I am so excited to recap my first month with OTF because it already feels like I have been there forever and am loving it!!!!  I can see where people become addicted.  I truthfully haven’t really run in years and today, a month into working out here I ran over 1 mile without walking.  If that doesn’t tell you anything I don’t know what will!  Btw, don’t let this scare you. You absolutely never have to run, there is always the option to walk!

I drove past this Orange Theory for 3 years (seriously though, it is right down the street from my house).  It opened right when we moved here, I was super excited to try it out and then just never did for various reasons.  Thank goodness I FINALLY did!!!  I actually went to my first class on Valentine’s Day!  It was just random timing of when I began.  I was obviously a little nervous to go there, I always am when starting a new fitness venture.  You just never know what to expect.  What I loved the most about Orange Theory upon walking in my first day was that they have you come in early so they can talk to you about your goals, the heart rate monitor, and what to expect during class.  I recently tried out a different studio that didn’t do this and not even joking didn’t know there was a bathroom there for at least two weeks.  So this makes you feel extra important and immediately comfortable in a new setting.

Now onto classes!  When you walk into the studio each time, you will grab either a treadmill or rower card, or you can choose floor.  These are the 3 rotations and whichever card you pick is where you will begin.  You then wait outside the studio room and approximately 2 mins before each class begins, the coach (instructor), talks to everyone before you go in together.  This is kind of a pump you up, let you know what’s happening in class today kind of talk!  Some classes concentrate more on strength, more on endurance, etc.  Did you know that no two Orange Theory classes are ever the same?!?!?  That is one of the many reasons it is SO good for your body.  You will never get used to the same workout routine and become stagnant.

Then, you just listen to the coach and keep on moving!!!  The goal is to stay in the Orange Zone, it’s where you burn the most calories and earn ALL the Splats!!

This is the scoreboard you can look at during your workout, and now it even shows on your personal treadmill!  Also, this is the report you get sent to your email upon completion!

If I can do it, so can YOU!!!!  A few other things I am LOVING about OTF Geneva specifically is:

The community

These cute quotes that change weekly

They have hair ties incase you forget(which I definitely have)

Monthly Businesses so each month OTF partners with a restaurant/business and OTF members get a discount all month long!

Charity Partners-Last year OTF gave millions of dollars to Augies Quest to help find a cure for ALS and are hoping to do it again this year!

Have I intrigued you yet?!?!?!  Would it help if I told you my clothes are fitting SO much better?  Oh, and I can run up the stairs to chase my 2 toddlers and I don’t even run out of breath!!  lol.  Click here to get STARTED today!  What are you waiting for?!?!  Your first class is always free.  Be the best you, you can be :).

XOXO,

Lissa

***This blog post is sponsored by Orange Theory Fitness Geneva, all opinions are my own***

I’m not even sure where to begin with this post, I feel like it’s been a long time in the making.

Motherhood is a roller coaster of emotions, where hormones are the downhills because we just don’t have control of them!!!  When I had Max 2 1/2 years ago, I went back to work for 4 months, that was when I decided I needed to stay home with him. At the time I was a general manager for Athleta(hence my love for all things Athleta), so I worked through December as it’s obviously the busiest time in retail. I knew adjusting to being a stay at home Mom was going to be a huge change for me, especially in January. The single most depressing month in Illinois!  And might I mention we had just moved to a new city where we really only had a couple of friends.

One of my last nights working, I was assisting a customer in the fitting room. She was telling me about a workout group she attends that she could bring her daughter with her. A lightbulb went off in my head, duh. This is my answer, this woman of whom I couldn’t point out in a crowd just saved my life!  The next morning Max and I attended our first workout class at Fit4mom Geneva/St. Charles.  I will never forget my first class, it was something unlike anything I had ever experienced. I found myself doing squats and burpees to Humpty Dumpty. It was the cheesiest, yet coolest thing ever. I got a bit of “me” time but didn’t feel the guilt of dumping Max off somewhere.  Bonus: they offer playgroup after class and Mom’s Night Out once a month!  YES!

This was my village, I found my tribe👯❤

These 2 pics are from some of our very first classes!

The picture below was after a play group, we made jewelry and clearly Maxwell didn’t like it!  Lol

Max and I recently hit our 2 year Fit4mom anniversary so I guess it’s making me a little more sentimental than normal. But there really is something special about this village/group of ladies.  Not to mention, there’s a meal train so if you have a baby, simply feeling stressed, or a hard time. The village gets together and provides meals for each other. Seriously amazing. I remember when I had Emerson, we took 6 weeks off from working out and when we came back it was so welcoming. Everyone really cares about each other.

One of my favorite parts of each class is that the instructor asks a question of the day.  This is awesome for a couple of reasons:

1-It helps you get to know each other, and

2-If you haven’t had any adult interaction, here you go!

Some are fun, like today’s Question, “Who was your first celebrity crush?”

Mine was obviously Jordan from NKOTB!

And some are more practical, like, “what’s your go to dinner?”  This is so helpful to get different ideas.

You also realize you aren’t alone on this roller coaster of motherhood!!!  That is for sure!

Below are a few pics from some of my favorite Mom’s Night Out events!

Yoga & brews at Penrose

Wine Tasting at Galena cellars

Bowling with the men in our lives!

Since today is Valentine’s Day and we had the CUTEST class ever, plus the most fun play group, Here are a bunch of pics!

Today, I am G R A T E F U L for this Village ❤!

Check out a class in your area, the first one is always free!  Do you have a tribe or a village?  Have you ever tried a class like this?  Would love for you to comment below!

XOXO,

Lissa

*This post is not sponsored, these are all my own opinions*