Event is first of its kind to be hosted by town, trainer

By L.J. Gambone
Apple Valley Review

In today’s fast-paced, fast food world, staying fit and healthy can be especially challenging for young adults, according to Alicia Dannelley, recreation coordinator for the Town of Apple Valley. With that in mind, Dannelley said the Town decided to offer its first ever health and wellness workshop for teens from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday.

The workshop will feature an informative and entertaining presentation by local personal trainer Dustin Bogle, owner of Afterburn Personal Training in Victorville.

“I’ve put together a really fun presentation using all kinds of hashtags to make my points and also put a fun spin on the information” said Bogle. “For instance, one is #foodporn, which is being used on social media to post photos of foods over 2,000 calories. I also will use #fitfam, which is all about families getting fit together.

“The hashtags are great because they are something the kids can not only relate to but also will remember.”

Bogle said a good portion of his talk will focus on motivation. He will ask participants to determine why it is they want to be fit and healthy outside of just looking good. He also will share motivational stories, which he hopes will leave a lasting impression.

“You really should want to be healthy for more than just surface reasons,” said Bogle, who has been a personal trainer for 10 years. “So I will go deeper on that topic in the class and encourage the teens to think about their long-term wellness goals.

“As an example, right now they may be able to eat junk food and burn it off quickly. But eventually, doing that all the time will catch up with you and there will come a point where it will be very difficult to lose excess weight. It’s better to start good habits when you’re young.”

Although most teens stay fairly active, Bogle said he believes it’s essential for them to start a daily exercise regime. He will discuss this in the workshop and offer suggestions on how to find one’s ideal fitness routine and stick to it.

“I always tell people that it’s really important to enjoy the exercise you are doing,” said Bogle. “Otherwise, you will lose interest pretty quickly.”

Dannelley said she wholeheartedly agrees with Bogle’s philosophies.

“When you don’t know how to eat and what exercises to do, you can get into bad habits quite easily,” said Dannelley. “I ate a lot of sugar when I was young and it was very hard to give it up. But paying attention to what you eat will pay off big in the long run. This is something we really want to impress on the teens in our new workshop.”

The Town’s teen health and fitness workshop is free to teens ages 13 to 17 who live in the High Desert. It will be held at the Town Hall Recreation Center, 14955 Dale Evans Parkway. The deadline to register by phone or in person is 5 p.m. Wednesday. For more information, call 760-240-7880.

Visit www.afterburnpt.com for more on Afterburn Personal Training.