Jackson Free Press

Clinton resident Johnny Markham opened Waisted Nutrition (224 W. Capitol St.), a shake shop that sells meal-replacement shakes and "loaded" energy teas, in downtown Jackson on Monday, April 15. Markham's shop occupies the space that once housed Sugar Ray's Sweet Shop, which closed in 2018.

Waisted Nutrition's shakes come in 16-ounce cups, and each contain 24 grams of protein and less than 250 calories. The shakes come in flavors such as butter pecan, cookies and cream, strawberry cheesecake, banana pudding, cake batter, peanut butter and jelly and more.

The shop's "loaded" teas have no sugar and contain B12 vitamins, aloe, vitamins C and D, and minerals such as calcium, potassium and iron. The teas come in 32-ounce cups and have 24 calories each. Customers can choose single-flavored teas such as raspberry, pomegranate and peach, as well as mixed flavors such as strawberry lemonade, Blue Hawaiian (lemon, mango, lime, Pina Colada), Black Pearl (pomegranate, cranberry, blackberry) and Captain America (raspberry, cranberry, strawberry).

Waisted Nutrition's shakes and teas come from Herbalife Nutrition, an international company that develops dietary supplements and nutrition products. The shop is an affiliate of Herbalife, but Markham independently owns and operates the business. Markham and his employees are also certified health coaches through Herbalife, and offer fitness and meal plans to customers.

"Everyone here is trained to coach you on your personal fitness journey, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscles or deal with health issues," Markham says. "Our job is to not just sell you a shake but give you a meal plan to suit you."

Markham moved to Clinton from Vicksburg in 2009. Before opening Waisted Nutrition, he worked at Johnny T's Bistro & Blues and other Jackson restaurants. He received his health-coach certification from Herbalife in 2018.

"I saw a need to open a nutrition club like this in downtown Jackson because I think people are becoming more health-conscious and concerned about their weight and what we put in our bodies," Markham says. "It was also the perfect time and place to open this kind of business, especially after we lost places like Smoothie King and (Capitol Nutrition) in Jackson. I hope to be able to help make Jackson a healthier place."

Waisted Nutrition is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Markham says he also plans to open on Saturdays in the future. For more information, call 601-955-9592 or find the business on Facebook.

Fondren Fitness Opening by July

Jackson architectural firm Wier Boerner Allin and Sean Cupit, owner of Fondren Public and CrossFit 601 in Ridgeland, first announced plans in December 2018 to renovate the building that once housed the Rainbow Co-op grocery store and turn it into a new fitness center called Fondren Fitness. Now, construction on the site is on track to finish by summer 2019, Michael Boerner told the Jackson Free Press.

Rainbow closed in July 2018 after its board of directors declared bankruptcy. The new owners purchased the building on Oct. 19, 2018, and began renovations after obtaining a special-use permit from the city to zone the building for use as a fitness center in December 2018.

Fondren Fitness will be a multidisciplinary fitness facility that offers classes for all ages. The business will contain classrooms, locker rooms with showers and a smoothie shop that T'Keyah Williams, owner of Mama Nature's Juice Bar (655 Lake Harbour Drive, Suite 400, Ridgeland), will operate.

While the owners cancelled plans to make Fondren Fitness have two stories, Boerner told the Jackson Free Press that there have been no other changes to its planned facilities.

Boerner said he and the other owners are working together with the building's neighbors, Cups Espresso Cafe, Montgomery Ace Hardware, Fondren Public and Hops & Habanas, to renovate the parking lot in front of the center, including repaving and installing new lighting. They have also replaced the building's roof and installed new downspouts to drain water as a means of addressing a persistent flooding problem in the space, which was one of the contributing factors to Rainbow's closing.

Terry Sullivan, a Jackson-native health-and-fitness trainer, has also signed on as general manager for Fondren Fitness. Sullivan will be in charge of supervising the other fitness trainers at the facility after it opens, Boerner says.

Outlets of Mississippi Hosting Great Lengths with WLBT

The Outlets of Mississippi (200 Bass Pro Drive, Pearl) will host a registration day for Jackson television station WLBT's 2019 Great Lengths event on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Outlets of Mississippi food court.

WLBT meteorologist Barbie Bassett founded the Great Lengths initiative almost 20 years ago with former WLBT news anchor Stephanie Bell Flynt, who died of cancer in 2018. The initiative asks people to grow their hair out so stylists can cut it and donate it to Pink Heart Funds, a nonprofit group that uses the hair to make wigs for people suffering hair loss from cancer treatment.

St. Dominic's Cancer Services sponsors the event, which takes place every two years. Hinds Community College Barber Academy in Raymond also provides stylists, chairs and equipment for the event.

The main Great Lengths event will take place at the Outlets of Mississippi on Oct. 17, 2019. The business will enter visitors who register in person on May 11 into a drawing for gift cards to the mall. Participants can also register on WLBT's website.

Donated hair must be at least 10 inches long by Oct. 17, be clean and dry, and secured with a ponytail holder or braid. For more information and guidelines for the event, visit wlbt.com/health/greatlengths/.

The Outlets of Mississippi will also accept hair donations at any time before the event, provided the hair meets all requirements. Visitors can bring donated hair to the Outlets Visitor Services Center across from the food court during normal business hours. The mall is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. For more information, call 769-972-3000 or visit outletsofms.com.