HG Members are the best

When my “home away from home” closed unexpectedly, it left a void. The studio was literally 2 miles away, offered both spin and hot yoga and I had my posse. As I agonized over what to do next (Would I be able to do spin, yoga, PiYo AND strength classes? Will I have to drive to Timbuktu? Would I find another “Cheers”?), I rolled the dice and took Heather up on her generous offer of a free month. I quickly realized I was not in as good of shape as I thought I was. I was so sore after my first spin class and I could barely make it through 20 minutes of Kim’s strength & power class without feeling like I would puke! Little did I know I would get completely hooked! HG is the total package: a variety of classes, high caliber instructors, amazing camaraderie (I love that people are just as excited about my hair color) and fun challenges. And there is ALWAYS something new to try. Recently, Cathi and Kristin convinced me to do a Muscle Run class. While I am not a runner, I showed up in 14-degree weather, wore my jingle bells, got coached by Kim (“if you can walk it, you can run it”), and was met with gusto as I crawled into First Street. It was a huge accomplishment (for me) and motivates me to say, “Ok, so I did that, what’s next?” 

I shoot for 3 spin classes and 3 strength/yoga classes a week. Time permitting, I’ll double up and do spin then yoga or strength then hot buff yoga. I’ve even done Power Ride then cycle fusion (then I’m a couch potato the rest of the day). In 2020, I’ve been working 12-hour days and start between 7-8am so I have to do whatever is offered early. I have come to love when Heather mixes up the schedule (shh, don’t tell her) so I can try other classes like Kristin’s Peak Performance, Sarah’s Kettlebell FitFighter, Marilyn’s Barre Fight and Kim’s HG at the Lake. I am totally down for any class that mixes cardio with strength. My favorite classes are intrinsically tied to the instructors: Jen’s PiYo, Lindsey’s Fusion Cycle, Heather’s Hot Buff Yoga, Kim’s Bootcamp/Tabata, Sarah’s Power Ride, Kristin’s Kettlebell Circuit, Vanessa’s YogaBlast and Marilyn’s Barre Interval because they make them so much fun. The hardest part is not doing them all! 

HG has been a much-needed balancer of stress. It forces me to focus elsewhere and allows me to decompress. Before the pandemic, it was easy to let work take over my time. As classes pivoted to virtual, I had no excuses and I knew that if I didn’t do a class, I wouldn’t move at all! Don’t get me wrong, I completely miss being in the studio, but having the opportunity to attend a class or two without impacting my day job is a godsend. The instructors do a phenomenal job to engage everyone – they really do see you and I owe it to them to work as hard as they do. 

I’ve done every challenge and by far the one that affected me the most was Clean Cut. I saw the results first-hand on Jerrianne so when Kim R asked me to join her, I signed up. Even though I thought I was doing well since I was already fairly gluten, dairy, and meat free, my love affair with Dove dark chocolate & Pepperidge Farm was deep-rooted. I needed a change. Those 2 weeks of no sugar/no carbs were no joke. But once I got past it, I had way more energy, lost about 8 lbs. and my palate has completely changed. Mind you, I still have chocolate just a fancier, cleaner version and have a totally different approach towards what I eat. Or don’t eat!  

Whenever something new is offered whether it’s a program or class, try it just once. Get out of your comfort zone and don’t take it too seriously. Have fun with it; we all look silly at some point – I do all the time and I’m not afraid to own it. And say Hi to that person next to you like Marianne did for me. Give it time, you will find people who just by their presence will keep you motivated and accountable.