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An employee with Sport & Fitness out of Colorado assembles the new Universal Trainer that is now available for use for members of The Body Shop.

Members of the community got together and opened The Body Shop here in Hemingford on April 1, 2014. Since then it has thrived as both a fitness and a community center.

“Just over 10 years ago it was not a functioning building,” said Jessica Davies, co-owner/board member. “Now it’s a big part of main-street; I love seeing our main-street come back to life.”

“When we first started we were actually only open in that back room so we had just a handful of pieces of equipment,” said Davies. “When we bought the full building we transitioned it into a full community center.”

The Body Shop is a not-for-profit fitness center that is 100% volunteer ran. It is also an affiliate fund of the Hemingford Community Foundation. Every cent brought into the business through rentals and memberships is put right back into the building. With funds saved up from last year the owners were able to purchase a new Universal Trainer and a new elliptical was brought in last year.

While the crew from Sports & Fitness were there they checked all of the equipment to make sure it was safe and operating correctly for members of The Body Shop.

The Universal Trainer plus the padded squat bar was purchased for around $6,500. Like its name, The Universal Trainer is truly an all-in-one training system. This space saving piece of equipment is a combination of free weights, resistance training through cable resistance, body weight movements and heavy leg presses.

“The addition of the new cable machine has been great,” said Body Shop Member Kyle Walker. “It has added a lot of options to supplement a workout.”

Walker has been a member of The Body Shop for over three years.

“The Body Shop has grown a lot since I first started going there,” he said. “They have replaced older equipment with new machines, weights, cardio equipment, classes, you name it. The quality and variety of equipment available for use is really impressive.”

Maintenance was done on the stair climbing machine to keep it running smooth.

He tries to go at least four times a week but during certain times of the year he will be there six days of the week.

“Different training requires different on/off days,” said Walker. “It's no secret that I enjoy the outdoors so there are a lot of benefits to improving my conditioning. The Body Shop has definitely helped me prepare.”

While many businesses were forced to close their doors temporarily due to Covid, The Body Shop was able to stay open and all members followed safety precautions.

“We never had any concerns,” said Davies. “I had hoped that the 24 hour access could remain open as I know it is a lot of people’s outlet; especially during these mentally stressful times.”

“It is just so rewarding to see how far it has come and to see people take ownership in it,” she added. “It’s great that people can come and have a really quality workout with safe equipment.”

“It really has been a labor of love but I’m very passionate about it,” Davies said. “When I was growing up we moved a lot and I was always a member of the various gyms. It is my social outlet. We have a great group of members that really support it; they take a lot of ownership in it. We are all in it together to keep and maintain our wonderful facility.”

The Body Shop is lucky to have a great group of instructors that lead a variety of classes.

Kim Haas leads Qigong/Tai Chi at 9 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There’s a 5:45 a.m. class every weekday and 7 a.m. on Saturday that is always an energetic way to start your day. Also on Monday, Wednesday and Friday there’s an 8 a.m. Hydraulic Circuits class that will get the juices flowing. On Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. Holly Wade instructs a Yoga class. Other instructors include Riki Hunter, Tabi Prochazka, Melinda Cullan, Bridgette Thompson, and Jessica Davies. Follow The Body Shop: Hemingford’s Fitness Center on Facebook for a complete up-to-date schedule.

“If you are at all interested in a class I really encourage you to attend, even if it’s just once,” said Davies. “We offer such unique classes for all ages and skill levels.”

Instructor/gym member, Bridgette Thompson has been a member of The Body Shop for five years. She now offers her services as a personal trainer to members for an additional fee.

“The Body Shop has been a part of my daily healing for the past five years,” said Thompson. “Energy release is crucial in a person's life, and having places like The Body Shop to release that build up in a positive and beneficial way is a great addition to our community. The Body Shop has also sponsored me in my career as a personal trainer and sports nutrition specialist as well as a youth fitness instructor. I’m honored to say that our community has been rewarded by having 24/7 accessibility of such a wonderful facility.”

The mission of The Body Shop is:

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An employee with Sport & Fitness out of Colorado assembles the new Universal Trainer that is now available for use for members of The Body Shop.

While the crew from Sports & Fitness were there they checked all of the equipment to make sure it was safe and operating correctly for members of The Body Shop.

Maintenance was done on the stair climbing machine to keep it running smooth.

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