Success Story: Alyssa Mitchell

What motivated you to get started at AFS?

What motivated me to start at AFS was getting into a car accident in 2015, then undergoing spinal surgery in 2016. So many of the months following both of those events led me to extended stays in hospitals and constant rounds of steroids, causing my weight to skyrocket to the heaviest I’ve ever been. I knew that I needed a change, but I was really unsure of how to go about it since I didn’t have the motivation nor the knowledge to work out on my own.

What was your biggest fear before starting at AFS?

I’d say that I had a lot of fears before starting at AFS. The first one being that I would come for a couple weeks, then lose interest and not have it become a part of my life. Luckily, after the first month, that fear was gone and AFS became a huge part of my life. The second fear I would say was working out in a group setting. Before my first class, I thought I was going to be incredibly self-conscious and was super worried about working out with others. Once I took my first class though, I soon realized I had nothing to worry about. Everyone was SO nice, and everyone works out at different intensity levels, so you can work at the level you’re comfortable with.

What keeps you coming back to AFS?

What keeps me coming back to AFS would have to be the structure and the environment. I love that I’m able to come in and know exactly what to do, and have the guidance to make sure that I’m doing all of the exercises correctly. The flexible schedule also helps me out immensely so that I’m able to fit in my workouts no matter how busy my week gets.

What advice would you give others looking to start at AFS?

If I could give people advice for starting at AFS, I would just tell them to not give up. It’s definitely challenging at first, and there’s days where I definitely wanted to give in, but you have to just push through. There’s also been days where I found myself wanting to make excuses to not come to a class (i.e. “I’m tired,” “I’m sore,” etc.), but you just have to push through it because once you get there, you’ll be so happy that you got a workout in.

If you could go back in time, what would you say to yourself before taking your first class?

Looking back, if I could tell myself something before my first class, I would probably tell myself that this is the hardest part, and every workout on will get easier. Also, I would definitely tell myself that a wall sit might look easy, but it’s actually the worst… hahaha.

Has your life changed since starting at AFS?

Since starting at AFS, I would say my life is different in a lot of ways. I’ve noticed such a change in my energy levels, my stamina levels, and my strength. I used to think that, because of my injury and surgery, I wouldn’t be able to exercise how I’d like to and wouldn’t really see results. But boy, was I wrong. I’m able to do just about every exercise, and if there’s ever something bothering me, it’s so nice to know that modifications can be made. I’m so thankful for everything AFS has done for me, and I’m currently over 40 lbs down and can’t wait to keep going!