I have been a member of Versus for 8 years now. Because of my training at Versus, I have had the strength and endurance to accomplish multiple great things in the past few years, including running a full marathon and hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu for my honeymoon. I was working out 3 times a week at Versus, meal prepping, and making pretty healthy lifestyle choices.
And then... I birthed an offspring. Pregnancy, surprisingly, didn’t affect my healthy choices and activity level all that much. I worked out at Versus until the day I went into labor (modified workouts and cleared by my doctor of course) and felt great the whole time. When I brought home a newborn, my life drastically changed. I had no idea how to make healthy lifestyle choices while getting zero sleep, changing millions of diapers, and rocking a little girl that was only happy when she was being held. All of my meal prepping and workouts went straight out the window and I was in pure survival mode. I wasn’t exercising and I was eating terribly. My energy level plummeted.
It wasn’t until August of 2019 that I realized how out of shape I was. I planned a rock climbing adventure for my husband and I during a trip we took to Banff. It was an amazing experience, climbing up the edge of a mountain with a small cord attached to your waist being the only chance for survival if you fell. However, I was so incredibly out of shape that all I did the entire time was wish for it to be over quickly because I was EXHAUSTED. I couldn’t relax and enjoy the experience because every climb was a struggle for me. It was at that time I realized that I needed to get back to working out because I always wanted to be in shape enough to enjoy spontaneous adventures, and also, be able to keep up with a toddler.
As soon as we got back into the country, I signed up for Clean Kitchen and started back at Versus to slowly whip myself back into shape. I was super nervous for my first day back at the gym in over a year, but Steve was there to modify any exercise to my level. I have worked out at Versus at multiple different athletic levels these past 8 years, and every workout can be completed at your own level without any pressure to do anything you aren’t ready for. The coaches continue to motivate me to improve myself. There have been multiple hurdles this past year that have made the road to a better self difficult, but even the stress of being a frontline worker during a pandemic was eased a little each time I was able to workout at Versus and get the endorphins pumping, either in person or virtually.
Versus has been the only gym that I have been able to go to consistently. Each day I just show up and I’m given a complete workout that has strength training, which I love, and cardio training, which I hate, but know I need. These things, along with the healthy choices I learned to make during Clean Kitchen has turned me into a more capable, healthy, and strong individual and makes it much easier to keep up with the pure chaos of owning a toddler. Life is hectic now, and I’ve definitely been challenged while juggling raising a kid and finding the time to take care of myself. My mom brain really appreciates that the Versus workouts are already created when I get there, and I can just show up and get to work. Now that I’m my more healthy, more energetic self, I can’t wait to plan another rock climbing adventure when the world opens back up. Here’s to reaching new heights, literally.
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