BodyZone Fitness Instructors

Meet the fitness instructors at BodyZone. They are experts in group fitness and conditioning, tai chi, Spinning®, yoga and much more! Be sure to contact them if you have questions about their classes.

Dawn Applegate, certified fitness instructorDawn Applegate - Certified Professional Fitness Instructor

Phone: 317-590-7398
Email: dapplegate70@gmail.com

Dawn teaches group fitness classes at a variety of locations throughout the Indianapolis area. She is a certified wellness coach and has been a group fitness instructor for more than 20 years. She holds instructor certifications in many areas of fitness including: Foundations of group exercise, foundations of strength and conditioning, core muscle training, yoga, yoga shred, yoga trapeze, Pilates, barre TRX, bootcamp, Zumba, deep tissue and acupressure massage.

Christine Bhe, tai chi instructorChristine Bhe, Certified Tai Chi & Qigong Instructor

Email: christine@bhedesign.com
Website: taichiwellbeing.com

Christine began practicing Tai Chi (Taiji) and Qigong midlife with the goal of achieving pain-free functionality for daily life. Not only has Tai Chi and Qigong helped her manage and recover from numerous chronic and acute medical conditions, but it has helped her reach a level of health and fitness she never imagined possible. She is inspired by her students’ health and wellness progress and enjoys sharing the benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong with anyone willing to try something new. Christine is certified to teach Tai Chi by Dr. Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Health Institute and Qigong by Master Wing Cheung of the Tai Chi, Qigong and Feng Shui Institute. Christine is a second-degree black belt Tai Chi student under Shifu Zhichao Ling, PhD, 7th Generation Yang Taiji Master.

Beth Jerrels, yoga instructor at BodyZoneBeth Jerrels - Yoga Instructor

Email: yogawithbeth1@gmail.com

Beth had practiced yoga on and off for twenty years, during which time she was pursuing a career in hair and makeup. When neck and shoulder pain began to hinder the joy of her work, she went back to the mat more regularly, and became acutely aware of the healing effects of yoga in the spine, shoulders and hips.

In 2014, wanting to learn more, Beth enrolled in yoga teacher training. There, she learned the true transformative power of yoga for the body, mind and spirit, and how the breathing is the gateway to all three. This connection is what she likes to bring to the mat to share with others. Her approach in teaching yoga is applying the power of the breath to improve your movement, alignment, and mental ease.

Beth enjoys teaching all ages, and will blend basic poses with movement and breathing, offering options for all skill levels, with time to get into the poses.

Motoko Nakamura, yoga instructor at BodyZoneMotoko Nakamura – Yoga instructor

Email: Motoko@yoga4heart.com
Website: yoga4heart.com

Motoko is from Japan, and she moved to the United States to further her education. She earned a master’s degree in social work. While in graduate school, she found yoga and has been practicing regularly for the past 20 years.

In 2012, it was discovered that she had an aortic aneurysm, and she underwent her first open heart surgery. Her aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical valve. Unfortunately, in 2014, she found out that her mechanical valve was not working properly and had to go through a second open heart surgery to replace it with a human tissue valve. In June of 2015, doctors discovered that an infection had grown on the graft that was placed during the original heart surgery. She spent nearly three months in the hospital and endured many painful procedures before she began to heal.

During her recovery, she resumed her yoga practice. Yoga has not only brought her physical health back, but it has also brought peace into her heart. Motoko’s mission is to help others feel healthy inside and out through yoga.

Darci Sieracki, spin instructor at BodyZoneDarci Sieracki – Spinning Instructor

Email: spinningwithdarci@gmail.com

Prior to earning my Spinning® Instructor Certification through Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. in October 2016 (recertification in 2018), I had been Spinning for 15 years. I began Spinning at the Healthplex during my employment at Community Westview Hospital, then at BodyZone North following my retirement in May 2014.

I LOVE Spinning! Spinning is a great cardiovascular workout focused on strength and endurance rides that can challenge each individual rider.

As an instructor, it is my responsibility to assure that each rider is properly positioned on the bike for optimum safety, comfort and performance - including bike setup, hand positions and training movements. I guide riders beginning with a warm-up, to working up a sweat, to cool-down with recommended resistance and cadence parameters as well as heart rate goals (I strongly recommend a heart rate monitor). Each rider is challenged at their own personal fitness level. We do not compete against one another…we simply challenge ourselves to work at our greatest effort for maximal personal results. You do not have to know how to ride a bike to participate in Spinning classes; however, the fitness level one develops in Spinning will surely benefit those who do cycle outside.

If you haven’t tried Spinning but are interested, please let me know. I am happy to meet members at the gym for a beginner lesson where we will go through the basics of bike setup, hand positions, training movements and heart-rate data. Otherwise, we currently ride Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. for one hour. Don’t forget a bottle of water! 😊