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She needs to lose 83 pounds before she can meet the weight requirement to join the Air Force.
The task may seem daunting, but she's getting help from a Beaufort area gym that offered to take her on as a client for no charge. If all goes according to plan, she hopes to apply to the Air Force by the time she turns 18 in November.
HEALTHY MOTIVATION
Julie moved to Beaufort from West Virginia last month. She lives with the eldest of her two brothers and is taking Beaufort County Adult Education classes to finish her high school degree.
Both of her brothers are involved in the military -- the eldest in the Navy and the other in the National Guard -- and she wanted to follow in their footsteps. However, to enter the Air Force, she needs to weigh less than 175 pounds.
Her brother had heard about the weight-loss programs at EarthFIT gym, which two former New York City trainers opened last year in the Habersham community. She spoke to trainer and owner Ian Hart, a graduate of the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.
Hart decided to take her as a client at no cost; he was moved by her passion to join the armed forces. He connected with her determination, motivation and positive mind-set.
"She's like the ideal client," he said.
TRAINING ROUTINE
Hart and fellow EarthFIT trainer Bojan Mladenovic developed a six-day-a-week training program. The lessons are a mix of one-on-one work and group cardio training with the goal of losing weight and building lean muscle. One day last week, Jones met with Hart in the gym for an intense hour-long session that along with other exercises had her working her arms on a rowing machine and her lower body with squats. The next day she spent about 30 minutes on the elliptical machine for a light cardio workout.
Ideally, she'd like to be at 175 pounds by August, an ambitious goal, but one she's ready to face.
"It gets intense at times," she said. "But it's nothing you can't handle with the right mind-set."
RIGHT DIET
The other part of her program is revamping her eating habits. She eats breakfast, lunch and dinner, but now in smaller portions with snacks in between and water throughout the day. She totals about 1,400 calories a day.
"It's not about what sounds good, but what is good," she said.
Instead of Taco Bell, it's a turkey sandwich for lunch. Instead of sugary cereal, it's oatmeal with honey or fruit for breakfast. Two days a week she eats nothing but fruits and vegetables, a low-calorie way to get all her necessary vitamins, nutrients and minerals and cleanse the body.
The lifestyle change can seem challenging at times, but she's been easing her way into the regimen over the past month. It's already paying dividends. She's lost 15 pounds in about a month.
Hart is optimistic about Julie reaching her goal because she's already shown that she has the determination to make it happen.
"Training is for the mind more than the body sometimes," he said.
