Meet the Owner, Sherri Sarrouf

Sherri Laffey Sarrouf, the owner of Elite Fitness Professionals, Inc. d/b/an SLS Fitness, had a lifelong dream of offering holistic fitness coaching through a “whole-body wellness” approach to the Merrimack Valley community.

In 2010, she opened SLS Fitness Strength and Conditioning Center in Lowell, MA, and over the course of 10 years, she has expanded the facility from 7,500 to 18,000 square feet.

In addition to the flagship site in Lowell, SLS Fitness also manages several corporate fitness programs and facilities, including the Blue Sky Center in Burlington, MA; MACOM Technology Solutions in Lowell, MA; Cross Point in Lowell, MA; Maugel Architects in Harvard, MA and Portsmouth NH; and Lowell General Hospital. Sherri also has continued her passion for health and wellness by opening Dragonfly Cafe on Thorndike Street in Lowell, MA. Dragonfly Cafe is a 100% gluten-free facility that accommodates all allergies and diets.

Sherri Sarrouf pioneered the concept of class-based functional movement. When SLS Fitness opened, the concept of having a coach in a group setting was totally new to the fitness industry, and it has spread like wildfire in the years since. The establishment of an intensive ‘30-minute’ workout coupled with the drive to hire the best certified and top-educated coaches has made SLS one of the top strength and conditioning facilities in New England.

At SLS Fitness, Sherri’s passion for developing a unique experience for members through her fitness programming offers people of all ages and fitness levels many kinds of classes and workouts. These include boxing and MMA, yoga, meditation, spinning, mobility, team athletic-based training, and metabolic effect training, one of our most popular classes. In 2009, Sherri traveled to Wake Forest University to train with Metabolic Effect owner, Jade Teta. She then launched the first Metabolic Effect group training in New England. Metabolic Effect classes exploded at SLS and the member-driven demand for these classes is continually increasing almost 11 years later.

In addition to class offerings that are constantly evolving to add variety, SLS Fitness is also home to several specialty programs for specific populations, including the Rock Steady Boxing Program for Parkinson’s patients, a booming senior fitness program for members over the age of 65, pre- and postnatal exercise options, and an oncology rehabilitation and wellness program in partnership with Lowell General Hospital.  

SLS Fitness proudly partnered with Lowell General Hospital to be their public educator - which includes offering seminars on the importance of fitness and wellness - and in 2019, became their fitness partner for the hospital’s oncology program. This close relationship with Lowell General Hospital’s oncology program allows SLS Fitness to help recovering cancer patients carefully and confidently return to activity with the guidance and support of our SLS coaches and physical therapists. This partnership has become a wonderful bridge between treatment and returning to fitness, and is yet another way that SLS Fitness serves the Merrimack Valley community with whole-body wellness. 

Services at SLS extend beyond fitness classes and programs. Over the years, it's grown to include physical therapy specialists and chiropractic services on-site; three infrared saunas and a juice bar that specializes in organic protein shakes and supplements. Sherri’s goal has always been to make SLS Fitness a home for families to feel safe and welcome as they work toward improving their health and wellness, which is why she continues to grow and offer an abundance of services to her community. 

Prior to founding SLS Fitness, Sherri’s experience in the strength and conditioning industry spanned 27 years throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Officially incorporated 12 years ago, under the corporate banner of Elite Fitness Professionals, Inc., Sherri provided group fitness management for Gold’s Gyms in Nashua, Merrimack, and Manchester, NH and in Tewksbury, MA.

Fitness for a Cure

Fitness for a Cure Co-Chairs receiving the “Volunteer Group of The Year” Award at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Pictured from left to right: Elizabeth Sarrouf, Stephen Sarrouf, Sherri Sarrouf, and Richard C. Shadyac.

Always passionate about giving back and supporting others, Sherri Sarrouf is also the proud founder of the Fitness For a Cure fundraiser to benefit ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

Fitness For a Cure has raised $8.5 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since its inception.

Sherri and the Fitness For a Cure Committee just received the 2023 “Volunteer Group of The Year” award from ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital CEO, Richard C. Shadyac, an award that in previous years was won by HomeGoods and CVS.

What began as a $5,000 event in 1999 has grown to a $607,000 annual event supported by a committee of 100+ volunteers and the St Jude performance fitness team with over 120 children and adults in the Merrimack Valley/Lowell community. Ms. Sarrouf has traveled throughout New England speaking to numerous groups, businesses, and schools on behalf of St. Jude, and in 2019, she received the Boston Celtics’ Heroes Among Us Award for her 22 years of fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Accolades

Merrimack Valley Magazine

  • SLS won “best gym” in 2020 and 2021.

  • In 2021 Merrimack Valley Magazine ran a feature on Sherri, her success in the fitness industry and her philanthropic work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Boston Celtic’s Nominate Sherri for the “Heroes Among us Award”

  • In 2019, Sherri received the Boston Celtics “Heroes Among Us” award for her work and dedication to St. Jude.

Sherri Sarrouf and Fitness For a Cure Receives the 2023 “National Volunteer Group of the Year” Award from ALSAC/St. Jude

  • Sherri and the Fitness For a Cure Committee just received the 2023 “Volunteer Group of The Year” award from ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital CEO, Richard C. Shadyac, an award that in previous years was won by HomeGoods and CVS.