Twenty-two years ago, Michelle Kelsch co-founded Movara Fitness Resort and Spa, a luxury-but-not-ridiculously-expensive fitness retreat in Ivins, Utah. Back then, Kelsch, now 45, and her husband, Cameron, ran the company out of a hotel with a neighboring gym. “The Body Shop Spa,” as it was called, included three calorie-controlled meals every day, strenuous workout, treatments, and hikes amid the glorious red Utah canyons. Cameron worked three jobs until the couple could afford to take a paycheck about two years after opening.
In 2007, they purchased a 30,000-square-foot facility in St. George, Utah, and rebranded as Fitness Ridge Resort. Two years later, they licensed The Biggest Loser name and opened a second Biggest Loser in Malibu in 2010. That dissipated in 2015, when they rebranded as Movara. It has been such a huge success—more than 30,000 guests have walked through its doors—that the couple has managed to pay off all their investors. Five years ago, the couple packed up their six kids into an RV and traveled the country for four months with the intention of sharing their adventures on social media as owners of Movara.
“I know it’s potentially an impossible feat, but I would love to change the way anyone approaches achieving health or weight loss,” shares Michelle. Insider’s sat down with Michelle to learn more.
How is Movara different today from when you began more than two decades ago?
One piece of advice I would give new business owners is to stay true to their business model but continually look for ways to improve. Every single week for 22 years we have been making improvements to our program; however, our program has not changed. We have mastered the art of improving without changing our core model.
We started as a structured results-oriented one-week minimum stay program that was calorie-controlled, encouraged full participation of our 6:00 am to 6:00 pm rigorous program that consisted of a three-hour outdoor beautiful yet challenging morning hike that accommodated every fitness level, then a day full of cardio, strength, flexibility, and educational classes. Today we are the same.
We have remodeled a few times, expanded, added new hikes, new classes, added new menu items, adjusted the program to accommodate guests’ needs from time to time to improve our already amazing experience, yet classes we taught 22 years ago that are effective are and will always be on the schedule, such as stretch, pool, our famous treading class, circuit training, and boxing.
Life can suck the wind out of our sails and sometimes you just need to get out of your environment and be reminded of your ability . . .
These days, wanting to lose weight is seen as a negative. Why?
Because everyone talks about it. Everyone has to justify their actions. Also, the weight-loss industry has cannibalized the desire for anyone to even want to lose weight. There are a million products and programs that claim to be the solution and take your money, yet rarely provide lasting results. I, too, would look at losing weight as a negative if I didn’t know better. We are all tired of hearing how ‘this time it’s going to work’ with a method that is completely unrealistic in the longterm. The odds of succeeding are literally none, causing everyone to feel like a failure. The desire to love ourselves regardless of the scale is completely understandable, as we should. It is, however, hard to feel good when you aren’t physically well. The reality and what should be encouraged is that one can be healthy, feel good, and not be a size two.
How do you toggle between being a resort where people come to lose weight, while also being a place for those who care about Body Positivity? How do you navigate that?
Our guests weigh-in upon arrival, yet the focus of the scale is forgotten in the first few hours of the program when guests start to remember, or learn, how amazing they can feel or once felt with movement and good nutrition! We then take the opportunity to educate them on the importance of nutrient-dense foods, movement, and a healthy mindset. Our goal by the end of the week is to refocus on why we move and choose nutrient-dense food—with weight loss being a bonus. We also educate guests on the reality of weight loss. Most frustration stems from unrealistic expectations that have been taught over the years, making weight loss extremely frustrating. When you know and understand the reality of weight loss, it becomes doable.
Do you believe in Health At Every Size?
Yes, I believe in Health at Every Size. I have hiked with ‘skinny’ guests who could barely walk, and I’ve walked with many guests who have excess weight with whom I could barely keep up. There are a lot of negative emotions around counting calories in the older population because of the lack of education. It is interesting to see the younger generations start to accept and talk about counting calories. Possibly because counting calories is much easier than the intense popularity of counting macros. At the end of the day, one has to understand the math of one’s caloric expenditure and one’s caloric intake, or frustration will be the cause of not sticking to a plan.
How do you feel about Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs?
In college 20 years ago, I had a wise professor whose exact words were, ‘If there is a weight-loss method that isn’t maintainable for the rest of your life, RUN!’ I’ve been around long enough to see not only the unknown physical damages, but I believe potentially even more damaging are the emotionally and mentally damaging effects of a quick fix. I believe learning to make choices that will give you the results you are seeking and the learning and accepting that happens when the results aren’t what you want are some of the most valuable lessons one can learn.
Ozempic or other weight loss drugs may rob one of those lessons. Similar to being handed a fortune as opposed to earning your fortune. But like anything, I believe everyone has the right and privilege of doing what they feel is right, and if one decides that weight-loss drugs are best for them, I am supportive. Most important is that people do what is going to help them feel good and be healthy and happy. What isn’t healthy is worrying about others’ decisions more than owning your own. It’s challenging enough without judgment and shame.
What myths do you want people to know about weight loss?
I wish I could help people understand that we are not victims of weight. There should never be any shame in weight gain. It’s not hard to gain weight. Just consuming 200 extra
calories a day will result in 20 extra pounds per year! Equally, it’s not hard to lose weight. Just 200 calories less than your body’s caloric needs will result in a loss of 20 pounds in a year. Most individuals just aren’t willing to make lifestyle changes or aren’t patient enough to see slower results. Every diet or plan was designed to lose weight yet didn’t address how to maintain weight. When people understand the reality of weight loss, maintaining weight is seen as a HUGE success!
One of the biggest disservices we ever did was to introduce exercise and healthy eating as a means to weight loss. Lasting change happens when the motivation is to move and make better nutritional choices regardless of what the scale says.
What do you wish people knew about Movara?
This week I had a guest tell me that it’s unfortunate some people don’t know that Movara exists. He said Movara has taught him more in five days than he has ever learned in 56 years of living. Life can suck the wind out of our sails and sometimes you just need to get out of your environment and be reminded of your ability, be taken care of, and focus on your goals and needs rather than everyone else’s. You will not be relaxing by the pool, but you will go home feeling more refreshed and motivated to tackle any challenges you may be facing. No matter how fit or out of shape you may be, you will be challenged at your appropriate level. You will leave craving meals that leave you feeling good and not weighed down.
You have six kids, and you run a business with your husband! How do you do it all?
The Kelsch family
I wash my hair at night and try to maintain realistic expectations of myself, and others. People will say, ‘Wow, amazing!’ and I’ll respond with: ‘Or crazy!’
It hasn’t been all bliss. We have gone through some major challenges over the years as any business owner has. But over the years, I have received so much motivation and satisfaction from being able to work with amazing guests and employees. For 15 years we had a hiking guide who battled cancer. She went running before she came to hike and swam for a few hours after. It was hard for me to complain around her. Today, I had a guest tell me that after several years of coming here, this week was the first week without falls and the need for walking sticks.
I am passionate about helping others achieve health, feel good, and realize they are capable of more than they think.
