Thanks for checking out the website! My name is Lisa McNear-Ridgdill.
I am 49 years old, married to Ben Ridgdill and we  have lived in the Pooler area for 23 years. It has long been my vision  to open a group fitness studio here in Pooler.

I have always been interested in fitness and started as a group fitness instructor in 1983 at the request of friends that wanted to workout but needed guidance. I totally worked for free! Friends began coming to my house wanting personal training sessions. Back then all we had to workout with at home were big vinyl records of exercise lessons led by Joanie Greggins (if you know what I'm talking about, don't admit it, people will be able to guess your age!).

After 10 years of teaching fitness routines for free I decided to become certified as a group fitness instructor. I loved it and I have never looked back. I began teaching at the West Chatham YMCA when it was on Hwy 80. After 2 years as an instructor I became the WC YMCA's Group Fitness Director (still teaching classes) and I did that until 2001 when the YMCA moved to it's current location. Had I remained director in the new expanded facility I would have no longer had time to teach, but just coordinate the group fitness program. I resigned as  fitness director and remained a "teacher" because teaching group fitness is my first love

I received my B.S. degree in Health Science from Armstrong Atlantic  State University in 1997. Furthering my education in the health/fitness field along with a teaching certification  made me even more determined to  find a way to redesign the old fashioned  standard group fitness programs that featured VERY young, VERY perky (gag...I hate to even say that word outloud) girls who bounced the  class participants around the class for an hour...while yelling,"feel the burn".

It is my desire to offer Group Fitness classes & Personal Training to the community with a focus on getting results--in a fun and SAFE manner.  I have witnessed many reckless classes over the years and I think that people deserve better. I am certainly not the end-all-be-all when it comes to instructors--I'm average. But when you attend classes here at FitnessWitness I want you to LEARN the "how-to's" & the "why-you-should-not's" of exercise. I want you to be able to take knowledge away from class and be able to workout effectively anywhere you go. My goal is to help you be healthy in the body you are in. Healthy comes in all shapes and sizes. I have to admit though, I do have a pair of jeans in size 0--I picked them up at Goodwill and I keep them in the back of my car for cleaning my tires at the carwash.

Group Fitness is my passion! Bringing it to you is my joy!