The Liberty County Armed Services YMCA showed that it is more than just a gym and swim when it held an aerobathon earlier this month.
During the Oct. 11 event, 30 attendees participated in eight sessions with a new instructor every 30 minutes. Eleven people also competed at light, medium and heavy levels in the bench-press contest.
The aerobathon was established to make the local community aware of the plethora of free fitness classes the gym has to offer, according to Doni Brezenski, event coordinator and aerobics lead at the YMCA.
Brezenski said the YMCA has eight aerobics instructors on staff and offers 19 group-exercise classes ranging from popular ones like insanity, step and Zumba to classes that target specific areas of the body, such as Rock Hard Abs and Glute Camp.
Karen Branson, a YMCA aerobics instructor from Hinesville, said every exercise was represented at the aerobathon. She also said that the money collected from the event will stay in house to support other YMCA programs, including ones that support at-risk youth.
Donna Waite, the branch director of the Liberty County Armed Services YMCA, said the aerobathon provided a chance for the fitness conscious to push themselves physically — almost like a marathon.
Waite added that the event also provided an opportunity for members to learn more about the fitness classes that occur at times other than when they usually work out.  
Elva Mihan, a YMCA member from Ludowici, just happened to be dropping off her kids for weight lifting during the aerobathon.
“(I was) thrilled to learn that they offered classes at night and a step class at that,” she said, adding that she was unaware of evening classes because of her busy work schedule.
Meanwhile, YMCA member Eric Patel of Midway said he started out only wanting to stay at the aerobathon for an hour but ended up staying for the duration.
Ryan Golden, a nonmember from Midway, was one of top contenders in the bench-press contest.
“It was awesome,” he said of the competition. “I can’t wait for the next one.”

Educating people of all ages
Brezenski said she was happy that the YMCA got the chance to reach the community and make people more aware of the fitness classes the gym offers.
She mentioned that events like the aerobathon are important because of the poor health statistics of people living in this part of the country.
“If we can get people involved in fitness through fun events such as the aerobathon, then we can help prevent the onset of certain diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension,” Brezenski said.
Tony Velez, who works at the front desk of the YMCA, said activities like the aerobathon also give kids the opportunity to develop a discipline for exercise at an early age.
Nine-year-old Haiden Balderama, for example, enjoyed participating in the Zumba session with her grandmother Maria Gregory, a member from Hinesville.  
Kacey Gerhart, an instructor of a Zumba class at the gym, said the YMCA has tons of variety compared to other gyms in the Hinesville area and that the aerobathon was a great opportunity to show the community — members and nonmembers alike — that the YMCA is about community and family.
“This is why we sponsor programs like parents’ night out, give free food to kids and sponsor free sports activities for kids,” she added.
Joe Clark, a fitness coordinator at the gym, said that because the YMCA is so community based, it gives people a sense of belonging, which tends to make people more fitness oriented.  

Partnering with the military
Branson, a military spouse, said the event reflected the partnership between the military and the community in the Hinesville area.
The Liberty County Armed Services YMCA has a long history with the military. According to Branson, this includes sponsoring the Wounded Warriors program, providing an alternate physical-training site and responding to special requests from military units.
Erica Wymer, also a military spouse, is a nonmember from Hinesville who was invited by an employee. She said the YMCA’s programming is good for nonworking military spouses who like to stay busy.   
“If a person wasn’t working, they could literally be in the gym all day,” Wymer said.
Waite added that unlike other gyms in the Hinesville area, the YMCA gives families the opportunity to do everything in one place.  
“We have the pool. We have soccer and gymnastics. We have day care,” she said.
Supporting the
community
The aerobathon also featured vendors from the local community, including Deborah Scaife from Farmer’s Natural Foods; Britt D’Angelo, a recycling advocate who brought products made from recycled materials; and Stacey Koerner, a teacher at Lewis Frasier Middle School who sold Mary Kay products at the event.
The aerobathon was a “fabulous time of fellowship and fun,” Koerner said.
Brezenski echoed that sentiment, referring to Scripture about praising God in the dance.
“Many people aren’t fortunate enough to be able to move, and fitness gives us the ability to move,” she said. “So, why not be into fitness and glorify God?”
Waite said the YMCA is planning to make the aerobathon a quarterly event starting in 2015.