Here at O2 Fitness, we LOVE to hear about the journeys our O2 Fitness members have been on - it's why we do what we do! We recently received a letter from one of our members who was kind enough to let us post it on our blog for all to see! If you have a story to share, please send it along!
Let me start by saying O2 Fitness was not my first gym membership. I had been a member of Spa Health Clubs, Capital Fitness, and even Planet Fitness over the course of many years. However those memberships only resulted in wasted money each month resulting in me canceling my membership quickly after my contract ended. The cycle after canceling was predictable, 6 months would go by and I would sign up for the next gym, only after feeling horrible able my lack of exercise. I would work out on the elliptical for a few weeks and due to feeling out of place I would stop going, again.
In January 2010 my doctor began to really grill me about my lack of exercise and how it was affecting my health. I wasn't unhealthy, at least in my mind, but my doctor felt the mile I walked daily downtown was appropriate for an 82 year old not a 28 year old. However my clothes still fit, somewhat, and I was just a little over two hundred pounds, not bad when your six feet tall. Then in June 2010 I had my official wake up call, I went to try on a suit, my waist wasn't the 33" I remembered, it ballooned to 39" (I was so heavy I refused to step near a scale)!
However that still wasn't enough to push my over weight behind into the gym, instead I only modified my diet. Making it to Chick-Fil-A once a week instead of four times a week was not really producing a change. When photos of the holidays started appearing online I made the decision to join O2 Fitness. At first I only went to Seaboard Station, running on the elliptical machine for thirty minutes and going to work. Then at the end of January 2011 I did my health evaluation, 225 pounds and 22.5% body fat. I was embarrassed to see those numbers written down, more so I was ashamed that I let myself become so unhealthy.
Early February 2011 I decided to make a change, not only in my fitness but how I was going to achieve my goals. The first classes I attended were at Falls Valley, the first being Body Flow with "K-Pop", honestly because I thought it'd be the easiest of the group fitness classes; boy was I surprised. I began to regularly attend K-Pop's Body Flow class and expanded out Susan's Yoga Fusion class. After getting my toes wet in the waters of group fitness in March I went to the March Madness Body Pump / Body Combat combination class with Gina and Kristen P. The combination class was amazing and I wanted to try more. Everybody in the class had a smile and the instructors were having as much fun working out as the rest of us. I can honestly say it was that class that made me realize that O2 is different from any gym I had ever been to before.
Machines, group fitness classes, and personal training can be found at any gym but something was different about O2 Fitness. Never before had I felt so comfortable in a gym, no matter what I was doing. A "lunk" alarm might prevent somebody dropping weights but it won't build the friendliness you experience at O2 Fitness as Monica says hello to you when you walk through the door at Falls Valley. O2 Fitness at Falls Valley has something that no other gym I've been to has offered before, a feeling of welcome no matter your skill level. Whether I was attempting not to fall during Kara's Body Step class, shuffling the wrong direction in Christy's Body Combat class, or lifting barely more than the bar in Kim P's Body Pump class, I was having fun and getting fit.
At first I thought this culture was unique to Falls Valley and I stopped going to Seaboard Station. In May 2011 I moved downtown to try and live a more green lifestyle. I bicycled to work each day and decided to do the same for the gym. Fearing that my experience at Falls Valley had been unique I forced myself to take Elena's Body Combat class, Julie's Body Pump class, and Nicole's Yoga class. At the end of each first class I realized that the experience I had at Falls Valley was not unique, it was just the culture at O2 Fitness as a whole. Even driving out to Brennan Station or visiting Mayfaire Town Center for classes while traveling the experience is always the same. That same culture I feel is what made "Shape Up Downtown" such a success this past April as well.
Today I go to Seaboard Station almost daily, with my weekly excursion on Thursday nights for Giannina and Rob's classes at Falls Valley. I have dropped from a 39" waist, 225 pounds, and 22.5% body fat down to a 32" waist, 176 pounds, and 13.9% body fat! Without a doubt I can say that joining O2 Fitness has been one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I've made countless friends in my classes, feel better about my appearance, and significantly improved my overall health. The use of amazing national programs like Les Mills and Zumba in combination with free style classes like Rampage and Shed-n-Shred make O2 Fitness a leader in group fitness. The staff is always friendly and the personal trainers show a level of knowledge and caring that I've never experienced before. All of this coupled with well maintained equipment make O2 fitness unlike any other gym.
From the bottom of my heart I wanted to say thank you for creating such a unique and great environment!
- A member for life
Leave A Comment