Zhanna Rotar is a brand new breed of club owner-a smart, savvy business woman who serves up her brains with a hefty dose of brawn. It’s her rare combination of passion and success that makes her the Club Solutions Most Fit Health Club Professional in America for the month of April.
If you told 16-year-old Zhanna Rotar that she would end up being a fitness industry professional, she would have laughed at you-if she could have understood what you said at all. When Zhanna moved from her hometown in Ukraine to the United States in 1996, she spoke almost no English, and health and fitness was the last thing on her mind.
Though Zhanna had been active in ballroom dance from the age of 12, once she moved to the U.S. to join her family, all she wanted to do was fit in. The fact that she had trouble understanding English combined with her foreign habits and experiences made high school a nightmare for the former A-student. Lonely and depressed, she hit the drive-thru for comfort and began piling on the pounds.
“I look at new members to my club, and I see their faces-they are shy, timid, nervous-and I tell them I know exactly how they feel because I looked at my first physical trainer the exact same way,” says Zhanna. “I know how a health club can change your life for the better because that’s what happened for me.”
It’s hard to imagine Zhanna uncomfortable in the place she now describes as her second home, but just like every other member, Zhanna was once brand-new to health clubs and very much unsure of herself. When her mom signed her up with a personal trainer at a local club, Zhanna wasn’t expecting much. But almost immediately after that first session, and within just a couple of months, she’d shed the extra pounds and started to feel good about the way she looked. Her trainer was proud of his star pupil and encouraged her to keep at it, suggesting that she start entering lifting competitions since the weights were one of Zhanna’s particular passions.
“I felt so good,” says Zhanna. “And that feeling transferred to every aspect of my life. That’s why I decided to become a personal trainer, because I wanted to give that gift to other people.”
And that’s exactly what she’s done. Zhanna studied physical training, sports nutrition and every other fitness-related topic she could find out about, and she’s the owner of a Gold’s Gym. But, she’s quick to point out, she hasn’t forgotten the reason she got into this industry in the first place.
“I’m a very hands-on owner, and I’m also the manager,” says Zhanna. “And I also still find time to train a few very special clients. That’s my favorite part. I love helping people achieve their fitness goals. When that happens, your whole life improves-so many things change. The whole quality of your life changes.”
Zhanna’s passion stems from the fact that she’s experienced firsthand how a healthy lifestyle can improve your whole life.
“Everybody has an emotional experience that draws them to a gym,” says Zhanna. “I always want to know what that experience was for our new members-that’s the question I always want to ask. And then I tell them about my own experience. I say, ‘I was standing where you are right now. I felt the same way you do. And I did make this commitment. I did join a gym. I did find a support group. And that’s what you’re going to find here, too.'”
For Zhanna, fitness is fun, so making it a part of her daily routine isn’t tough. “I’ve pretty much tried it all-all the diets, all the workouts-and I know what really works for me,” she says. What works is five days of targeted weight training combined with 45-minute cardio sessions five times a week. Though the routine is structured, Zhanna’s approach isn’t: She’ll hit the treadmill for her cardio some days and ride her bike to the beach other days.
As for her diet, she talks more about the healthy foods she tries to include in her diet than about anything she tries to avoid. “I”m such a health nut,” she says, talking about her love of organic produce. She combines healthy fats with protein, carbs and tons of fresh fruit and veggies for a healthy diet that’s no hassle to maintain since it includes many of her favorite foods. “Spinach is my very favorite thing to eat,” she says.
Her life feels in balance, too. “Being in this industry is thrilling,” she says. “It’s a dream come true for me. I am in a perfect place. I am helping people change their lives, bringing people joy through helping them achieve their goals. I look forward to Mondays because they mean I get to help somebody else. There is absolutely nothing I would rather do.”
