Velma Garnes has been a fitness enthusiast most of her life. In her school days, she ran track, flirted briefly with gymnastics, and settled on cheerleading and track in High School. This enthusiasm for fitness remains today, as evidenced by her certifications as a personal trainer, SPINNING instructor, and Ashtanga (Power) Yoga instructor.

In addition to the aforementioned certifications, Velma has earned three degrees that have contributed greatly to her success as an excellent fitness trainer. A masters degree in Exercise Physiology, from California University of Pennsylvania, a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Ohio Dominican University and an associate’s degree in sport and fitness management from Columbus State Community College, combined with human performance laboratory work and work experiences she gained while in school, have given Velma the opportunity to pursue one of her interests – sharing her love and value of fitness with others. Velma has recently been inducted into the Sports and Fitness Management Hall of Fame award for Columbus State Community College for her contributions to the program where she also serves as an adjunct faculty member and teaches a myriad of classes which include Total Body Fitness, Components of Aerobic Fitness Training and Intro to Yoga, of which she wrote the coursework for.

Through research, training and experience, Velma teaches that the fastest way to reshape a body and/or to maintain fitness is through a combination of a healthy eating lifestyle, cardiovascular training, and strength training or weight bearing exercises such as yoga, and weight training.

"I know that muscle is crucial, especially to women aged 35 years or older since right around this age research shows that we start to lose muscle at the rate of approximately ½ pounds per year and we gain 1 ½ pounds of fat per year,” Garnes states. If you don't begin to do something to combat the loss of muscle, you will be subjected to a body you are less than thrilled with in which you will attribute it to old age, when really it's the loss of muscle.

The reality is that for both sexes, lifting weights boosts metabolism, and not just for a few hours after working out like cardiovascular work, but even while resting,” she goes on to say. “Cardiovascular work is great, but when combined with weights it is even better - it burns more calories, and produces more dramatic results. Working with weights helps to maintain that youthful appearance longer and it can help prevent the skin from sagging as we age. So, the sooner you can get started the better it is for you in the long run. Due to the hormonal differences between men and women, the same weight routines that make men more "buff" serves to make women sleek, youthful, and supple. I am interested in getting women to train with weights or increasing their participation in weight-bearing activities to help improve their appearance, maintain bone health, and improve overall mental health.”