I have been a long time Health and Fitness enthusiast and have owned gym memberships all my life.  Somewhere along the line of becoming a wife and a mom of two beautiful (but active) boys, I lost myself!

40 lbs heavier then where I wanted to be, a couple years ago when I turned 30 and had two kids in school full time, I decided to take my health and self-confidence back into control and make myself a priority again :)  I had forgotten that underneath all those baby goobers and leggings there was WOMAN under there with needs.

After a successful journey through the Weight Watchers Program (read my blog about that here) and obtaining a personal trainer, I not only met but exceeded my goals.  And I felt great!!   The best in my entire life.  Even better than high school!!!

So now here I am.  Back in the best shape of my life, I worked so hard to get here.  However I don’t have $10,000/year to spend on a personal trainer anymore and I’m looking for a better long term solution to maintain what I’ve worked so hard for.  I thought I could continue at the gym “on my own” without the trainer; but the reality was that I just didn’t push myself the way he did and I found every excuse not to go when I didn’t have that set appointment in my calendar that I had already paid for.  Then I started feeling ashamed to go back to me gym and seeing my old trainer. 

I went on a 2 month hiatus from the gym; post a couple of surgeries (per doctors' orders) and some indulging vacations.  I hated myself for putting 10 lbs back on sooooo quickly.   I needed to figure out my next steps before I lost everything I worked hard for. I could FEEL that my body was hating me for letting myself go again and I wasn’t happy with myself either. 

I had heard a lot of amazing things about OrangeTheory Fitness (OTF) in my area of Newmarket.  I also had some friends who went there and encouraged me to go give it a try.  First class was free and if you’re lucky to know someone who goes there already they may be able to give you a free 1 week referral pass (email me if you want one connie@lifewithababy.com and i'll hook you up for Newmarket location!).   I called and booked my first free class and the staff were very nice and welcoming.  The owner, Joe, was very "no-pressure" and informative.  He and the trainer that day, Anthony, showed me the ropes and explained how it all worked.

Basically its a 1 hour exercise that involves components of treadmill (always at least 25 mins), rowing and weight room.  Although each class uses these pieces of equipment / areas of the gym, each class is also different in what they are going to ask you to do at these stations.  You are never bored and it is never the same workout.  There are also modifications for each exercise i.e. injuries, pregnancies, bad knees, etc.  There are Strength, Power, Endurance and Combination days (they tell you before class... you don't get to know in advance which is great because then you won't be choosy :). 

Let me tell you it is BY FAR THE BEST 1 hour workout you will EVER have.  The best part -- there is no guessing if you are working hard enough / too hard as you are wearing an arm (or chest) heart rate monitor and the screen will tell you whether you are in your grey / blue (warm up), green (base), orange (push) or red (all out) zones.  Most people aim to be in the green and orange zone for the majority of their workouts.  If you work out 12 mins or more in your Orange zone (between 12-25 is ideal), you get what is called "splat points" and thus get the benefits of the after burn of calories even after you're done in the gym.

This is an example of typical results emails that you will get after your workout on your performance.  *note that I got my splat points this particular time and how many calories I burned in 1 class!!!  

1 month into my new OTF membership (I went with the premiere / unlimited membership which is around $150-$200/mo).  It seems expensive in comparison to regular gyms, however in comparison to personal training and if you are going often like me, that works out to be only about $12/class which is actually not bad at all for small group training.  The fact of the matter is, if you are paying $50/mo for a regular gym membership and you're not going, it's no good to you anyhow!  I am LOVING the change up in my workout routine.  I'm going 3-4x per week and I cannot wait to go to classes!

Here are my results after just 3 weeks of classes:

I've noticed since starting in the last 3 weeks:

• my upper abs are back (yay!)
• lifted belly button
• less bloating 
• side lines are back 
• less pudge pudge
• increase stamina
• my period / PMS was MUCH better this month (less heavy, no pains and I didn't feel like I wanted to kill anyone which is a nice bonus :) 
• overall mood and energy is amazing
• glowing skin on my face 
• better digestion 
• im down only about 1lb in weight BUT this is typical for me as i'm at a plateau and I have not made dramatic diet changes YET (thats next!)

What I love most about OTF:

• soooo clean!  Everyone takes pride at this gym
• people are soooo nice and encouraging.  You see the OTF Family feel right away
• no guessing if you're working / wearing a heart rate monitor keeps me on track
• being able to pre-book my classes (and if im lucky i can even get into some last min when there is space)
• the trainers!  all are very encouraging and professionals (and might I add... very attractive :)    Awesome motivation to succeed!

My tips if you are new to OTF:

• try a free trial class
• if you need to.... try a full week free (ask a friend who has guest passes from their new member kit)
• sign up!  even if its just 2x per week (8 sessions per month) in addition to your current fitness regime OR if you are getting started (its cheaper around $80-$100/mo) and gets your feet in the door
• plan your month (or your week) of sessions and book in advance so you get your class space!    
• ONLY BOOK if you are sure you can go!  Otherwise you pay a last min. cancellation fee if you cancel your class less than 8 hours before
• keep your gym bag ready to go in your car so there are no excuses!
• buy one of those portable battery chargers so that you can keep your heart rate monitor charged in your purse or gym bag at all times (nothing is more annoying that a dead Heart Rate monitor when you wanna kill a class!)
• bring a towel & a water bottle!  YOU WILL NEED IT

Enjoy your new OTF journey and please share your results or questions!