Cheltenham native Wendy Lyles, owner and founder of Scaleback, wants a healthier, happier community.
Her new business intends to offer area residents just that. Services include weigh-ins, activity check-ins, and accountability partners, but Scaleback’s primary focus is nutritional assistance and meal preparation. The “Eat Wise, Drop a Size” program neatly sums up Lyles’ 80/20 philosophy: 80% nutrition, 20% exercise.
Scaleback will offer a rotating menu of fresh, balanced, additive-free meals for fitness-minded individuals, families on the go, and everyone in between. And because convenience and efficiency are key, every order can be placed online.
“That’s what I’m launching: the ability for customers to order online, but also come into our physical location to schedule their meals. They’re primarily for people who are on the go. It’s exciting. My kids are grown now. Some of my clients have been parents with children who have no time to eat dinner because they’re eating on the go,” Lyles said. “There are also people who are taking care of their parents, and want healthy meals while they’re out of town. There’ve been so many streamlines that I realized that there’s a need for this. Obesity runs heavy in our community. I get back to the basics: protein, healthy carbs, vegetables, and some fruit as a snack.”
Lyles, a National Academy of Sports Medicine nutritional counselor and weight-loss specialist, wasn’t always nutritionally-inclined.
“It wasn’t until I had my first daughter that I began to work out, and I wanted to try to get back to where I was before pregnancy. I really enjoyed it, so for the past 20 years, I’ve joined several facilities, had a personal trainer, did fitness workouts,” Lyles said. “And then 3-5 years ago, it hit me that you can’t get to your optimal weight without nutrition.”
After becoming certified by the ISCA International Sports Conditioning Association in nutritional coaching, she seized an opportunity brought on by the pandemic.
“When things were shutting down during Covid, I went and got myself certified and learned more about the nutritional side of a healthy lifestyle. It involves how you feel and how you want to look. I started to offer meal preparation advice, which is what Scaleback is all about,” Lyles said. “I noticed that people had gotten away from balanced meals during the pandemic, and I was shocked by the amount of interest I got. I toyed with it, and then it became very demanding, and I thought that this must be some sort of a calling. I couldn’t sustain the level of requests I was getting from my home kitchen, and so I started keeping an eye out for a location. Fast-forward to today, and I see this building for rent. I contacted the owner, and we got rolling.”
The building is located at 310 Old York Road, the former site of the BYOB restaurant Forcella. Scaleback’s soft opening is set in stone for Saturday, November 5 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm.
“I’m just following my heart and my passion to fill in the gap for people who don’t have the time to prepare healthy meals. I’m jumping in with both feet and I’m going for it. I hope it really provides that balance that we all seek,” she said.
For more on Scaleback’s nutritional offerings, programs, fitness team, and free consultations, you can check out their website here.
“The reception I’ve gotten has been overwhelming. The Borough has been so supportive and helped in so many ways that I can’t even imagine. They are phenomenal,” Lyles said. “It’s really happening, there’s no turning back now. It’s go time.”