COMMUNITY JOURNALISM: Richardson is all about fitness, helping others

Editor's note: Megan Lehman is a freshman at Kirkwood from Knoxville, Ill., who wants to study journalism at the University of Iowa.

By Megan Lehman, community contributor

CEDAR RAPIDS - Travis Richardson's day begins with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call.

The rest of his day consists of running between his home, taking care of his family and being at Max10, his new 10-week weight loss and body shaping business.

Such if life for the owner of a new business who said fitness has always been an important aspect of his life.

“I grew up around fitness,” Richardson said, adding he instantly fell in love with running and Tae Kwon Do.

“I was intensely competitive, to the point of almost throwing up when I was finished running,” he said.

Tae Kwon Do, however, showed Richardson that how hard he trained directly impacted how the match went.

“The timing, the rhythm, the full-impact nature of this Korean martial art appealed to me,” he said.

Richardson, from Iowa City, did not begin his career in fitness. After studying computer science at the University of Northern Iowa, he became an engineer for Rockwell Collins. He spent nine years in the engineering field, but was searching for a way to help people.

He studied psychology at the University of Iowa and volunteered at a crisis line. He pursued a master's degree in social work and wanted to use the talents and skills he already had to begin helping people achieve their goals.

In the middle of the master's program, Richardson attended massage school and began gardening, which grew into an organic vegetable garden business. After different business and college ventures, Richardson decided it was time to start Max10.

“Max10 offers an education about what is wrong with our society and how to correct it,” Richardson said.

This program is designed to help people become more aware of their relationship with food and exercise while helping them clear personal hurdles in life. Max10 offers kickboxing for adults and children, yoga, circuit training, TRX suspension training, resistance training, product demonstrations, grocery store tours, cooking demonstrations and consultations.

“One customer,” Richardson said, “recently told me that he had learned more in two weeks about health than he had in his entire life.”

Richardson has big plans for Max10.

“I hope that Max10 becomes a lifestyle choice for people to live healthier, more balanced lives,” he said.

Richardson is training to become a certified wellness coach, hoping to take Max10 to the next level.

“I would like people to use Max10 as an educational vehicle that extends beyond their time with me,” he said. “It's one thing to lose a lot of weight in 10 weeks, quite another to change your life so that it stays off naturally and effortlessly. This is the goal of Max10.”

Max10 will hold an open house at the his new building, 202 Blairs Ferry Road N.E., Suite E, on Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and Richardson is offering a free trial April 9-13. Call (319) 558-6810 for more information.

Want to become a community contributor? Contact J.R. Ogden at jr.ogden@thegazette.com