Jackson Free Press

Clad in pink and black athletic attire, water bottle in hand, Ebony Cooper exudes "workout." As the owner of Body by Ebony, a mobile personal training company, Cooper dedicates her time to helping others achieve their fitness, weight loss and nutritional goals. Besides her toned arms and legs, she possesses a great smile and lots of vitality.

"I'm high energy all the time," she says.

The 39-year-old Jackson native sought out a personal trainer in 2001. Cooper admits she knew nothing about nutrition at the time. "I was always shapely but I wanted to look better," she says.

After getting a recommendation, she hired Jackson personal trainer Murrell Kelso and loved the experience. It wasn't long before she took a test and got her certification and began training others.

Cooper started working out in different private facilities around Jackson. However, she realized that most of the facilities expected her clients to pay a membership fee when they never used the facility other than to work out with her. "I just didn't want to put that type of pressure on my clients to pay a gym fee and a training fee," she says.

The idea to take her business mobile sprung from a conversation with her mother. "My mom and I were talking about massages, because my mom (who lives in Los Angeles) met a mobile masseuse," she says.

It hit her like a ton of bricks; she knew instantly going mobile would be her next move. "When my spirit is hit with an idea, I jump on it," she says.

Body by Ebony customizes each training session and nutrition plan. "Everybody is different so with one person (his or her) workout might be mostly cardio, where another person might be mostly strength-training," she says.

Cooper doesn't believe in diets or fasts. Instead, she educates her clients to achieve a healthy lifestyle. She prefers to examine what the client likes to eat and help them find healthier alternatives. She also likes to offer her clients convenience. When clients aren't available or traveling, she sends them workouts and nutrition plans via email.

She realizes that everyone doesn't feel comfortable or confident working out in a gym, so she enjoys being able to come to them in the comfort of their homes. Getting fit takes discipline, Cooper says, but once clients start getting results, they want to keep going and work harder. "All my job is, really, is a motivator," she says.

No time to exercise? You only need 20 minutes.

1. Stretch.
2. Do 20 jumping jacks.
3. Push up; freeze and hold for 15 seconds, then shuffle side to side to keep up your heart rate.
4. Do plank jumps for 20 seconds, and sprint plank jumps for 20 more seconds.
5. Jack knifes: Do 25 on each side.
6. Do modified mountain climbers for one minute; 30 seconds with one leg, and 30 seconds shuffling.
7. Repeat 2-6.
8. Final stretch.

Body by Ebony's one-hour trainings sessions begin at $45. Contact her via email at [email protected] or by phone at 601-262-5185.