Abby Turner is a personal trainer who often trains with her clients at Planet Fitness. Photo provided by Abby Turner.
By Abby Oliver
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — For Abby Turner, faith and fitness are intertwined – and serve as a way of life. Whether she’s training clients or sharing spiritual guidance, Turner values the combination of physical and spiritual growth.
Turner’s love for fitness began while growing up in Akron, where she attended Tippecanoe Valley High School and played volleyball, basketball and softball.
She later attended Grace College to study elementary education and played basketball and volleyball. Volleyball remains one of her favorite sports.
After meeting her husband, Aaron Turner, the couple moved to Indianapolis for the last year of his graduate studies. They eventually returned to Warsaw, where he became a physical therapist and Turner began teaching fourth grade, guided by a faith-driven calling to serve her community.
Four years into teaching, Turner had her first child and decided to become a stay-at-home mom. That decision led to the start of her fitness career.
After her third child was born, Turner began taking classes at Giverny Fitness Studio in downtown Warsaw as a way to reconnect with the community.
What started as a way to improve her own fitness turned into an opportunity to help others when she transitioned from student to instructor in 2017. Turner began nutrition coaching and later became a certified personal trainer after completing an online certification.
“A lot of times, people will be intimidated by going to a gym and using weight equipment,” Turner said. “I love when I can go in with them and say, ‘Here’s where we start.’”
Turner now trains clients at Planet Fitness, out of her home, at their homes and online.
“I want the best for other people,” Turner said. “Whatever their goals are, I want to see them achieve them.”
She said she wants to “push them so they can achieve their own personal goals.”
Recently, Turner has been training Luanne Lozier, a 64-year-old Warsaw resident, for the national Ms. Health and Fitness competition hosted by HER Magazine. The competition celebrates women of all ages and shares their strength journeys while supporting the Andrew McDonough Be Positive Foundation for pediatric cancer. Lozier, with Turner’s help, has advanced to the quarterfinals and has a chance to win a $20,000 prize.
What stands out most to Turner isn’t the cash prize, but what Lozier plans to do with it.
“I just really love that her heart was to give that back to missionaries from Warsaw who have gone into the mission field,” Turner said. “I love that she’s doing it not just for herself but also to benefit others.”
Throughout her life, Turner said mentors – especially her parents – have helped shape her, but the most important influence has been her faith.
“Having a Christian faith has been really influential in my life because there are people along the way that I have met who have challenged me in that area to keep growing,” Turner said.
That faith also influenced her decision to attend Grace College.
“I kind of wanted to go away and experience something different, and I just remember feeling like the Lord was telling me, ‘This is where you need to be,’” she said.
As she continues training others, Turner hopes to keep helping people grow stronger physically while encouraging them spiritually.