World Health Organization (WHO) — 150 min/week moderate activity (30 min × 5 days)
It’s not about how you look. It’s about how you feel. And 30 minutes a day is enough to change that.
Our Story & Philosophy — A North Bay Gym Since 2001
Most gyms sell you a transformation. Before-and-after photos. Six-pack abs. The body you’ve always wanted. The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay, Ontario, doesn’t do that. Never has.
Since 2001, this gym has operated on a different idea: fitness should be about how you feel, not how you look. You can be thin and be unhealthy. You can look strong and feel terrible. The number on the scale doesn’t tell you whether your joints are flexible, your heart is healthy, your blood pressure is under control, or your stress is manageable. How you feel when you wake up in the morning — that tells you.
That philosophy has kept The Next Step open for 25 years in a market where 81% of fitness studios close within their first year. It’s kept members coming back for decades. And it’s the foundation of everything that happens inside this gym — from the training programs to the conversations between trainers and clients.
25 Years in North Bay — The Next Step Fitness Centre
The Next Step Fitness Centre was founded in 2001, originally as Step by Step Fitness Solutions. From the beginning, it was built to be something different from the chain gyms that come and go. Not bigger. Not flashier. Just better at the thing that actually matters: helping people in North Bay feel healthier.
For 25 years, through economic shifts, industry trends, competing gyms opening and closing, and a global pandemic that shut Ontario’s gyms down for over 14 months, The Next Step stayed open. It adapted. It kept going. That’s not because of a marketing budget or a franchise model. It’s because the people who train here kept coming back.
In 2010, Amanda Hampel joined the team as a personal trainer. By 2015 she was the manager. In March 2020, she bought the business — days before Ontario locked down. She fought through it. Members rallied behind her. And in July 2025, she made the decision to move the gym to a new location at 1370 Regina St in North Bay’s west end — a ten-year dream finally becoming real.
Today, The Next Step Fitness Centre serves members from across North Bay, Callander, and the surrounding Nipissing region. The equipment is better than ever. The team has five certified trainers. The facility has 24/7 keycard access, a dedicated class room, and fully accessible change rooms. But the philosophy hasn’t changed since day one.
Our Philosophy — How You Feel, Not How You Look
The Next Step Fitness Centre isn’t about how you look. We’re about how you feel.
That’s not a tagline. It’s the reason this gym exists. Fitness shouldn’t be about being thin or having a desirable figure. It should be about having a healthy heart, strong muscles and bones, flexible joints, and powerful lungs. It’s about helping to control blood pressure, lower cholesterol, relieve arthritis pain, reduce stress, and support mental health.
And it doesn’t take hours in the gym to get there. Thirty minutes a day makes a real difference. The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week — that’s 30 minutes, five days a week. Canada’s Physical Activity Guidelines from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) say the same thing. This isn’t opinion. It’s the science.
You don’t have to live at the gym. You don’t have to deprive yourself of the foods you love or skip that second glass of wine. You have choices. Enjoy them in moderation, and learn to balance fitness with the rest of your life. The trainers at The Next Step are here to help you find that balance — not to punish you for having one.
“It doesn’t take long to figure out what matters most to you — that piece of cake, or having to do 50 burpees to burn it off. You have choices. And you don’t know how much better you can really feel until you feel more amazing than you do right now. That’s where we come in.”
— Amanda Hampel, Owner & Certified Exercise Physiologist (C-SEP), CanFitPro Certified
What FITNESS Means at The Next Step
At The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay, FITNESS isn’t just what we do. It’s how we do it. Every letter stands for something that shapes the way this gym operates, from the first consultation to the thousandth workout.
F
- Fun
Research from the Association for Talent Development found that people with an accountability partner are up to 95% more likely to follow through on their fitness goals. Compare that to 10% when going it alone. Having someone at the gym who knows whether you showed up or not changes the math on motivation entirely.
I
- Intentional
Every exercise has a purpose. Every program is built around your goals, your body, and where you are right now — not where someone else thinks you should be. The trainers here don’t hand you a cookie-cutter plan downloaded from the internet. They design something specific to you, and they adjust it as you progress. That’s what intentional training looks like.
T
- Trying New Things
Fitness should grow with you. If you’ve been doing the same routine for two years and you’re bored, that’s not your fault — that’s your program’s fault. At The Next Step, we encourage trying new classes, new equipment, new approaches. The gym has circuit machines, free weights, squat racks, cardio equipment, mobility tools, and plyometric gear. There’s always something different to try, and your trainer will help you find it.
N
- Never Giving Up
Some weeks are harder than others. You miss a day. You have a bad session. Life gets busy. That’s normal. What matters is coming back. The culture at this gym isn’t about perfection — it’s about persistence. Members who’ve been here for years will tell you: the hardest part is walking through the door. After that, it gets easier. And when you feel like quitting, your trainer and your gym community don’t let you disappear.
E
- Energizing
You should leave the gym feeling better than when you walked in. Not destroyed. Not barely able to stand. Better. More awake. More focused. That’s what a well-designed 30-minute session does. It gives you energy for the rest of your day instead of taking it away. If your workout leaves you too tired to function, the workout is wrong — not you.
S
- Safe
Every trainer at The Next Step is certified — through CanFitPro, CSEP, NCCP, NFPT, or with a Kinesiology degree. They know how to progress you without injuring you. They watch your form. They adjust the weight when something doesn’t look right. They ask how you’re feeling, and they mean it. Safety isn’t a disclaimer on the wall here. It’s built into every session.
