Not just a gym, not just a smoothie shop: House of Health is a community

UPDATE, April 18, 2019

House of Health has sold the business and has been under new ownership as of December 2018.

FULL STORY, Sept. 23, 2018

The House of Health, a new business in the Shoppes of Tylersville West, is about community and giving back — lessons owner Christina Shteiwi said she learned from her parents, who died in a car accident in April 2016.

A team of nearly a dozen people who run the gym facility are helping Shteiwi continue her parents’ “giving and loving nature,” she said.

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“The team I have here is literally an amazing, amazing team. They are literally the House of Health family,” said Shteiwi. “We come together to serve the kids, to really to make a difference in their lives.”

Her parents, Nazaih and Hala Shteiwi, were killed on April 8, 2016, after the vehicle of a wrong-way driver struck their car on Interstate 75. They made a difference in the lives of many others, and Shteiwi said she wants to do the same. That’s why she and her team have designed the House of Health to feel like a home.

“When you come in, we literally have something for everyone,” Shteiwi said. “We honestly want to give somewhere for everybody to come.”

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There are specialized programs and classes for men, women and children, mixed martial arts instruction, Silver Sneakers, mom boot camp, bride and bridal party boot camp, and a “Tucktensity” boot camp. Eventually, the business will offer yoga, as well as host a Halloween party and Thanksgiving give-back event.

The business also has a smoothie shop called Halaville — which has a separate entrance from the gym — named after Shteiwi’s mother.

“It’s more of a community center. It’s not just a gym, it’s not just a smoothie shop, it’s a community-based facility,” Shteiwi said.

House of Health, which its initial development was assisted by Allison Cooper, started out small but has grown because of the team.

“We were able to grow and get new ideas, and we’re hearing what the community and the customer wants,” Shteiwi said.

Zo Allen, a certified personal trainer at the House of Health, said the facility is a prototype for the future of gym training where “it’s taking care of the whole household.”

“It’s not your typical place to go to,” he said, noting the business offers trainers in things from physical fitness to nutrition. “I see this as a pilot to all different types of gyms out here. This is something you can get your nutrition, it’s a place where your kids can come. It’s always been a problem out there where kids can go and actually have fun while their parents get their workout at the same time.”

Mo Abdullah said House of Health “became my second home.”

“It’s good to have a place I can call home. It’s a very good atmosphere, it’s community-based and I’m all about giving back to the community,” said the boxing and MMA instructor.

The gym and smoothie shop are located in the Shoppes of Tylersville West at the corner of Bypass Ohio 4 and Tylersville Road. It’s location, Shteiwi said, is “central of everything.”

“It’s kind of in the middle of everywhere,” she said. “I know it’s kind of hidden from the street, but it’s central to our hometown.”

Though she lives in Sharonville now, Shteiwi is a 2008 graduate of Fairfield High School. It was important for her to have the business here, in the same community her family gave so much, she said.

“We overcame so much tragedy,” she said. “My parents were inspired, community-driven people. My dad had many small businesses and he was about giving back and serving to the community. His number one thing was kids. And my mom was pure bliss of love, and everything she did and everybody she met, she made an impeccable impact.”

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