A month ago, I was contacted by the wonderful Salma, from The Write Balance, to see if I was interested in joining Fitwells For Women for 1 month and then write a review. I jumped at the chance. Since injuring my back, at work in November, I haven’t worked out. I had done some yoga but honestly I was scared to re-injure my back. Lately I’ve been feeling very sluggish, tired, irritable, bloated, experienced lots of headaches and suffered from heartburn. So I was really excited to be presented with this opportunity. For 1 month I have unlimited access to the gym, classes, weights, personal training and even childminding. Since the teachers are on strike, the childminding will come in very handy.

Before my first workout

My healthy breakfast: smoothie and fresh fruit with Chia, Hemp, Holy Crap mix and Greek Yogurt

Last Monday was my first class, step and sculpt. I had a healthy breakfast beforehand and got there nice and early. My only criticism is that when I arrived, the girl at the front desk wasn’t able to give me a schedule and she was not able to do my physical assessment. I would have preferred to have my physical assessment before I started. Something to think about next time. I was ready to give it 100%. The class starts and I’m doing ok and then about 10 mins in, I felt lightheaded and then 5 mins later I wanted to throw up. I pushed through it and by about 20 mins into the class I was feeling great. Holy shit, I got my ass handed to me. First of all, it has been years since I did a step class and second of all, it’s been 10 months since I did any hardcore workout.

I felt great after the class. Re-energized and my indigestion, that I had been suffering with for the past few weeks, and lack of energy had gone away. I felt better than I had in a long time. Although I was extremely sore the next few days, it was worth it. I felt great.

Post workout picture

The instructor was awesome. She kept me energized and enthused. It felt great to be working out again.

I did Yoga on Wednesday and again a wonderful class. It not only involved breathing correctly and emptying your mind of stuff (I have to work on that…) it was also great for strength training. I felt completely rejuvenated after that class.

I did my third class on Saturday, body blast, and it did not disappoint. I’m still getting into the grove of step again and I’ll be honest I had some trouble getting a few steps, but I was patient with myself and was able to finally get them.

My first week was amazing at Fitwells for Women. I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of them as I read some not so good reviews but they were mainly about their cancellation policy. They are friendly, the place is clean, it’s big, the instructors are awesome and I really like the childminding. I ended up using it on Monday and my son loved it. They have 2 people watching the kids, as young as newborns. They have a lot of great toys. My son loved it.

So far, so good. I had a great first week. My goal is to go 3 times a week. I like that they offer classes all day, even in the evenings with childminding in the morning and evenings, which works well for me. I love the way I feel, both physically and energy wise. Looking forward to my XLab class on Friday.

May this blog inspire you to get back to the gym and if you live in the lower Mainland, try Fitwells For Women. I completely understand that it takes a lot of time, effort and willpower but it’s worth it. You feel better about yourself, you look better and it’s a great way to show your kids that we all need to stay active. Our kids need to see their parents staying active, if we expect them to stay active. We all lead busy lives and have a myriad of excuses, boy did I have lots of them, but the trick is to not think. To plan and just do. Like Nike says “Just Do It!!!!!” It’s so easy to fall into a rut, especially when you have kids. They are always the perfect excuse not to workout, but I’m here to tell you that you will feel so much better if you get back to the gym, I promise. I feel great, sore, but great.