The gym has always been Melissa Daniels’ happy place, and she strives to provide her clients with the same feeling. The accomplished private in-home trainer and wellness coach, who has operated Fitness with Melissa since 2009, utilizes an extensive background in physical therapy and corrective exercise, in addition to certifications in sports medicine, sports nutrition, sports injuries, and a wide range of workouts, to transform people—both physically and mentally. Out of Long Island, New York, her services include strength training, athletics, cardiovascular exercise, weight loss, senior fitness, post-physical therapy rehabilitation, pre and postnatal routines, nutritional guidance, and—since the pandemic—virtual training. Ms. Daniels has said, “Once this lifestyle is understood and implemented at its best, the sky is the limit.”

A Huntington native, Ms. Daniels began gravitating toward her professional path at a young age. An avid soccer player throughout childhood and high school, where she played on a travel team, she sustained minor injuries and found healing through exercise and strength training. Experiencing firsthand how beneficial and rewarding it was, she was fascinated to better understand why these methods worked so well. Upon attending college and studying law, a subject she ultimately lost interest in, she worked for eight years in the corporate sector; over the course of this time, she would find refuge in the gym after work. “Not only did I enjoy going to the gym and going through the physical process of lifting weights,” she said, “I loved the way it made me feel after I was done.” Taking notice of her gradual weight loss, strength building, and feeling a mental and hormonal balance in the process, it became clear that she needed to explore the world of fitness and pursue a career in what was fueling her happiness and passion.

Certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the Aerobic Fitness Association of America, among other prominent organizations, Ms. Daniels further prepared for her career by working alongside and learning from a group of doctors in a physical therapy office for many years. As rewarding as it’s been to achieve her goals, nothing has matched the feeling of helping her clients achieve theirs. She considers the highlight of her career when she guided someone in their weight loss journey of 100 pounds. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she has observed a shift in how people prefer to exercise; rather than being in a big gym surrounded by others, many better enjoyed the experience of being in the comfort of their home with a personal trainer—which has been beneficial to her and her business.

In the future, Ms. Daniels strives to continue providing high-quality, personalized, and efficient sessions to clients without the distractions of other gym members, in which they can focus solely on themselves and their goals. Calling the private training experience the most effective and overall optimal one, she said, “It fine tunes the personal trainer experience when going private.”