Minnesotan A Finalist For 'America's Next Fitness Star'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Women's Health Magazine is looking for the next "it" trainer. They've narrowed it down to five women, and one of the nominees works right out of the Twin Cities.

One of them is Stacie Clark, of Plymouth, Minn. Clark co-founded the Minneapolis gym Tiger Athletics with her husband. Women's Health recently spotlighted Tiger Athletics as the city's best fitness center.

"One of my mottoes is burn calories, not time," Clark said. "At Tiger, you can burn anywhere from 600 to 1,000 calories in 60 minutes for just showing up and being here."

Students at Tiger Athletics have praised the Clarks for their level of energy and commitment.

"Other people can teach, but the way she and Chris coach is different. There's a motivation that they give you that you can't find anywhere else," said Laura Daniel, a student at Tiger Athletics.

Clark says she is proud to have been chosen from reported thousands of applicants to make the top five. The four other women nominated for the honor are Jam Murphy, of Ashtabula, Ohio; Kit Rich, of Los Angeles; MC Barao, of Houston; and Tarrah Lee, of Aurora, Colo.

"My philosophy is very simple. I believe in training the body the way it's meant to move," Clark said. "It's really back to the basics of functional body weight training. Everybody has a body -- use it, move it."

You can vote once a day through August 5 at this website. The winner is chosen in August.