HELENA — We’ve all been there, trying to set goals for the new year. For many, it is losing weight and getting healthier. Well, a new business called Dadbod Strength & Conditioning opened recently in Helena for those looking to not only get healthier, but to feel like they are in the right community.
"The very title itself is a welcoming name because we ain't dealing with some sort of model in me here,” says Eric Hall, the founder. “We're dealing with a dad, who has a 'dad bod' most likely. I suppose that offers a sense of community that a lot of people would like to have."
One of the reasons Hall says he opened Dadbod Strength now is because he went through prostate cancer treatment last fall at a young age of 40 and decided that the pandemic shouldn't keep people from tackling their fitness goals.
"With my prostate cancer treatment, I was always in this interesting position where COVID policies defined absolutely everything, including whether I could get a biopsy, when we were originally trying to figure out whether I had this or not,” says Hall. “So, I didn't want to simply let COVID policies define whether people could pursue health and other avenues."
The pandemic has also affected another business that shares space with Dadbod Strength & Conditioning. Salvo Self-Defense has transitioned from training all groups to now only women.
"I follow The Friendship Center on Facebook. This, seeing the reality of, during lockdown especially, women are stuck at home in abusive relationships,” says CB Smith, the owner of Salvo. “It kind of reinforced the idea that we need this, a lot of women unfortunately need this."
Both of these businesses are open on a part time basis but are looking to hopefully go full time out of the pandemic.
Click here to visit the Dad Bod website; click here to visit the Salvo website.
