Oct. 4, 2014 was the day that my fiancé proposed to me. It was the most exciting and overwhelming day of my life in all the best ways. Oct. 5, 2014 was the day that I realized that I was physically in the worst shape of my life and that honeymooning was now right around the corner. I couldn’t run for three minutes straight without wheezing, and I was about as weak as a hairless kitten even though I had been doing mediocre, low intensity workouts consistently for more than a year. As a whole, I have always considered myself fairly athletic, but athlete or not, maple scones and pizza everyday will catch up with you.
I stumbled across BEYOND500 because my little sister invited me to a free promo class, and because I genuinely loved the trainer who was teaching at the studio – Elissa Fairchild. I went to support her, to get quality time with my sister, and because I had no reason not to go. One class and I was immediately hooked. Everything about the environment excited me: loud music, energy, challenging workouts, and 500 calories in 50 minutes.
If you know me at all, there are very few things in life that I value more than sleep, so 6 a.m. workouts were a challenge. Also, I have a real bad attitude about the treadmill because I have historically had knee problems and stress fractures in my feet. Come to find out, my running form was completely wrong and putting extra stress on my joints. BEYOND500 running features the Woodway Curve treadmill, which is self-propelled and designed to both burn more calories and force your body to run the way it was designed to. After running on the curve with a miraculous consistency for the last four months I have zero joint pain and have set major personal records for both speed and endurance.
The workouts at BEYOND500 are never boring, never the same, and always have opportunities for you to improve. This is one of my favorite things about the class. Each instructor is well versed on how to help you do the best that YOU can do. Beyond Studios trainers encourage you to push yourself to your limit, even if some days it’s walking instead of running. They do this because they genuinely care about your progress, your goals, and your workout but also your health and overall wellbeing. They encourage, correct, help, and are even willing to stay after class to give feedback and specific direction.
Physically, my body has completely transformed and everyone sees it. I have visible definition in my muscles, my body fat percentage has dropped more than 18 percent, and I have lost almost 40 pounds in just four months. I began jogging at a speed 4 on the treadmill with difficulty finishing one minute and can now jog rather easily at speed 7. I can lift heavier weight, with in more reps, and at a faster pace. Just recently I broke my own record for how long I can hold an abs movement called the “dancing bear” and how fast I am able to hold my fastest sprint for one minute (9.5 mph). BEYOND500 helped me make a complete paradigm shift on what it means to workout, and my body has responded with loud applause.
For the first time in my life, I look forward to working out. I love the high I get after finishing a class. I love the music. I love the energy. I love the feeling of racing myself, trying to be better while setting goals and crushing them. I love the sense of accomplishment when I know I have given the workout everything I have. The entire experience truly has “gone beyond” all of my expectations to be the best version of myself. After four months of training four to five times a week, I feel confident, healthy, positive, and ready to get married this coming weekend. For all of this and more, I have the BEYOND Studios trainers to thank and I truly could not be more grateful.
–Ally Rice
BEYONDadvocate
