HARVEY -- Finding a gym can be tough. Finding anyone at the gym to work out with can be even tougher. At first, Shannon Clemo didn't want to find anyone.
"I came in at 10 o'clock at night and I was self-conscious. I didn't want to have anybody see me working out. But I slowly segued into the couple group classes that they have periodically in the evenings, I met a few people who had been doing this morning workout and they kind of dragged me into it," noted Clemo.
Like most concentrated efforts, the morning workout group uses a moniker to encompass their tenacity: the 906 Ninjas. They started out about a year ago as a pack of six or seven normal women striving for success by sharing their struggles with one another.
Shanna Trapani noticed that a number of her one-on-one clients performed exponentially better in a group atmosphere, so she sent them to train with the Ninjas.
"We have 18 year olds and we have grandmas all in the same group. All of their goals are similar and their motivation is similar and it's just been a fantastic thing for them," remarked Trapani.
Lizzie Mathie, the Ninja Master if you will, spear-headed the group by developing routines that combined cardio, strength, and endurance. Runs on the beach, up Mount Marquette, and even through downtown with chains in hand, pushed the ladies beyond their comfort zone into a fitness journey that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Experts say week after week decreases your chances of sticking with it, with a fifty percent drop out rate after one month. The Ninjas won't have that problem. They've grown in size, persuading even the night owls to join the cause.
"I'm not a morning person. I was not interested in being here at 5 a.m., and now I just love it," Clemo added.
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