MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Weights clang on the floor and treadmill motors whirl when Marines, Sailors and their families exercise at the Semper Fit Center here to get and stay in better shape.
“It is really important to get into shape early,” said Leslie Pokorski, personal trainer and aerobics class instructor. “The older you get in life, the harder it is to get into shape. You tend to feel better after you work out.”
“I usually come here about five or six days a week,” said Lyra Jenkins, Marine spouse. “It’s a great way to stay in shape and it feels good to be in shape.”
The Semper Fit Center has orientations for their cardiovascular and strength training equiment on the second and third Friday of each month and usually have personal trainers there every day.
“Don’t be afraid to come in and try something new,” Pokorski said. “Everybody can find something to do.”
When people first get to the island and decide to start working out Pokorski recommends they incorporate both inside and outside activities into their workout.
“It’s not that they’re out of shape,” Pokorski said. “It’s just that the weather is a big factor on how well they run. It’s so humid that people who came from the Northeast will have a hard time, because there is less resistance in the air. It usually takes about a week to start to feel any change, and your endurance will start to build up after that.”
The center also customizes their training programs to specifically target the areas their patrons want to work on.
“We tailor our programs based on the needs of the customer,” Pokorski said. “This is not a generic program, but a program that works on people’s weakness and builds on their strengths.”
Pokorski said the training program also works well with injuries.
“A lot of people think they can start back into their regular routine right after they get cleared of their injuries, but you can’t,” Pokorski said. “You have to start off slowly and build your way up slowly until you are back on track.”
Not only do the trainers leave the workouts up to their customers, they allow them more freedom.
“At the beginning, we are usually with them one or two times a week, but after about a week, we take on more of a mentorship role and they come to us if they want to change their program a little bit,” Pokorski said. “This is a constantly changing program, and can be used as a motivational factor so that people don’t become complacent in their workout.”
The Semper Fit Center is a great place to go to stay in shape. It’s open Monday through Friday from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information on the Semper Fit Center, visit:http://www.mccshawaii.com/fit.htm.