Health and wellness are so important at every phase and stage of life. However, it’s easier said than done. Life throws so many curveballs at us and, oftentimes, it’s easy to put our wellness routines on the back burner. As a member at Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) for the last eight and a half years, and now a coach for the past five, I can confidently say that, through so many phases and stages of my life, their workouts and coaching staff have been exactly what I needed to continue to prioritize my health and wellness.
I joined OTF as a founding member when they opened their doors in November of 2017. Just one month later, I found out I was pregnant with my third child. I had stayed active during my first two pregnancies, but I did not really keep up with running during them and, as a runner, I always found it hard to get back into that routine postpartum.
One of the things that originally drew me to OTF was the opportunity to push myself in different ways on the treadmill, and I was determined to continue to run during my pregnancy (with my doctor’s blessing, of course). She told me that, if I could get pregnant doing it, I could stay pregnant doing it, and I felt confident in that. My coaches knew my goals and they continued to encourage me and gently challenge me to continue working toward my goal of running throughout my pregnancy. Of course, there were days my body wasn’t feeling it, and my coaches were there to support me and modify the workout to meet my needs. With the exception of a month on the bike (due to severe sciatic pain), I was able to run up until the day before my daughter was born.
Postpartum, I was ready to get back at it. However, as so many people know, with three kids at home it’s tough to find the energy, motivation, and (quite simply) just the time to go to the gym. In addition to the coaches, the other members were a huge help. Orangetheory is truly a family environment. Everyone knows each other; we know about each other’s lives, hobbies, and interests. And that layer of love made me extra motivated to get back to the gym. It was time for me to work toward my goals, and it was also time with friends. As a mom, I sometimes just need that social outlet without kids around. My coaches became my friends too. They truly got to know me, how to motivate me, and what to say to help me find that extra gear. With the help from everyone mentioned above, nine months after my daughter was born, I was able to achieve a lifelong goal of running a mile in under six minutes. I had worked toward that goal for what felt like forever and the workouts at OTF are what pushed me over the edge.
I’ll never in my life forget the feeling on that day (May 7th to be exact) which was etched in my mind forever. Five months after that, in October of 2019, I ran my fastest half marathon ever. My routine consisted of three-to-four OTF classes during the week and one long run on Sundays. The combo of endurance, strength, and power-focused work on the treadmills was my recipe for success in hitting a half marathon goal I had worked toward for years prior to having my daughter but could never quite hit before.
Through the COVID shutdown, when so many of us lost the gym, OTF was our safe haven and outlet for stress relief and human connection. The coaches and management at the gym made it a point to keep us connected. They led us through at-home workouts on Zoom, which sometimes turned into gab sessions for a half hour after the workout was over. We never felt alone even if we were in so many ways during that time. We connected on our members-only Facebook group and talked about the different things we were doing to stay active. I remember, that April, I set a goal to run 75 miles over the course of the month with some of the other members who were also runners. We would check in with each other every few days to see our progress.
