Tammy Nuenighoff. (Courtesy photo)

Tammy Nuenighoff has been many things in her life: an interior decorator, a small business owner, a realtor, a wife and stay-at-home mother of two daughters. What she loves the most, though, is the fitness and personal training business she started 12 years ago after discovering the transformative power of exercise. Certified by the American Fitness Aerobic Association (AFAA), Nuenighoff founded her business, Being Well Today, on a philosophy of moderation and a holistic approach to fitness. The whole idea behind Being Well Today, she said in an interview Nov. 14, is the notion that well-being involves both the emotional and physical aspects of each person.

Nuenighoff teaches conditioning and weight training in addition to the yoga classes that take up the majority of her time as an instructor. In addition to her AFAA certification, she is also licensed as a registered yoga teacher (RYT). She teaches in a variety of venues, including On the Mat in Concord, Gold’s Gym in Maynard, and of most interest to Press readers, at the Unitarian Fellowship Building Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. Everyone is welcome to come, she said, and students only need to dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat with them to class. Classes run in sessions concurrent with the school calendar, and each costs $12. All levels of expertise are welcome, she said, adding, “There is no goal to yoga: it’s just the practice. There is no greater goal than just showing up and practicing.”

Her skills as a teacher were recently featured in a video on the Men’s Health magazine website, which can be seen at http://www.menshealth.com/yoga/yoga-for/Workout_Yoga_for_Explosive_Strength.php. Working with a group of college and semi-pro football players at Teamworks in Acton, Nuenighoff demonstrates yoga techniques helpful for athletes who train strenuously.

“It helps them keep their flexibility,” she pointed out.

Clad in a striking black outfit and at the peak of fitness herself, Nuenighoff’s appearance in the video is a living advertisement for the benefits of yoga as a regular practice.

She didn’t always feel this way about exercise, she said. After the birth of her second daughter 14 years ago, she hired a personal trainer to get back in shape.

“She turned my life around,” she explained.

What began as an interest turned into a passion: Nuenighoff now enjoys a variety of activity, something she thinks is key to keeping an exercise routine interesting. Cross-training is important, she said, and when not practicing yoga, she also likes to play tennis, hike, train for triathlons, and ride horses. The key to good teaching is being a good practitioner, she said. “I feel really authentic about what I do.”

In addition to her regular yoga and weight training classes, Nuenighoff also works with clients on a one-on-one basis. She recently helped one client get ready for ski season, and has trained others for competition in marathons and triathlons. Although she will work with someone on a one-time basis, she prefers to work in multiple sessions so that progress can be seen. Fees for this service come in a range, she said, with things like distance, time, and type of workout factored in. Because everyone’s needs are unique, she said she is always happy to discuss a client’s individual needs and goals.

Watching her yoga students grow and learn—and even inspiring some to become instructors themselves—is very rewarding, Nuenighoff said, and makes running Being Well Today a real gift. “Yoga really teaches you how to handle everything life throws at you,” she explained, adding, “It starts to change your shape and body, and it starts to change your life. “

To reach Tammy Nuenighoff and Being Well Today, call her at 978-456-0041 or send e-mail to tammyn@mail.com. For teaching and biography information, visit www.onthematyoga.com and click on “about us.”