Third time the charm for Instructor of Year Seabright
Three times Cheryl Seabright, owner and instructor at Cheryl’s L.I.F.E. Fitness LLC, has been nominated and reached the top 10 finalists for the Tivity Health SilverSneakers Instructor of the Year, a national award that seeks out the finest fitness instructors around the nation.
On June 30 Seabright was joined by a group of clients who lifted her to the highest heights and helped her earn the honor of SilverSneakers Instructor of the Year.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored to receive this award,” Seabright said. “It’s been pretty surreal until today, when I walked in here and realized all of this was to celebrate this honor.”
This marks the third time Seabright has crept into the top 10 but the first time she found herself at the top of the list.
While the award is meaningful for the instructor who never lost her zeal for life, her energy and her love of the people she instructs during her recent bout with cancer, what is the most important thing for her is she can share the moment with the many people who have invested their time and trust in her instruction to create a healthier lifestyle.
“They are the reason I’m here,” Seabright said. “They’re my support and friends, and they are allowing me to live my dream. This is my family, and while this is a huge honor, these people are the reason I do this.”
Debbie Jacobson, Tivity SilverSneakers public relations manager who was on hand to present the award, said the Instructor of the Year is meaningful because all of the nominations and promotions for each instructor come from the hearts of those seniors the instructors work with on a daily basis.
“Cheryl has been a finalist in the past, and we are so happy to be able to call her the winner this year,” Jacobson said.
She said Tivity’s selection committee looks for instructors who pour themselves into actively engaging in their members, help them step outside their comfort zone and make a personal connection with the clients.
With the submission presented by the group, she said it was evident Seabright was exactly what Tivity looks for in a SilverSneakers award winner.
“It’s obvious that she so genuinely loves what she does, and more importantly, she loves and cares for the people who come here for instruction,” Jacobson said.
Tivity works for an agency that promotes the filming of each award winner. Tivity sent in a videographer who filmed Seabright at work with her clients and sat down with Seabright and several members who shared their thoughts on what makes Seabright such a special instructor.
During the celebration the entire crowd was excited to watch the premier of the video that celebrated the honor.
“Cheryl is an amazing instructor, but she’s an even better person with a huge heart, and she is a champion for everyone who knows her and appreciates her,” Jacobson said after the video.
Seabright is an inspiration to all who meet her. She is currently going through her second battle with cancer in five years but continues to show up for her SilverSneakers classes with a smile and winning attitude. As one participant said in the video, “(Cheryl is) an instructor of courage — a motivator — always being positive no matter how she felt. Most of all she has been an inspiration to all of us, never giving up.”
Seabright said that feeling goes both ways, noting the people who come to her classes inspire and rejuvenate her spirit when she feels down.
“My family lives an hour away, so these people are my family here in Holmes County and were as inspiring to me as I hope I was to them,” Seabright said. “They never failed to lift my spirits, and this community is different than anywhere else in Ohio when it comes to support, family and community.”
Seabright said the award was fulfilling because it provides validation for everything she’s worked toward.
“I’ve had many jobs over the years, and I’ve always wanted to be in this world, and the people around me make what I do so uplifting,” Seabright said. “I walk in the door and it’s go time because these people inspire me every day to be my best.”
SilverSneakers by Tivity Health is the nation’s leading community fitness program for older Americans. The program was founded in 1992 and is available to more than 16 million Medicare beneficiaries through many Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare supplement carriers and group retiree plans. For information and eligibility requirements, check www.SilverSneakers.com.