicycle or a rower.” 

For us hill-dwellers, though, O’Neill especially loves the treadmill. The energetic equivalent of walking 10,000 steps a day on level ground, she says, is more like 5,000 steps at West Virginia’s average grade of 10%. So she created a Mountain State Fit protocol, available to gym members, that works up to that on the treadmill over several months. “Some people have really intense walks just to get the mail or walk the dogs,” she says. “This can help them do that without it being a struggle.”

That’s the goal at BFA Fitness Club—to help people function well in their daily lives as they age. The gym was opened last fall by Dr. Laura Davisson and her husband, Jim Boyce. Davisson, a primary care doctor, runs a clinic that treats obesity, with the aim of preventing the heart disease and diabetes that often follow. This gym, targeted especially at adults 40-plus, is her way of getting even further ahead of chronic medical problems. 

“At BFA Fitness Club, we’re welcoming and non-intimidating—our exercise specialists love helping people who are new to working out feel like they belong,” Davisson says. “We also have a real focus on safety.” An initial fitness assessment identifies any injuries or safety concerns. Workout plans are tailored to your fitness and goals. “Our class sizes are limited, so every member has eyes on them to make sure they’re doing things safely. And our open gym is always staffed by someone who can help you if you need to be shown how to do a lift safely.”

For a low-impact cardio workout, O’Neill recommends rebounding—jumping on a mini-trampoline. “You can literally put in the least amount of effort and get the most results,” she says. “It fires up all of your systems: cardiovascular, muscular, nervous, lymphatic, digestive, and balance.” As far as she’s aware, BFA Fitness Club is the only gym in Morgantown that has rebounding trampolines.

Photographed by Pam Kasey and Brycen Virgili

Ready to jump in? It’s easy to get started. The gym’s Foundations Onboarding Program welcomes you to small-group classes—a structured, safe starting point that builds strength, skill, and confidence. 

Or you can try personal training with an introductory Breathe Easy six-week package. It includes an assigned exercise specialist, before-and-after fitness assessments, a personalized workout plan, and full gym membership. 

And for those who prefer to follow their own workout program in a supervised setting, a variety of gym memberships that include access to open gym, group classes, and guest passes are available. All members are offered a free fitness assessment.

To get started, visit BFA Fitness Club’s website, Facebook, or Instagram page for details, or call 304.381.5863. Mention this story to get 10% off your first month of membership or your first membership package.