Bobbye, Mary, Julie, Suzanne, Julia, Robbie, Patti, Karen, and Mary Ann.
These eight dedicated Sturgis ladies were up and moving early on Thursday morning to keep fit and fight fat.
A group of ladies who regularly attend morning aerobics at the Sturgis Youth Center have begun a competitive 24-week program together to help support each other in their weight loss goals.
They call themselves the “Fat Fighters.”
The group meets every morning during the week at the Youth Center at 7:30 a.m. for aerobics. They follow a series of workout tapes, mainly Leslie Sansone DVDs, which focuses on moving one mile at a time. They practice aerobic kickboxing and pilates and just generally keep the heart rate up.
And on Thursday mornings in particular, the Fat Fighters weigh in to win prizes.
“We’ve had fun,” said Robbie Walker. “And it’s a good incentive. We’ve had prizes like a $50 gift card and a massage.”
Every member of the weight loss group contributes $3 at the weekly weigh-in, money that goes directly toward buying small prizes for the biggest losers each 6-week period.
By rewarding themselves in short bursts every six weeks, the full 24-week program goes a lot faster.
“We just keeping moving,” says Julie Cooper, who has lost 23.6 pounds in the last 24 weeks, the weight-loss leader of the group. “It’s good for the body, spirit, everything.”
The group of girlfriends began “Fat Fighters” as a cheaper version of Weight Watchers. “We thought, we could do that ourselves,” said Suzanne Woodring, who is preparing for her daughter’s wedding in September and gearing up for a grandbaby due to arrive just any day now.
“It’s something about the group, everyone encouraging everyone,” says Cooper.
As the DVD plays, chatter drowns out the workout instructions. Topics fly round the room from grandchildren to gardens, from vacations to hairstyles.
“We have a ball. We laugh a lot,” says Walker. And many are seeing the residual health benefits of weight loss.
Bobbye Byrnes has lost 25 pounds in over a year, but better than that she says, she’s lowered her blood pressure and cholesterol.
Patti Estes says working out helps her arthritis.
And Julia Sprague says it keeps her fit to pursue her passion. Sprague belongs to the Union County missionary group, Village to Village, who travel to Haiti every year in October to bring medical supplies and Christian fellowship. To make the trip, the group must trek many miles over rugged terrain between the villages of Haiti. “Your heart and lung capacity has to be way up to make the trip,” she explained.
To date, the Fat Fighters have lost a total of 84.3 pounds in the first 24-weeks. Julie Cooper took first place, losing 23.6 pounds, and took home the $200 grand prize. Mary Leroy lost 17.6 pounds for second place, and Suzanne Woodring, 11.2 pounds for third.
Cooper says the money was a huge incentive, and she’ll use it to buy clothes or gas, she teases. But her biggest inspiration to strive for a fitter form? Her mother. She’s lost 56 pounds by doing it the right way, and she’ll turn 79 years young this week.
The Fat Fighters have begun a new 24-week regime, come join them. They meet at the Sturgis Youth Center Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m. An afternoon aerobics class at the center will begin when school starts in August.