S
- Supportive
The trainers at The Next Step become your friends. Some even feel like family. That’s not marketing language — that’s what happens when you train with the same person for years in a gym that’s small enough to know everyone’s name. The support doesn’t stop when your session ends. Members encourage each other. Trainers check in on you. The community at 1370 Regina St in North Bay’s west end is real, and it’s one of the reasons people don’t leave.
The Science Behind 30 Minutes a Day
The “30 minutes a day” message isn’t a sales pitch. It’s backed by every major health organization on the planet.
People who meet the 150-minute weekly guideline have a 20–30% lower risk of death from all causes compared to people who are inactive. That’s the difference 30 minutes a day can make. Not two hours. Not six days a week. Thirty minutes, most days.
Research also shows that people who exercise for how they feel — energy, mood, stress relief — are significantly more likely to stick with it long-term than people who exercise for how they look. Intrinsic motivation (feeling good) beats extrinsic motivation (looking good) for sustained adherence. The Next Step’s philosophy isn’t just feel-good messaging. It’s the approach that keeps people coming back for 5, 10, 15 years.
Why Amanda Hampel Built a Gym Around How People Feel
Amanda Hampel didn’t start The Next Step Fitness Centre. She walked through the door in 2010 as a personal trainer. But the philosophy that defines this gym today — how you feel, not how you look — is hers. She shaped it over 15 years of training people in North Bay, and it comes from watching what actually works.
The clients who lasted weren’t the ones chasing a number on the scale. They were the ones who noticed they slept better. Who realized their back didn’t hurt anymore. Who had energy at the end of the workday for the first time in years. Those were the people who stayed — and they’re still here.
Amanda holds two diplomas from Canadore College in North Bay — Sports Conditioning and Fitness & Health Promotion — and is certified through CanFitPro, Canada’s largest fitness certification organization. She bought The Next Step in March 2020, survived 14 months of pandemic closures, and moved the gym to 1370 Regina St in 2026. Through all of it, the philosophy never changed.
“Investing in your body is the most important decision you can make. We’re not here to make you look a certain way. We’re here to make you feel better than you thought you could. That’s always been the goal.”
— Amanda Hampel, Owner & Certified Exercise Physiologist (C-SEP), CanFitPro Certified
To learn more about Amanda’s personal journey — from trainer to manager to owner — visit the About Us page.
Why 25 Years Matters
In the fitness industry, 81% of studios close within their first year. Fewer than half survive past year five. The Next Step Fitness Centre has been operating in North Bay since 2001 — that’s 25 years.
That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because members keep coming back. Because the trainers actually help people. Because the philosophy works. Twenty-five years of staying open while other gyms on Main Street and Lakeshore Drive come and go tells you more about this gym than any ad could.
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What Members Say About Training Here
Frequently Asked Questions — Our Story & Philosophy
How long has The Next Step Fitness Centre been in North Bay?
The Next Step Fitness Centre has been serving North Bay, Ontario since 2001. Originally founded as Step by Step Fitness Solutions, the gym has been a part of the North Bay fitness community for 25 years. It’s now located at 1370 Regina St in the west end of the city.
What is The Next Step’s fitness philosophy?
Our philosophy is simple: it’s about how you feel, not how you look. We believe fitness should focus on energy, heart health, strong muscles and bones, flexible joints, stress reduction, and mental well-being — not aesthetics or scale numbers. You don’t need hours in the gym. Thirty minutes a day makes a real difference.
Is 30 minutes of exercise a day really enough?
Yes. The World Health Organization, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), and the Public Health Agency of Canada all recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity per week — that’s 30 minutes a day, five days a week. People who meet this guideline have a 20–30% lower risk of death from all causes compared to inactive individuals.
What does FITNESS stand for at The Next Step?
FITNESS is our values framework: Fun, Intentional, Trying New Things, Never Giving Up, Energizing, Safe, and Supportive. Each letter represents a core principle that guides how we train, how we design programs, and how we treat the people who walk through our door.
Who owns The Next Step Fitness Centre?
Amanda Hampel is the owner and a certified personal trainer (CanFitPro PTS). She joined the gym in 2010 as a trainer, became manager in 2015, and purchased the business in March 2020. She holds two diplomas from Canadore College in North Bay.
How is The Next Step different from chain gyms in North Bay?
The Next Step is locally owned and has been for 25 years. We have five certified trainers who know members by name, a philosophy focused on how you feel rather than how you look, and programs designed around 30-minute sessions that fit real schedules. Chain gyms in North Bay rotate staff and market on appearance. We don’t.
Is The Next Step good for beginners?
Yes. Our philosophy is specifically designed for people who feel nervous about starting. Fitness should be fun, supportive, and safe — three of the seven values in our FITNESS framework. Every new member starts with a free consultation, meets their trainer, and gets a full week to try the gym before committing.
Do I need to work out every day?
No. The 30-minutes-a-day guideline is based on five days per week (150 minutes total). Your trainer will work with you to build a schedule that fits your life. Some members come three days a week, some come five. The important thing is consistency, not perfection.
Where is The Next Step Fitness Centre located?
The Next Step Fitness Centre is at 1370 Regina St in North Bay, Ontario (P1B 2L3), in the west end of the city. Open 24/7 with keycard access. Call (705) 475-0724 or email thenextstepgym@gmail.com to ask about the Bring a Friend program.
Feel the Difference — Your First Week Is Free
Twenty-five years. One philosophy. How you feel matters more than how you look. And 30 minutes a day is enough to start feeling it.
If that sounds like the kind of gym you’ve been looking for, come see it. Schedule a free consultation, meet one of our five certified trainers, and get a full week to try The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay before you commit to anything.