By Kristin Boza
Live and Believe is a fresh nutrition and fitness concept that opened last month on 95th St. The LAB Nutrition, 2025 W. 95th St., and The LAB Fitness, a couple doors down at 2019 W. 95th St., offer “Smoothies with Soul” and flexible fitness classes. The family-owned business is determined to make it easy for busy women to take care of their overall health and well-being.
Owned by Morgan Martin and her father, Mike Martin, the family’s mission is to help people transform mentally, physically and spiritually while helping them live a life they love. “We want people to believe that anything they see for themselves is possible. We want to bring a healthy and positive environment to the Beverly area,” Morgan Martin said.
At The LAB Fitness, participants engage in a comprehensive fitness, nutrition and spiritual plan. “Through workouts, nutrition and a private online community, [our clients] will focus on wellness of the mind, body, and soul,” she said. “Portions of our class fees go to the Marcus Martin Foundation where we give college scholarships, free youth football camps and fitness for the community.”
The LAB Nutrition will assist the fitness aspect of the company by encouraging customers to choose healthy foods. “We specialize in serving smoothies with soul; we want to provide healthy alternatives, like protein snacks, energy teas, good vibes, good music and, of course, our soul smoothies,” she said.
The smoothies have fun names, like Blueberry Muffin or Apple Pie, but they’re actually really healthy. “All of our smoothies are under 220 calories with about 20 grams of protein and 24 vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients,” Martin said. “The smoothies are intended to be a meal replacement, not used as a typical protein drink after a workout.”
LAB Nutrition also offers energy teas; the Beverly Brew is one of the most popular options and includes a B12 energy shot to help boost metabolism. “We sell a lot of tea during the day, all of which we make fresh onsite. The energy teas are a great pick-me-up to get through the day,” Martin said.
“So many people often don’t have time to work out. Working in this area with so many moms who work 9 to 5, time is difficult to find. I’ve found that if you can improve your nutrition, working out five days a week isn’t necessary,” Martin said. “We wanted to bring in an accessible fitness program that fits into busy lifestyles.”
The LAB Nutrition is open Mon. through Thurs., 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fri., 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sat., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they are closed on Sundays. The LAB Fitness schedule runs Mon. through Thurs., and three Saturdays a month.
BreakFit Circuit Training is at 5 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; Cardio Drumming is offered on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; HITT The Floor is on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.; Candlelight Yoga is offered on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.; Dance Cardio takes place on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and finally, Circuit Training is Saturdays at 9 a.m. First time attendees pay a drop-in fee of $5; otherwise, the classes are $10 for drop-in, or purchased in a monthly package.
Beginning on Jul. 15, The LAB Fitness offers a 90-day transformation program complete with online workouts, a grocery list, access to a private online page, mindset activities and a professional photo shoot and celebration after completion. To find out more, visit Facebook.com/LiveAndBelieveWellness.
