“I just decided this isn’t the lifestyle I wanted to live anymore. One night I decided I was done!”

On the day Jennifer Bastian uttered these words, her fitness journey began. Motivated by her brother to start losing weight, Jennifer began working out the only way she knew how, all out.

Jennifer’s goal was simple; to lose the weight but avoid getting burnt out like all the other times in the past when she had decided to start losing weight but couldn’t maintain a workout routine. Her pace was slow and steady at first, taking it one day at a time. Her only concern was where to start.

“I was quite honestly embarrassed to go to the group fitness classes because I didn’t think I could keep up, so I started out on the elliptical machines,” recalls the 30 year old.

Two months into her workout regime was when her first fitness success occurred at a wedding when she saw her family.

Jennifer remembers the shock of her family, “My family said wow, what have you been doing?”

At the two month mark Jennifer had already lost 50 pounds and her family’s excitement motivated her even more to keep moving forward. Her next step was to add more endurance training which led her into a group fitness kickboxing class at the YMCA taught by Sam Howie. She was hooked. The group fitness classes were great for Jennifer; she loved how the classes combined fitness, social experience, and an instructor to help keep her motivated all in a 60 minute timeframe.

The more Jennifer did the classes the more she loved them. Jennifer decided she wanted to become an instructor in order to share her experience with others but the toughest decision was which class she wanted to teach as the YMCA had so many classes she enjoyed. Her decision was Bodycombat.

“I chose combat because I liked the intensity and the raw toughness. I am nice at work all day, but love to release all my energy during combat,” Jennifer said with a half smile.

The journey started off with a simple decision to change her lifestyle and now Jennifer has lost over 150 pounds to date, though the work is far from over. The next step for Jennifer, as a YMCA group fitness instructor, is to help inspire others to achieve their fitness goals.

“To be a group fitness instructor is hard to put into words,” she says with a deep breath. “The YMCA is an amazing place and the people here are so encouraging. I want to tell people that if I can do it so can you! You can achieve anything through diet and exercise. I just want to add that dynamic of pushing people and listening to them.”

Jennifer has come a long way, from over 300 pounds and terrified of a group fitness class to now leading a class of her own. Jennifer continues to inspire others on Saturdays at 8:30 every week when she teaches Bodycombat.