Hunter bodies 'shocked' into shape

By Mrs. Jennifer Hartwig (3rd ID)May 13, 2011

Hunter Zumba
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Hunter Bodyshock bootcamp
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HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. - Walk past the group fitness room at Tominac Fitness Center most evenings and you'll hear loud music and lots of cheering. Take a look in, and you'll see people of all ages and sizes coming together to have fun while working out - and seeing results in the process.

This is Bodyshock, a fitness program at Hunter Army Airfield that's getting people into the gym and showing them that they can reach their fitness goals.

The classes are as varied as they are fun - one day the class is grooving to high-energy tunes in Latin dance-based Zumba; the next, they are kicking and punching the air in kickboxing.

The theory behind Bodyshock is muscle confusion. Many people find that they tend to hit a plateau with their work and can no longer lose weight or gain muscle tone. By switching up your program with a variety workouts like boot camp, Zumba, yoga, kickboxing and Cycle X - a spinning class - the muscle groups work differently and react differently to the variety of fitness stimulus, thereby offering each individual a program suited to their particular fitness goals.

Casey McCarley, the founder of the program, said the idea behind Bodyshock is to get people to do something they never have before.

"We are encouraging folks to leave their comfort zone and shock their body by coming to the classes," said McCarley, a Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation contractor.

According to the Surgeon General's Office, more than sixty percent of Americans are overweight and more than one-in-three American adults are obese. Obesity can lead to major health problems, including heart disease and diabetes - more than 80 percent of those with type 2 diabetes is overweight - and moderate weight lost of five to 15 percent of total body weight in a person who is overweight or obese can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in American adults.

One person who wants to ensure she isn't a statistic is Mizumi Jones.

For Jones, a happy marriage added 30 unwanted pounds to her frame. In an effort to lose the excess weight, she began attending Bodyshock classes - and has lost 15 pounds so far.

"I feel good, I'm getting results, I'm losing weight, so my husband sees the results, and I feel great," said Jones. "And it's motivating other areas of my life to feel strong and calm and feeling capable to just challenge myself to try these things."

And that is part of McCarley's goal - to empower people through Bodyshock. She said the classes are for all levels of fitness, from the novice person who's never stepped in the gym to those who have worked out their whole lives, and everything in between. And the goal is to get everyone burning calories and working their muscles.

"There are just as many men going to the class as women; active-duty (military), spouses and civilians, and it's for all different levels of people: old and young, all different body types and sizes - I'm a true testament to that," Jones said.

For 1st Lt. Scott Bata, 110th Quartermaster Company, and his wife Anita, the Bodyshock bootcamp class has become a Family activity - and they have both seen positive changes to their bodies.

"Being a team has really helped us," Anita said. "Whether you're married or you have a partner, just having a team really helps. Casey really stresses we're 'Team Bodyshock' and we really do work together. We really encourage each other and help each other just go a little bit farther every class."

Since beginning the class 14 weeks ago, Anita has gained muscle tone and agility, and Scott has lost 35 pounds.

"It brought a new intensity to the way I worked out," he said. "To be honest, my body had gotten used to the Army way of working out - pushups, sit-ups and running - so it wasn't having the same kind of effect on me."

After class, the couple also got nutrition and lifestyle tips from the instructor and have introduced those into their everyday life; specifically, eating six small meals a day to increase metabolism.

"It's really easy because, when you teach them to realize where they want to be and what results they are looking for, it's easier to guide them toward that direction," McCarley said. "My biggest job is just to help them realize what their goals are."

And her personal goal is to help military spouses like herself - McCarley's husband, Staff Sgt. Charles McCarley, is with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade.

"Being a military spouse is really challenging, especially the moms that have Families," she said. "These spouses have a lot of stressors in their life, you have the other half of the team often deployed or being overseas, so I wanted these classes to be a part of life where they can escape and I wanted it to be a positive escape for them ... and just make this as a tool for them to cope with the lifestyle of being a military spouse."

Bodyshock offers classes at Tominac Fitness Center six days a week in five formats - Zumba, Bootcamp, Kickboxing, Yoga and Cycle X. For more information or a schedule of classes, visit the Tominac Facebook site, www.facebook.com/tominac.haaf, or call 912-315-5078. Each class, as all fitness classes at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, costs $3 per class.