April White has been a member of LIFT since 2019. She chooses to live a healthy lifestyle because it allows her to be the best version of herself both physically and mentally. As a new mom, she has experienced a lot of challenges but thanks the LIFT for always being there for her and encouraging everyone to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

In March, she decided to challenge herself by joining CrossFit here at LIFT. She says it has challenged her physical ability more than anything she has ever done. The variety that it offers keeps her engaged and excited to come work out. She also is thankful for childcare here at LIFT knowing she can bring her son for him to play and she can have some “me time”.

April says the LIFT has it all: from a welcoming environment to a sense of community and ease of access for new moms it will inspire her to pursue her fitness journey for years to come.

Thanks for being a member with us April and we encourage you to keep pushing to reach all your health and fitness goals! Congratulations on being October’s Member of the Month!

My name is Shon Bowers. I am a US Army Vet and New Orleans native who recently relocated to Jackson after living in West Palm Beach for 10 years. In 2014, I took interest in improving my own personal health and started taking fitness classes at my local gym where I quickly gained lots of friends who had the same goals; to become more healthy and fit. After seeing the transformation that I accomplished in a short 4 months, they started coming to me for advice in achieving their own weight loss goals and after several months of encouragement, I finally decided to take their advice and registered for my 1st Zumba Instructors Course in 2015. Little did I know it would open doors that would lead me to take my career as a Fitness Instructor in a direction I had never planned. Over the past 6 years I have obtained 11 Zumba Certifications, am a member of the Zumba Instructors Network (ZIN) & (SYNC) Strong Nation By Zumba Instructors Network, with 22 additional Group Fitness & Continuing Education Certifications. In addition, I’m a Certified Personal Trainer, Plate by Zumba Healthy Eating Coach and CPR/BLS certification.

My certifications include: Zumba Basic 1, Zumba Rhythms 2, Zumba Rhythms 3, Zumba Pro Skills, Zumba Sentao, Zumba Step, Strong by Zumba, Zumba Kids + Zumba Kids Jr., Zumbini, Plate by Zumba, ACE Group Fitness, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, FITA Group Fitness, AFAA Group Fitness, Keiser M3 Indoor Cycling, Aqua Fit, Body Works + Abs, Boot Camp Conditioning, Cardio Kickboxing, Power Circuit, Silver Sneakers Basics, Step Aerobics

Click the video to see what it's all about!

Cost:

1x/week-$25/month

2x/week-$40/month

Gloves & Wraps available for purchase at the front desk.

October is here and fall seems to be in full swing! The season of soups, chili, and pumpkin-flavored everything is often a favorite, but these foods may contain more calories or fat than you expect. You can make some simple swaps to lighten up your fall favorites or keep a few of these tips in the back of your mind to enjoy the flavors of the season.

If you are interested in making a recipe a little lighter in calories or fat, your best bet is to look at exchanging the high-calorie/high-fat ingredients on the list. Sour cream and cream cheese have reduced-fat options at the store, and milk can be used instead of heavy cream or half & half. You can also choose leaner cuts of meat such as chicken breast or pork loin instead of fatty cuts to reduce calories and fat. If you’re making a dessert, you can try reducing how much sugar or sweetener you are using, or maybe reduce how much icing or chocolate chips you add-in.

Sometimes though, just sticking with the family favorite recipe is a better option. Instead of trying to swap out all of the ingredients that make it delicious, work on reducing your portions and eating slowly to savor the flavor. This way you still get to enjoy those chicken and dumplings that you crave, but you eat just enough to satisfy you. You can also add some seasonal vegetables to the meal or on the side to help fill you up.

Broccoli, carrots, cabbage, greens, eggplant, mushrooms, and peppers are all delicious fall veggies that can add color and flavor to your meal, without a lot of calories. Focusing on making half of your plate non-starchy vegetables is a great way to feel satisfied with your meal while packing in the vitamins and minerals. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, beans, peas, and corn can be very filling, but you will want to watch the portion size of these heartier veggies.

Celebrating Halloween? Make sure you eat a well-balanced meal before you head out for Trick or Treating or go to a Trunk or Treat! This can reduce the amount of candy you or your child might eat throughout the night. When you have the candy at home (before or after Halloween) it may be best to have the candy covered and out of the line of sight. This may reduce how often you think about it, and might prevent multiple trips to sneak a piece or two. While you are eating that candy, though, make sure you are enjoying it and just focusing on the candy. It’s too easy to go through a bag of your favorites while watching Halloween movies and not even realize it.

If you are looking for a quick, easy, and hearty meal, try this Vegetarian Chili Recipe below! You can add ground venison, turkey, or hamburger meat if desired. 

Grubb's is offering LIFT Wellness Center Members TRIPLE Loyalty points! All you have to do is go by Grubb's, show your scan tag or app scan bar code to be added into their system to get triple loyalty points!