What motivated you to start at AFS?
I started at AFS as a way to work on fitness in the fall of 2018. I was off work for 4 months at the beginning of 2018 due to severe cervical disk degeneration. I was benched so to speak for those 4 months. I was ‘trying” to be active prior to that. I have had a gym membership for years but my health and weight were not a priority. My kids, my job, getting my master’s degree and just getting from one day to the next were the focus. I have been overweight for about 15 years. Due to my stressful job and varying work schedule it was hard to take time out for myself. I was exhausted and when I was off work I just wanted to sleep. Fast forward to when I had debilitating nerve pain from disk degeneration in my neck. I was about 80 lbs overweight and out of shape. I got winded on hikes, I had to sit down often to rest. I had horrible plantar fasciitis in my feet. I tried to work on things myself once I could start exercising again, but I didn’t make much progress. I was and still am so afraid of exacerbating my nerve pain. That is where AFS comes in to play. I had been following some people on social media that went to AFS. I didn’t have anything to lose so I went in and met with Nate. He assured me that the workouts could be tailored for my injuries and the rest is history. My initial goal was to lose weight so that I could go horseback riding with my daughter on our spring break cruise.
What keeps you coming back to AFS?
So many things keep me at AFS. The people: from Eileen my fitness practitioner whose unwavering support has kept me moving forward even when I wanted to throw in the towel. She keeps me accountable and helps me develop realistic goals. The other teachers, Trent, Maya, Sarah and Zach keep me motivated in class. They help me continue moving forward in little steps. Their faith in me helps me to not quit on myself. I also love the variety in class, no two classes are the same so there is no boredom. I like the multiple difficulty levels in class. You can continue on in class at whatever your level is so you don’t feel like a failure if you cant do “the moves” in class. I don’t have to think about my workouts. I just have to show up to class, everything else is done for me. I like that I develop goals with my practitioner so there is ONE thing I am focusing on at a time. This helps crush the all or nothing mind set.
What has been the most rewarding part of your experience?
Seeing the results has been the most rewarding experience. I crushed my horseback riding goal! Sometimes the results are on the scale but more often than not, they aren’t. I can do a full plank now, I could barely do a modified plank when I started. I can do a bridge march. I can do lunges without holding on to something (not well but I can do them). I have made a lot of progress on the scale and fat percentage which is awesome. I have a lot of ambitious fitness goals and I can’t wait to get to it!
What advice would you give to others looking to start at AFS?
I would say come in, try a few classes, meet with a fitness practitioner. I think you will be blown away by the staff. Put in the work and you will crush your goals!!