Rhonda Swaney is a believer in people's abilities to get healthy.

After all, she did it herself. Eighteen months ago she weighed in at 270 pounds. "I had tried everything, literally everything to get the weight off," she said at her new facility, The Journey Weight Loss Fitness Center in Ringgold.

Working with trainer Rob Hatch in East Ridge, Tenn., and using diet and exercise, she lost 120 pounds in that timeframe.

She became so caught up in the program she started teaching classes herself and then decided that her hometown of Ringgold needed a fitness center that could truly help people.

A mother of three, Swaney says the new project is like her fourth baby.

Her method includes high intensity interval training, in which participants get their heart rate way up and then work on a specific muscle group. This is repeated until all of the target muscle groups have received a workout.

Her most popular class is a boot camp that includes a 100-pound sled pull, a tug of war, a 300-pound tire with sledge hammer and sessions at the Ringgold pool. The camp is for men and women and the goal is to lose 10 pounds in four weeks.

The cost of the boot camp is $100. For that you can also attend other classes, making it a real bargain.

Other classes include kickboxing, yoga and cardio dance. Classes are $50 per month and you are welcome to attend as many as you want.

"I want to keep prices down so I can help people," said Swaney.

Swaney says, "People want to work out with someone who has been there and done that. Trust me, I'm not some skinny person telling them what to do."

One of the keys to her success, she says, in addition to exercise and diet, is addressing the heart and mind.

"You have to ask the question, why am I an emotional eater?" she said.

At present you won't find any free weights or total gym machines in her facility as she supports the method of using your body as your own weight machine.

Swaney holds a master's degree in speech pathology and worked for he school system for years. As she says, "This is a huge leap of faith for me, but when I dropped the weight it just totally changed my life."

One area that is near and dear to her heart is teaching children good eating habits. As such, in August, she will begin a class for training kids to eat healthy. She said, "We reward with food and teach kids to celebrate with food. This is a necessary program and maybe I can do what our schools have stopped doing."

The facility has only been open since July 1 and Swaney already has over 40 members working out with her. Most of these have come from word of mouth and Facebook, she says.

Twenty-four of these are in boot camp and the others are taking classes.

Swaney's philosophy is that, "You're never too far gone to be healthy or get your health back."

The Journey is located at 105 RBC Drive, across from the Acoustic Cafe. You can call for more information or to sign-up at 423-503-2441. You can also go to their website, journeyfitnesscenter.com.

Class times are 9:30 in the morning and at 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 in the evenings.