The Fitness Granny

At an age when most people are slowing down, Grandmother Joyce Spellman is in the gym before sunrise pumping iron and walking on the treadmill.  

Showing off vitality normally reserved for people half her age, Spellman is the most popular personal trainer at Hampton Bays’ Planet Fitness.  Her warm smile and easy manner are just part of the reason why.  While training up to 25 clients a week, Spellman promotes her unique personal training philosophy of keeping her clients motivated through support and encouragement.  

“I always had weight problems, even as a young child,” said Spellman, who worked for Weight Watchers for 22-years.  “When I learned to change my eating habits thirty-five years ago, it changed my life.”
Shy about admitting her exact age, Spellman does confess to being a senior citizen and smiles widely at the fact she has been married to her high school sweetheart for 50 years.

A mother of five and grandmother of two, Spellman admits her career as a personal trainer career was unexpected, but she loves helping people get healthy.
While attending an exercise class almost sixteen years ago, she was approached by the gym’s owner to teach aerobics classes, and a few years later, after a lot of encouragement, get her personal trainer’s certification.

“It’s about a positive you can do it attitude,” said the slim, blond sexagenarian, “A lot of people like the get down and give me twenty push-up attitude from their trainer, but if they want me to yell or scream, then they have the wrong person.”

Spellman’s personal training philosophy employs a soft touch, which judging from a stacked list of clients, seems to work well. Since she has been in their shoes, admitting to her weight struggle matched with a strong dislike for exercise, Spellman connects with her clients like a friend without judgment.   

“I also hated exercise, but you have to do it,” said Spellman, “to this day it’s a struggle, but I know how good it makes me feel after I do it.”