Jordie Dingman and Shelby Powell have knack for physical fitness

Jordie Dingman and Shelby Powell are two of the many women who train at the Mt. Pleasant Rec Center.

Both have been integral to the success of the gym.

Dingman, originally from Mt. Pleasant, is certified in group exercise (NETA) and is also a primal health coach.

In the gym, she is both a trainer and a health coach. She teaches cycling, kickboxing, chair yoga, water aerobics and strength classes.

For Dingman, she always had a knack for being physical and getting exercise when she was younger.

"I was really into sports growing up," she said. "I played four sports, I volunteered at camps, and I helped kids with sports."

She wasn't that involved in activities in college but decided to pursue an exercise science and wellness degree.

After graduating from Iowa Wesleyan, her first stop was at The Rec Center.

"After graduation, I came here right away," she said. "I was teaching aquafit; that was it. Later on, I decided that I really liked the group exercise part of this field and then the personal training. So I got certifications in those. Then I became full-time here."

Although she is a full-time trainer now, it wasn't something she always wanted to do.

"I started at Wesleyan in the education department," Dingman said. "I was going to do P.E. teaching. I ended up going the exercise science route because of my passion for it, but I came here and decided that I wanted to try the teaching thing out. I finished my teaching degree and left for a year to go teach. Then I realized that I wanted to come back."

Dingman has no regrets about coming back to exercise science, and it's been gratifying.

"The best thing, for sure, is hearing people say how much they're improving on their health," she said. "I teach a lot of senior classes, and that's probably my favorite area to teach in because they tend to be the most dedicated, and they're here not just for health, but for social reasons too. I have so many of them come and say, ‘I could barely go up my steps before I started coming, and now I can easily do it.’ They're the most vocal about their improvements. It's awesome to hear those comments."

Powell, originally from New London, is The Rec Center's water safety instructor and aquatics coordinator.

Her love for training began during high school.

"When I was in high school, I got into running," Powell said. "I ran cross-country, and I participated in track. Then in college, I also ran a lot."

Running in high school and college was only the tip of the iceberg for Powell, as she took her passion even farther.

"I eventually took it farther and ran my first marathon," she said. "I got into half marathons and then into full marathons, eventually running the Chicago Marathon, which is pretty cool."

Because of her background and passion for staying fit, she knew she wanted to be in a gym.

"I always knew I wanted to work in a gym or do something along the lines of athletics," she exclaimed.

As far as getting a job at the rec, it's the gym she's attended for most of her life.

"When I moved back home from Joplin, Missouri, this was the local gym that everybody went to," Powell said. "I had a gym membership here in high school, and then moving back home, I would also come here and workout. I started working part-time in the evenings. When a full-time position opened up, I applied, and some of the requirements were to teach swimming lessons. Now I teach swimming lessons."

For her, the best part of the job is the community and helping kids learn to swim.

"When a kid comes in, and they are either fearful of the water or don't know how to swim at all, and then all of there's an ah-ha moment," she said. "To see it click and then their swimming, it's just a good feeling. Especially when the parents come in and seeing their reactions are very rewarding."

Comments: hunter.moeller@southeastiowaunion.com