Lamar Davis is offering something to the Iola community this weekend — a chance to “get fit” together. DAVIS BEGAN his training business during a job with Kay Jewelers, of all places. One of his employees asked him to do a boot camp and things took off from there.
Davis is the founder of Get Fit Fitness, based out of Virginia Beach, Va. He is an ex-Navy Seal, former Duke University wrestler and father of two. On Sunday, Davis will offer a fitness boot camp to children and parents in the community.
Amy Karr, a representative with TFI Family Services, brought Davis to Iola after meeting him through her cousin, Alison Hagger. On Friday, Davis spent the evening working with TFI foster parents and their foster children, to help bring them together.
“This is my appreciation to all of the parents, because there are plenty of parents who don’t care,” Davis said. “Being a parent in general is hard.”
He said while the program is a “boot camp,” it is not meant to overwhelm participants — everyone is welcome. He said it will be challenging, but that is entirely the point.
“This can be fun, but educational at the same time,” he said.
Davis’ two children, Jasiah, 4, and Alana, 3, see him exercising on a daily basis and he said it is important for parents to set an example for their children. A large portion of his classes are educational, teaching parents and children how to incorporate exercise into their everyday lives.
“He is a real motivational type of person,” Karr said of his classes. “It’s very uplifting.”
Karr began working with Davis long distance after she lost over 170 pounds in the past year. He has been sending her meal plans and workout regimens, as well as giving her over-the-phone advice. She saw Davis’ expertise as an opportunity for people in the community.
“We have an obesity problem, when people think about working out, they just turn it down,” Karr said. “For someone to offer something like this, I just said ‘wow.’”
Sunday’s program is open to the public and runs from 2-4 p.m. The fee is $10 for adults, $5 for children 13 and over and free for children under 13.
“I thought, why not get more into this,” Davis said of the opportunity.
Now, he coaches high school wrestling in Virginia, but spends most of his time as a personal trainer. He does everything from water aerobics to weight-loss classes and everything in between.
He said his goals are to make exercising more “normal” for people every day. He tries to set a good example for his children, so they will hopefully take on his good habits.
“They see me exercise all the time,” he said.
Pairing exercise with education
