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Fitness Guru Offers In-Home Training

Tribune hoto by SUZANNE SCHMIDT

Personal fitness trainer Julie Brucker, left, of Land O' Lakes helps Beth Carrick to lose weight and build strength just in time for the holidays. Brucker recently quit her job as a health teacher at Pasco High School to pursue her dream of being a full-time personal trainer.

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By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT

In The Loop

Published: November 30, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - With the holidays around the corner, Beth Carrick likely doesn't stand alone in her mission to lose weight.

The Land O' Lakes resident wants to lose enough in pounds and inches so she can look good in a dress for her husband Bill's Christmas party, she said. In order to achieve the goal, she is working with fellow Land O' Lakes resident and personal trainer Julie Brucker.

"I have workout machines but I felt intimidated by them, which is why I need a personal trainer to show me how to use them," Carrick said. "I have been working with Julie a couple times a week doing cardio and toning exercises since July and I have lost 12 pounds and over an inch in a couple of places. I like working with her because we do a variety of different exercises and she helps me stay motivated."

Brucker recently quit her job as a health teacher at Pasco High School to start her own individual and group fitness training business called Wellness & Workout, LLC. Brucker will bring the equipment to either a person's home or workplace.

"It is good to work with a personal trainer, not just for the motivation factor but I also help people by making sure they have the correct form so they don't injure themselves," Brucker said. "Health and wellness is my passion. I like to teach people that being fit is not just about looking good on the outside, it is also about feeling good on the inside."

The key to keeping her clients working out is to keep it interesting, Brucker said.

"I like to switch it up so it doesn't become boring," she said. "I bring a variety of equipment with me including small balls, large balls, hand weights, hula hoops and even resistance bands. I try to help my clients get the best results in the quickest and healthiest way possible."

Brucker starts out new clients by first conducting an interview to find out their specific goals. She then designs a fitness program that caters to the client's fitness level.

"I like to keep it as a fun, motivated workout," Brucker said. "I work a person hard enough so that they get a good workout but I don't yell at them. Even though I am nice, I still challenge them to work as hard as they appropriately can."

Carrick said she has learned a lot from working with Brucker. She said it also has helped her in her event planning business, Flawless Occasions.

Brucker has spent 15 years in the health and wellness field. She first received her bachelor's then her master's from the University of South Florida in Health Education in the 1980s and has since been an aerobics instructor and health teacher.

Brucker also teaches group exercise classes at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Center, 3032 Collier Parkway at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

For information, e-mail julbruc@yahoo.com or call (813) 996-7186.

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