I went from not training to loving orange theory classes

• I bought a Peloton during the pandemic, but it turned into a clothes rack.
• I tried all kinds of workouts and nothing stuck, but I wasn’t happy with my postpartum body either.
• I discovered Orange Theory through a friend and just finished my 250th class.

I’m not an athlete. It’s not for lack of trying, though.

When I was a kid, I tried to dance, but my coordination was off. I tried gymnastics and even pole twirling (again, no coordination). I played soccer consistently for years, continuing to make the team just because I could hit the ball far. I could barely run and the breath left my lungs before I could make any real progress in any kind of athletic activity.

During my college years, when being thin was my only priority, I would spend hours in the gym, but I hated every second of it. However, I always tried to make myself love fitness. As an adult, I tried them all: hot yoga, boxing, pilates, barre, spinning—if there was a fitness trend, I was in class trying my hardest to fall in love with it.

Of course, nothing got stuck

I didn’t want to hold on to my postpartum body

Then I had children. My husband and I bought a Peloton for the house, hoping this would be the end of my search for a fitness regimen to stick to. The pandemic has given me the opportunity to no longer have the excuse of “time” and I’ve been enjoying my spin classes quite a bit. But eventually that Peloton became a (very expensive) coat rack that now takes up precious space in our bedroom.

I was at a point in my search where I had tried everything – aside from more intense workouts like Crossfit, which scared me way too much to try, I was seemingly out of options. But my mental health was suffering and my postpartum body was not something I wanted to hold on to.

My best friend had recently started Orange Theory classes and was trying to get me to join. But I looked at Orange Theory as one of those scary options that I would never consider – it seemed like you had to be an athlete to take those classes, and I’m not an athlete.

I finally tried the Orange Theory

After months of my boyfriend wearing me down and slightly out of desperation, I signed up for a trial class. My nerves were explosive. I spent the night imagining a class of super fit men and women laughing at me when I couldn’t figure out how to use a rowing machine.

But as soon as I entered the studio, I realized I was wrong.

Members came in all shapes and sizes and the trainers were calm and explained in detail what to expect from my first class. Suddenly, I could breathe a little easier.

Once the class started, I immediately realized that even if I couldn’t figure out how to use the rower, it was unlikely that any of the other studio members would notice. They were all focused on themselves, which made my nerves go away pretty quickly.

I would later learn that my first class was one of their signature classes called Everest, which mimics a climb up Mount Everest and is therefore considered one of their hardest formats. The fact that I was able to complete the entire class without falling off the treadmill or passing out (although I felt like I could), gave me the confidence to go back again. And again. And again.

Now I like to train

It has now been over a year since I first entered Orange Theory. I recently completed my 250th class and can officially say that fitness is not only something I strive to love, but something that has become part of my daily routine.

When I first started, running more than two minutes was an impossible feat. Now, I sign up for 5Ks and half marathons. I run faster, lift heavier, and leave each class with a newfound mental clarity and stamina that I never had before.

Beyond the fitness aspect, my health has improved. I no longer worry about longevity or keeping up with my kids. My cholesterol has dropped over 50 points and I am finally able to see beyond my physical appearance and realize how much fitness affects other areas of my life.

In the past, I worked out and took fitness classes to lose weight. Now, I show up at Orange Theory to start my day off right, to challenge myself physically and mentally, and to show my girls that you don’t have to be athletic, or super skinny, to be in shape. I am now, to my great surprise, the kind of person who wakes up before 6 am. daily to do a workout. I’m the kind of person who runs four miles on a family vacation before everyone else wakes up—not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to.

Swallowing my fear and getting into Orange Theory a year ago may not have turned me into an athlete – I still can’t run and kick a ball at the same time if my life depended on it – but it has transformed me in a fitness lover. And finally enough is enough for me.