Fitting exercise into a busy life? Here's how.

Jack-of-all-trades Gert Jan Straatsma knows better than anyone what a busy life is like. Besides being a franchisee of six Happy Bodies locations, he's also an international sales manager at Online in Europe and the father of three grown children. Yet, he's convinced that everyone can incorporate exercise into their lives: "Doing nothing isn't an option; we've learned that over the past two years. With just two 35-minute workouts every ten days, you can easily get and stay fit." In this blog post, Gert Jan explains why the Happy Bodies formula works so well.

Interesting formula

A good friend of mine owned four gyms using the Milon circle. He was looking for a partner in my area to open four more locations. I'm active myself—golf and mountain biking—but as an entrepreneur, my background is in telecom, not the sports industry. Still, I found it interesting from a commercial perspective. We started exploring and discovered the Happy Bodies franchise model. We liked the idea of having them take care of everything from the formula and back office to the administration and brand building. After a few positive conversations, we took the plunge. Together, four entrepreneurs now run six Happy Bodies locations: in Leusden, Amersfoort Emiclaer, Utrecht Leidsche Rijn, Veenendaal, Ede, and Almere Poort.

Nice to be part of a group

We opened the branches in early 2019. After four months of operation, we had to close again. That caused some headaches. That's when you see the added value of the Happy Bodies formula. With all Happy Bodies branches, we've developed a very strong plan that has allowed us to limit the damage. Yes, at times like these, you're truly grateful to be part of such a group of smart and hardworking entrepreneurs, and that we can leverage each other's expertise and strengths.

Efficient training in two 35-minute sessions every ten days

The Happy Bodies formula is specifically aimed at people who don't feel at home in a traditional gym. It's a place for everyone: fit or less fit, underweight, overweight, with or without disabilities, everyone is welcome. Not only are our coaches highly trained, but our equipment—the Milon Circle—also ensures everyone can exercise safely. The Milon Circle is truly the core of our six locations, and it's our sole focus. This way, people can work on their health with two 35-minute workouts every ten days, under proper supervision. There's absolutely no need to work on your abs five times a week. That's not realistic, especially if you have a busy life. But doing nothing about your health isn't an option either. The past two years have taught us that.