Suffolk News-Herald

If you love to exercise and feel fit, then the place you should be Saturday is at Birdsong Recreation Center, 301 N. Main St. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Regie Thornton, co-host of the WORD Network and MBC’s Gospelrobics Fitness Show, will conduct a Gospelrobics Exercise Session.

Sponsoring the event is an organization called Wisdom in Sisterhood and Empowerment (WISE), which was founded by Evangela L. Watford. She calls herself the co-founder because she says that it was Jesus Christ who gave her the vision and she wants to give back the glory, honor and praise to Him.

According to Watford, Gospelrobics is the act of exercising to gospel music.

&uot;The program is free to men, women and children beginning at age 7 and those attending should bring comfortable clothes for exercising,&uot; said Watford. &uot;The exercise session should last for about 20 to 30 minutes and the remainder of time will be to educate those attending on health, nutrition and exercise and to entertain questions. The length of the program will depend on the number of questions asked.&uot;

Thornton’s love of fitness spans a lifetime and is incorporated in every aspect of his daily routine. As a minister he preaches his love for exercise from the pulpit emphasizing the importance of a health body. As he puts it, &uot;Get pumped for purpose and fit for the call.&uot;

The fitness guru is also a certified aerobics instructor and personal trainer who credits his mother and father and mother with his love of exercise. Both parents were physical education teachers and coaches.

An athlete in his own right, Regie even trained for the 1992 and 2000 Olympics Games.

Watford said that the mission of WISE is to provide helpful resources that will assist women in developing proper priorities, boundaries, and behavior patterns that will help them live more fruitful lives.

&uot;Wisdom leads to the benefits most of us want out of life – money, good health, peace of mind, and a successful career. We all have different needs and desires. Those needs and desires also provide different definitions of a prosperous life. Perhaps you have a need for companionship, a quiet moment to yourself, financial advice, or maybe even health and fitness issues. Regardless of your need, it is a legitimate need, and this organization was designed to satisfy your deepest needs or desires,&uot; she said.

&uot;Wisdom gives a long and good life, riches, honor, pleasure, and peace as it says in Proverbs 3:16-17. It also empowers us. To be WISE is to have insight. This insight will be offered to you through monthly meetings, seminars, and other activities that create Sisterhood and Empowerment,&uot; said Watford.

Some topics in future programs that will be presented with this organization are Healthy Dating and Relationships; Time Management and Getting Organized; Breaking Bad Habit (eating on the run and procrastination); Managing Your Finances (creating a budget and getting out of debt); and Five Languages of Love (being able to recognize our love language and partner’s love language); and more.

A membership fee of $50 a year is required and is open to all women who are at least 18 years of age; meetings are held on the third Saturday of each month; all seminars and empowerment sessions are led by trained professionals – internal and external; and members are encouraged to bring guest to meetings.

To learn more about WISE, contact Watford at 816-2471, or go on line at WISEWOMAN01@hotmail.com