By Nadine Christine Hamdan

When Jessica Vitanza was a little girl, her father asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. Her immediate answer was, “I want to save people. I want to change lives.” That’s exactly what she’s been doing since she began her journey in the Fitness Industry. Now this 31-year-old entrepreneur has achieved her biggest goal to date by launching the Grand Opening of her dream gym and healthclub FunXional Fitness – a brand-new, multi-million dollar gym in Burbank, bordering Toluca Lake. For the past 14 months she’s worked closely with architects and contractors to build a functional 6,800 sq. ft. facility designed from the ground up to set it apart from all other gyms from the moment you step inside.

Vitanza personally supervised every aspect of FunXional Fitness expansion and renovation with the vision of making it a beautiful neighborhood gym. “Every detail had to be just right. I want FunXional Fitness to be the Cheers of gyms, where everyone knows your name, and everyone is always glad you came,” Vitanza says. “I carefully considered every single detail, from state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment, to the absolutely gorgeous therapeutic steam shower amenities, the no need to bring your own lock DigiLock lockers, to the ever inviting lobby where everyone is greeted by their name with a genuine smile.”

Vitanza has dedicated her life to the fitness world ever since she was a teenager. Over the past 15 ½ years, her career has taken her from privately owned clubs like Synergy, Total Woman, and Mavericks Sports Clubs to large corporate chains like LA Fitness and Bodies in Motion. Her experiences as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and manager at these clubs inspired her to create FunXional Fitness as her “goal” facility. Members frequently comment how Vitanza’s passion for motivating people to achieve the best “them” they can be shines through. “One of the most satisfying things about my life is the power to empower so many people to be their personal best. I know what it feels like to have weight issues, and I know what it feels like to be fit. I choose the latter,” she proudly proclaims.

Vitanza strives to give members more than just the standard gym experience and encourages people to keep active and work out no matter what their age or their challenges. The gym is one of her personal playgrounds. “A mentor once told me, ‘We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing,’ and I believe every word of that,” she says. FunXional Fitness was built around the idea of motivation from accountability and according to Vitanza, “The real key to sticking to fitness goals is feeling like you are part of a community. I genuinely care about my members coming in, even if just to say ‘Hi.’ People should love their gym and feel good about belonging to it.”

For more details about Jessica Vitanza and FunXional Fitness go to funxionalfitness.com.

FunXional Fitness is located at in Burbank.
For more information call or visit funxionalfitness.com.