New Westborough Business Ready For "New Year's Resolution Rush"

Maximum Nutrition Centers opened in Westborough on Dec. 8, but not to draw Christmas shoppers.

Owner Kevin Richards says he sought to "have people at least see that I'm here before the big New Year's resolution rush."

"Because that's one of the busiest times of the year in this industry. All the people come in looking to lose weight, 'How to change this about their lives'," he says.

Maximum Nutrition Centers is at 5 Milk St., Unit 2, the first new business in the Piccadilly Place building, which opened in June. The apartment and commercial project includes the former sites of the Piccadilly Pub and the Fayco Kitchen Bath Center.

"This puts me right in the heart of actual downtown Westborough," Richards says.

"There's tons of people who travel through these roads every day. The rotary is always jammed. There's going to be a lot of drive-by traffic where people are going to actually see that I'm here."

The shop's hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Richards is a new business owner.

The 23-year-old Shrewsbury native says he has been a competitive natural bodybuilder ("I've also done a couple of different power lifting meets"); managed "a very high volume" GNC at the Hanover Mall; has been a manager at Fitness Together in Westborough for nearly a year; has been a personal trainer for the past five years; is a certified trainer and nutritionist; and earned a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology, minoring in nutrition, from Bridgewater State University in December 2012.

"I've seen the help that supplements can actually bring to people. Working in the GNC, I had people coming in for all sorts of various kinds of things, like having nerve issues and trying to get them the right things to help with that, bone issues, cholesterol, and seeing the impact that these things had on top of exercise and diet. It helps create that full unison of health benefits," Richards says.

"This is something that's meant, as the name claims, to supplement your diet. These aren't magic end all-be all superpill that's going to make you lose 1,000 pounds, or anything like that. There's a reds and greens formula, in case you don't eat fruits and vegetables. The protein helps with muscle recovery if you work out hard. Diet is one of the main contributors to general health."

Richards says he will offer customers "individualized diet plans (and) training plans" based on the science and his experience.

The shop also offers "protein powders and meal replacements, to help with dietary needs," as well as "sport-specific products," he says.

Richards says he continues working at Fitness Together even as he tries to build a following for his business.

A family member will work at his store when he's not there, he says.

"She used to be an aerobics instructor and knows about the various kinds of health products, greens (and) vitamins," Richards says.