BUSINESS OWNERS KEEPING PEOPLE HEALTHY & MOVING

By Melissa Rubalcaba Riske

Since she was a little girl, Jameka Muhammad knew she wanted to help people When a guest speaker came to her school during health class it caught her attention and she knew, that one day, she would fulfill her wish of helping people through helping them find good health

And that was the start of a career path that led her to launch her business Anointed Hands Wellness Center in New Lenox in 2018

“I knew I wanted to help people feel better,” Muhammed said Muhammed and her team of professionals are dedicated to helping clients feel better and finding the right solutions to resolve health concerns, from providing physical therapy to massage therapy and dry needling�

Muhammed said she was inspired to launch her own businesses to better serve people in the community

“I get to treat every patient the way I would want to be treated,” Muhammad said “I can spend the time one-on-one with each visit to make sure we’re hearing the patient and we’re taking time to listen to their concerns, to assess what is going on ”

Often as a patient works on treating an issue in one area of the body, like a knee pain, they’ll soon discover a new pain� Muhammed said clients will complain that the ‘pain has moved’ when in reality, treatments are uncovering how the body may have been compensating for an issue� She and her team work to help patients find the root of their health concerns and provide an effective treatment

She also hears from patients who talk about living with pains, health problems for far too long She and her team are working to help be more proactive, to reach out to patients and offer treatment sooner than later

“We’d love to be more of a preventative place,” Muhammed said

She’s already looking to expand her building space, to provide more services like pilates and strength-training programs She’s also interested in providing more workshops with educational programming

As a locally-owned business, there is no shortage of items to tackle each day, but for Muhammed and her team, the highest priority is the care and time for each patient, to help them on their road to wellness

Health is also a top priority for Kim Burla, owner of The Barre Code in New Lenox� The Barre Code offers a series of workout options ranging from stretching to strength to high intensity cardio�

Burla opened the studio in 2019 and said the community welcomed her right away

When March 2020 hit and she had to close the studio, but she wasn’t going to let her clients down She moves the classes online and when weather permitted outdoors, with speakers and workouts in the New Lenox Commons

“We made it work until we were finally back in the studio,” Burla said

The Barre Code workouts range from low impact to more intense cardio classes, Burla explained Barre combines small, isometric movements and holds with compound movements that work the entire body She and the staff consistently change up the workouts to keep things fresh and fun One aspect she loves is how the workouts are for all body types, fitness levels and ages.

“We have some college students to people who are in their 70s that join us for classes These workouts is for every body type,” Burla said

She opened the studio in New Lenox to serve the community where she lived� As a small business owner there is no shortage of responsibilities in her day-to-day operations, but her favorite time is when she can teach a class

“When I can see the friendships that are created between clients, that’s what inspires me,” Burla said “The community The Barre Code has built, all the friendships, I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it ”

Find A Service

If you’re looking for a service in the New Lenox area –whether it’s fitness, physical therapy, household and/or auto repairs, finances and more – check out the business directory starting on page 33