Instructor Bios

I grew up in a family who moved often.  I think by the time I married at age 19, I had moved over 20 times!  Born in Huntington Beach California, I have lived in Kentucky, South Carolina, Indiana and Arkansas.  I was very athletic, competing in swimming, track, cheer and gymnastics during school. Between swim meets, I also taught swim lessons to babies through adults for my summer life-guarding job.  I met my husband in 9th grade Civics class. Although we didn’t date until middle of our senior year, we had been friends since church camp at age 14, where we came into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  I am very glad to say we have lived in Texas now for nearly 18 years and having only moved three times!  We have a son, age 16, a junior at Poetry Community Christian School, and one daughter, age 14, a freshman rodeo girl! (Pictured above with me)  Josh loves Basketball and computers, so he fixes most of our electronic items at home.  Brea keeps me busy on weekends with either Rodeos or rabbit shows!  We built our home here in Poetry Texas six years ago and now have a small cattle ranch. I have been very active in the Poetry school, currently serving as the school’s Fitness Coordinator as liaison with the Cooper Institute. Our family attends Lakeshore Church in Rockwall.

I often get asked if I am naturally thin.  The answer is emphatically, no! At 5' 4½", after an injury and my parent’s divorce weighed in at over 169 pounds and wore my mother’s clothes!  Although, my father taught us correct foods to eat, I had five brothers to compete with over that food.  So I often ate too much.  After studying nutrition in college, controlling my portion size and getting regular exercise, I was able to shed the extra pounds.  I interned at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.  After practicing Dietetics in hospitals for years, I realized that I was teaching clients far too late!  During that time I dabbled in teaching aerobic classes.  For the previous seven years I have been teaching Health and Wellness in our local high school. I obtained my counseling certificate about four years ago. I feel privileged to teach whole aspects of Health, including Mental and Social as well as Spiritual Health. Two years ago, I received my Certification for Personal Training from the Cooper Institute.  I love teaching PCCS elementary students in in Fit 4 Life classroom exercise’s well as our adult classes and Junior High and High School kids in fitness and weight training classes!

Cheryl and I teamed up each week about three years ago to pray for our school’s needs.  From that grew our deep desire to impact our community.  We realized that so many suffer from consequences of poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles.

We began doing early morning boot camps. After our first three boot camps, we decided to offer reasonably-priced exercise classes so more people could participate on an ongoing basis. We hope to encourage you on a regular basis in your quest to become the best YOU, you can be!

For we are fearfully and wonderfully made….

Although now a long-time Texan, I  was born in Cumberland, Maryland and grew up in the cozy and quaint little town of Springfield, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern West Virginia, where my parents and grandparents were merchants, owning the only grocery store in town.  I am happily married with two daughters, ages 18 and 22, both of whom she home schooled, one through high school, the other until high school.  For the past thirty years, I have led ladies' Bible studies, studied and practiced good health and nutrition, and have led exercise classes for all ages.

At the age of 58, I became a certified personal trainer, an older adult fitness specialist, and an ardent student of God's Word.  It is my privilege to lead adults of all ages through our Poetry Fitness Classes and Whole Health Conferences and Retreats, to be better stewards of this one body God has given us. Looking forward to seeing you in the gym or at your next church retreat.

Joyfully, because of His grace and in His love,
Cheryl, C.C.B. Whole Health

I grew up in the rural Ozarks of southwest Missouri and attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri.  It was there that I took my first yoga class as a P.E. credit.  I had worked with a personal weight lifting trainer for several years, so this was very different for me.  I was amazed that yoga targeted so many muscle groups...nearly all of them...to make you stronger and more flexible at the same time and leaving you energized and relaxed at class closure.  As a Christian, it was easy for me to ignore the teacher's "eastern philosophies" and focus on the benefits of the exercises.  Thereafter, I was able to find a class everywhere I lived and learned more techniques.  After law school at University of Texas in Austin, I moved to Dallas where I married my fiance' at the time, Sandy Horan, in May 1991.  I continued taking classes in Dallas and at Eastfield College where I began to sub for the yoga teacher there.  That's when I discovered that I loved to teach yoga, too.  We moved to Poetry, and I later got my Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology at University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, School for Biomedical Sciences, and found that yoga fit well with that program, too.  At that time, I implemented a statistically effective stress management employee program for a national railroad and had that study published.  Then, I began compiling a book entitled, "Before Babies & Beyond:  Fitness Yoga™ for Women of All Stages" which demonstrates that this type of exercise works well for the teenager, young woman, pregnant woman, middle-aged woman and senior citizen.  I have taught at a Rowlett studio and Ridge Pointe Athletic Club since 1999 and am pleased to be a guest instructor for Poetry Fitness.  My Fitness Yoga™ program includes iron yoga techniques, a focus on upper body & core strengths, aerobic benefits thru series repetitions, and session closure with brief guided relaxation while accommodating those interested in a beginning or "continuing" yoga class with a Christian basis.  After all, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit!  I find that yoga exercises and good nutrition to be fantastic ways to take care of the bodies God gave us.  Join me every Wednesday (and most Mondays--see the website schedule) to try this invigorating program.