During their lunch break Tuesday, Cindy McNeill and Hannah Warme hit the gym for a workout.

At 61, McNeill has been working out regularly at the Carol White Studio in Rapid City for the past eight years. Warme, just 17, has been hitting the gym for the past two weeks.

Both women have the same goal in mind health and fitness.

"I just want to get healthy," Warme said. "I'm getting a lot stronger already."

Warme, who has lost and gained weight before, said she hopes to lose weight with her new workout routine, but her overall goal is something much bigger. She is changing the way she eats and the way she thinks in hopes of avoiding weight-related health issues such as diabetes.

"It's a lifetime change," Warme said. "I want to do this for me."

McNeill started gaining weight in 2003 after she stopped smoking. She started working out with White and lost 30 pounds. Today, she works out three days a week.

McNeill said she worries about the growing issue of obesity in the country. "I think it's horrible," she said. "Education is going to be the key."

Fitness trainer Tanya Wolf said her clients are often overwhelmed by all of the weight-loss gimmicks and plans out there. She helps them understand that they need to get "back to the basics," which are exercise and healthy eating.

Wolf, who works at White's studio, tries to get her clients to take a holistic approach to their health. They look at how they eat and how much they move. Then, they make a plan from there.

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Women focus on health, fitness