The sun is still sleeping as Sirmunia Hawkins starts her work day. This Longview resident and mother of one has one desire that she strives to achieve each day when she puts her feet on the ground: help others feel better about themselves. Because her desire is so strong, she spends her waking hours bettering the lives of others by keeping gals physically fit and helping them feel gorgeous while doing so. It's the ultimate combo: a nail technician and personal trainer rolled into one Superwoman.
Influence
Sirmunia has been doing beautiful nails for the ladies of Longview for 13 years. She's even been voted Best of East Texas for her talents. But it wasn't until after her divorce that she wanted to do something more not only to enhance other people, but also herself.
"After my divorce, I was a single mother and a size 16; I really wanted to get healthy and feel better about myself," she said. "Clients kept coming in and telling me 'you're so pretty, but you need to drop some pounds.' Honestly, I was tired of shopping for full-figured clothes, as well."
She took matters into her own hands, and began working out. Before she knew it, she was a size 8 and feeling great! Her clients noticed Sirmunia's weight loss, and she was showered with positive feedback.
"I felt like I was having a big influence on people as a nail technician because they would look at me and notice me looking better and feeling better," Sirmunia said. "Then I thought, if I could influence them to start getting healthy just by doing their nails, imagine how I could help them by being a personal trainer."
Two in one
After getting her certification as a personal trainer and biomechanic specialist (that's weight training), Sirmunia was ready to mold the women of Longview into hardbodies. After watching NBC's "Biggest Loser," she decided her path to bettering lives would be through a rigorous boot camp-style workout.
"Boot camp workouts are for people who already have a small amount of exercise backgroud," she said. "It's very intense. You work your entire body by going from one exercise to another with no rest. In boot camp, your challenge is to take your body to its limit. You work, you sweat and, best of all, you burn calories like crazy. The hardest thing is either the running or the squat jumping - clients hate the squat jumps."
But no matter the intensity, Sirmunia and her clients see positive results.
"They have whined about my techniques, cursed me, pointed fingers at me and yelled at me because of my hardcore training, but in the end, once they look down at that scale, they love me again," she said. "I love knowing that, even though it's hard for them, I can help them push through to their ultimate goal."
At the end of the day, Sirmunia reflects on the fact that the two professions she has chosen — nail technician and personal training — are truly one in the same, even though they are polar opposites.
"My theory is, life's all about being fit and looking good. It's about being girly and sporty at the same time," she said. "My path in life has led me to professions that really balance me out and feed off of helping people feel better about themselves. I feel like I'm changing lives. One client told me once that she needs me in her life like she needs her hairdresser! Some people just aren't motivated to work out by themselves, and that's where I come in."
She is motivated by many things in life, but what keeps her going strongest is her faith and her 10-year-old son, Ashton.
"My son notices when I've lost weight, and that's a good feeling," Sirmunia said. "But my true motivator and inspiration is God and my Christian walk with Him. Putting God first gets me through all obstacles in life."
