Last March, Veronica Sexton walked into Galt’s Jazzercise class hoping to lose just enough weight in time to fit into a bridesmaid dress in June.

 

And when she accomplished that goal, her changing body motivated her to continue through the summer, resulting in a whopping weight loss of 52 pounds — and making the mother of three Galt Jazzercise’s 2008 Biggest Loser.

 

“I am so impressed and proud of Veronica’s accomplishment,” said Kristine Roberson, certified Jazzercise Instructor and Galt Jazzercise class owner. “So many people would have stopped at that bridesmaid dress, but Veronica kept going.”

 

Veronica said the dress wasn’t the only thing that got her moving. Years of watching her family participate in outdoor activities while she watched on the sidelines was also a motivating factor.

 

“I wasn’t comfortable doing activities with my family because of my weight,” she said. “My youngest son, in all his innocence, asked me what I looked like when I was thinner. And with my friend’s wedding coming up, I knew I had wasted enough time.”

 

Veronica chose Jazzercise as her exercise of choice because she had done it in the past and enjoyed it.

 

“The first couple of weeks was hard, because I thought I couldn’t keep up,” she said. “But the routines and music make it so much fun, and it started getting easier.”

 

Kristine remembers those first couple of weeks, too.

 

“I could tell she was discouraged,” Kristine, who has taught Jazzercise in Galt for four years, said. “Often times, when I see a new student with the level of discouragement that Veronica initially had, I know there’s a high probability the student will not continue exercising. I am so proud of Veronica for fighting through that initial discouragement and reaching an amazing weight-loss goal.”

 

Kristine explained a person’s discouragement with regard to exercise is simply a matter of physics — an object at rest inherently wants to remain at rest, while an object in motion inherently wants to continue moving.

 

“We are no different,” she said. “If we have trained our bodies not to exercise, we will be successful at creating a body that inherently does not want to exercise. Period. On the other hand, if we have trained our bodies to keep active, we will also be successful at keeping that body moving — and healthier.”

 

At 52 pounds lighter, Veronica said her activity level has increased, and she can now enjoy activities with her children for the first time in years.

 

“We all recently participated in water sports, and I could tell my sons were proud of me,” Veronica said. “They were all so happy that I was participating with them and not just watching them.”

 

In addition to an average of three Jazzercise classes a week, Veronica also walked.

 

“If I missed a class, I would force myself to walk. At first I could only go about two miles,” she said. “But soon I got up to six miles.”

 

These days, Veronica is attending a nursing program in Sonoma, taking her away from her family and Jazzercise classes. But, having reached the 50+ pound-loss mark, Veronica is determined to continue.

 

“Food has always been a difficulty,” she said. “I think it’s one of those things that will be a life-long struggle.”

 

Kristine in confident Veronica will stay on the right track — and can’t wait to see her in class again.

 

“We formed a great friendship through all that sweatin’,” Kristine said. “She’s a great friend, and a wonderful role model to her boys.”

 

Galt Jazzercise offers eight weekly classes in the mornings, evenings and weekends. Each class is taught by certified instructors who have gone through intense physical and academic training. Classes are structured to include a fusion of kickboxing, salsa, jazz, hip hop, yoga, stretch, pilates — and a heavy dose of strength work.

 

Jazzercise has been helping students like Veronica worldwide lose weight and live healthier lives for the past 39 years. For more information about Jazzercise in Galt, call Kristine at (209)224-4976 or visit www.fitspirit.net. Jazzercise’s corporate website can be found at www.jazzercise.com.