Happy and healthy

Whether customers stop by for a quick meal-replacement shake on their way to work, come in for a free workout class or just want to hang out, Erin Johnson says her goal with ReFuel Nutrition is to create “a place for people to come together to become happy and healthy.” ReFuel opened up at 206 Walnut St., Ste. A, in May, but it’s not entirely new to Chico. Before that, it was Rapid Refuel and located inside Off the Wall Soccer on East 20th Street. The closure of that business prompted the move and Johnson says it’s been a positive change overall. The shake bar is clean and simple and uses Herbalife products that co-owner Johnson swears by. Staff members offer workout classes—for free—at Rosedale Elementary around the corner, with schedules posted on Facebook. They also do one-on-one coaching to ensure each customer reaches his or her goals. Open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. most weekend days (check Facebook for updates). The CN&R recently sat down with Johnson to learn more.

How’s the new spot?

It’s been so much better—business is almost double, three times what it used to be. It’s a better central location for sure. With the college right there, it’s been amazing.

Tell me about your shakes.

The shake is a full healthy meal replacement. So, it has all of the vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, but it’s still low in sugar, low in calories—it’s less than 250 calories a shake. It’s really going to keep you full, give you energy, make you feel good. It’s like healthy fast food.

What are the workouts like?

We do all body-weight workouts—we never use equipment. I say it’s more of the high-intensity interval training style, so really what we do is we find fun ways to do simple workouts as a group. I like to go on Pinterest and, you know you always pin those workouts that you can do at home, like I’m going to do this!, but then you never do? That’s what we do here. Everything is very simple to do and follow and modifiable to anyone’s needs, so whatever fitness level you’re at you can still participate.

What do you do when the weather is bad?

We still work out! We go outside anyway.

How do you help people with meal planning and nutrition?

We do monthly trainings down in Sacramento so we can learn all about the [Herbalife] products—how they work, what’s used to create them, what’s the best way to use them.

What kind of results do you see?

Everything we’ve seen here has been entirely incredible—we have a before-and-after wall filled with people who’ve gotten amazing results, whether it’s muscle gain or weight loss. We just know we have some of the best products here and as long as you’re willing to come up with a plan and stick with it, you’ll be able to see results.