Who's That Girl Wednesday

Tonya Bowers

My interest in exercise started out as just a hobby. I had been a stay at home mom for several years and I just need something to do for myself. For Mother’s Day my husband bought me a gym membership at a local all women’s gym. I went everyday and spent a lot of time learning about exercise in its many forms. I took lots of aerobic classes and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to teach aerobics.

The instructor at the gym agreed to work with me and was willing to help me to become an instructor. With her assistance and encouragement I registered to take the Group Fitness Certification Course. When I passed I was able to begin teaching. I loved teaching at the gym and it gave me a lot of good experience. Then I set a goal to work at the RMH Wellness Center as an instructor. I thought that it would be more prestigious. If I would be able to teach there then I knew I was good. I applied and tried to get on there but was not successful. I did however go to a conference in Pennsylvania with a number of instructors from the Wellness Center. It was two days of non-stop classes of every exercise class imaginable. This opened up a whole new world to me. I was then hired by the wellness center as a Group Aerobics instructor. This led to being able to teach floor aerobics, step, water, sports conditioning, spinning and strength training. I loved it so much I wanted to pursue Personal Training. I studied and took the test for personal training and passed.

During my time at the Wellness Center, I went from Aerobics instructor to working on the strength and endurance floor to becoming Supervisor out on the floor, I became a trainer for a Live-Fit group working with them three times a week for weight loss. I led a group of women in a challenge program against other groups to see who could loose the most weight, inches, body fat overall as a group. My group won that challenge! I also began working at the Bridgewater Retirement Home in their gym. I truly loved teaching my class. They were always complimenting me and I became known as the Drill Instructor. I was well liked which for me was very confidence building and it really helped me come out of my shell and become someone that people admired and looked up to. I was getting quite the ego and really liked it.

Through all that though my most memorable and enjoyable experiences were working with the weight loss groups and working with individuals out on the floor. I truly loved being able to help people set goals, work towards those goals and accomplish their goals. To see where they started from and to watch the progress they made was unbelievable. It really touched me to see how I could help someone do that. To see their determination in some very tough workouts was a reward in itself. The other most memorable time was being on the floor working with the older adults. I made so many wonderful relationships with these individual. It made my day, to see them come in and I would just be an encourager, a listener, a supporter or whatever they needed. Each one of them was a very dear person to me.

Working in this kind of atmosphere though can be very dangerous. I was quickly falling into the trap of self-centeredness and pride. I wanted to be the best, look the best and fit into the lifestyle of fellow co-workers. They were all about having a good time. I was enjoying the attention that I was getting. I spent close to ten hours or more a day at the gym between all my duties and my own work out regiment. When I didn’t have to be there, I was still there. Needless to say things went from bad to worse. I was living a lie. I was completely blinded by my obsession and I was acting out in ways that a mother and wife should not act. I was tearing my family apart. I didn’t care about my family, actually only myself. I had unrealistic deceptive thoughts of becoming young and single again and having no responsibilities. During this time when it got really bad, I know God planted a couple from our church at the gym. Not knowing anything about what was going on they felt the strong need to pray for my husband and me.

Things finally came to a point where I needed and had to leave my job because of my actions in my personal life. This was extremely hard to do because I loved what I was doing. Deep down I loved helping people and being able to help make a difference in their lives. I stopped teaching and working out totally. I missed it very badly but finally came to realize that what I loved to do was over. I had always deep down hoped that maybe someday I could do it again. However I knew it could not be at the wellness center or any place like it. I did not want to put myself into that kind of atmosphere again.

About five years ago there was the idea of teaching an exercise class at the church. I can’t tell you how excited I was about the possibility of teaching again. I immediately jumped into this and began meeting with Anne Whitehouse about planning the class. We really tried to get this into action bit it never happened. I was very disappointed and finally decided to give up on the possibility of ever being able to teach again. I believed because of my previous actions that I deserved this…to never teach again. I put it out of my mind and didn’t think about it again.

About six months ago Dawn Hite sent me an email asking what I thought about teaching an exercise class at Church. The WOG Committee wanted to start an exercise class and wanted me to consider teaching the class. The excitement that I felt at that moment is indescribable. I immediately called Dawn and said Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!!! Praises to God I have been allowed to teach at church twice a week. I have my dedicated group of ladies who have such drive and determination and will power that it blesses me beyond belief. To be able to work with them has meant so much to me. Each of them has made amazing progress and I am so proud of them. I am so very thankful that I have been given this opportunity to work with them. God knew the timing wasn’t right before. He had these ladies hand picked for this specific time and my motives and desires this time are right before God.

My heart is to bless other women with the gift that I have been given by God. I want to offer a safe Godly place and atmosphere for women who need and want to do something for themselves and are intimidated or turned off by the idea of gyms. I want to provide a place where women can come and be themselves. Where they can do something they didn’t think they could do. I didn’t want the class to be a burden financially on anyone and didn’t want that to be a reason to keep some women from participating. I truly want to do this at no cost just to bless women. So I invite you to come and give it a try and be blessed with an amazing opportunity to help yourself physically, mentally and spiritually.

God has allowed my hope and dream to come alive. I have been given a second chance to do what I love. Thank you God for new beginnings and thank you God for bringing me to where I am today. Thank you God for knowing our hopes and dreams.