New fitness studio takes you to boot camp
Retired teacher Mary Rohde saw something very special in Heather Hicks, even when she was in seventh grade, She was focused, driven and able to do anything she put her mind to.
More than 20 years later, Hicks has taken that drive and desire and started her own fitness studio that focuses on inspiring people to do their very best, even if she has to push you to do it.
Hicks, who for years has given back to the community through fitness, has started H2 Health & Fitness on 1025 Santa Barbara Blvd. Unit 8, which will hold its grand opening next week and take its clients through a boot camp-style workout that will stretch limits her clients didn’t know they had.
Hicks was born in Panama City and raised in Cape Coral, where Rohde quickly saw her potential.
“You know when some kids have that focus and drive. Even at 12 years old, she was one of them,” Rohde said. “She is so vivacious and caring of her clients. She is optimistic and positive. It’s great that this girl opened up her own place and gives back to the community.”
Hicks started fitness training when she was 16, and after being in the fitness industry for so long, building up boot camp workout programs for other fitness centers decided she could do it herself.
“I have a great following and people who have supported me from day one,” Hicks said. “It was time to do it and they gave me the push to do it.”
In return, Hicks will push them with a boot camp workout that will feature positive motivation from Hicks, and if that means hearing her loud voice for an hour, so be it.
That said, Hicks doesn’t want to scare away potential clients because of what they believe boot camp to be, with a drill sergeant screaming at young Marines.
“Boot camp sounds so scary, but it’s really a mix of cardiovascular workout and weight training,” Hicks said. “You’re going to get an hour-long workout that’s going to kick your butt.”
Hicks will get in your face, but that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about motivating them to be the best they can be.
The five women who take her class in the morning go through the grind, and they believe it’s the best thing they do all day.
“I love the fact I come in for a one-hour full-body workout and then I’m done and on my way,” said Valerie Velez, one of Hicks’ clients, who does the program three to four days a week. “She pushes us the whole time. So as hard as it is, her voice keeps us motivated.”
“She’s such an inspiration. She is not just a great instructor. She has a good soul and a good heart,” said Kat Hutchinson.”
It’s the same attitude she brings to the kids at Oasis Middle School, where she trains kids in its afterschool program. Each quarter whenever they have new students she shows them how to put fun in exercise, Hicks said.
Hicks said she holds two boot camp sessions daily, one in the morning and the other in the late afternoon (which is much busier), and plans to hold boot camp for junior high and high school kids in the future.
In between, Hicks holds personal sessions with individuals. H2 is not a gym where people can walk in and use the weights.
H2 Health & Fitness is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
For more information, call Hicks at 772-3055.