You asked and we listened - every couple of weeks we are going to be tackling your health and wellness questions. If you have suggestions for a topic, please email them to us at info@bkhiitbox.com.
Pictured: Coaches Skye Alrai, Mekenna Sigai, Heather Laham
Photo by Amanda Kirkpatrick
FEAR OF FITNESS
Conquering Workout-Related Anxiety
by Maryam Zadeh and Alexandra Rickards
Fear and anxiety can effect everything we do and working out is no exception. Recently, I noticed two clients had purchased a large class package and emailed me stating how ready they were to start working out regularly. Day after day, week after week I looked for their reservation and by February 11th they still had never actually stepped foot into the studio.
You might think this is a rare occurrence, because seriously...who buys a 25 pack at Boutique Fitness rates and then never uses it? Trust us, it’s not uncommon, in fact you would be surprised at the amount of gym memberships that go unused and class packages that are never activated. This prompted me to reach out to see what I could do to encourage them to come in, and each one said they were scared. Scared of what I asked? Me? (I can definitely be scary.) The workout? Being sore after? Being judged? What are you scared of? Just plain scared was their response.
We all have these monsters in our head that crop up when we think about working out. Despite the best of intentions and heartfelt efforts from advertisers, retailers and the general public, social media is filled with misinformation on health and wellness. It’s also jam-packed with people who make fitness seem like a breeze, when really it took 100 pictures and a team to make it look effortless. And social media is everywhere we turn, which means there are landmines on every corner that can make you feel defeated before you've even begun.
Now take the body-shaming culture we live in combined with the huge rise in trendy athleisurewear and your workouts can feel as if you weren’t invited to your own birthday party. Our best advice is to not worry so much about being Best in Show. This constant strive-for-perfection hamster wheel can get exhausting, just focus on completing the workout and always remember that fitness is personal. This means set your own goals and get their at your pace. But get there. This is your journey and your commitment to yourself. We all have the same common goal of getting in shape but everyone’s path there is different. You might take the highway while someone else takes city streets. But you will get there. The people in class are your biggest supporters because you’re all in it together - so use that energy. You hate burpees? Believe me everyone does, but they also use 31 muscle groups. So one little move = one HUGE payoff.
F*$@ what your middle school gym teacher or some other instructor may have told you and the fears it may have instilled and look at fitness as fun, clean, fresh, and effective. Is it going to be hard? Hell yes. Is it going to take a little work? Yes, yes and yes. But isn’t being out of shape and not healthy scarier? Think about it.
In our HIIT workouts there are going to be things you excel at and things you don’t. We focus on your strengths while you work on the areas that need strengthening. Have the coach break down the moves for you, go slower, do better and you will get it. Our motto is the first round is your learning curve - you have to take a minute to learn the exercise. The second round is where you work out the kinks and do a better job, really smooth it out. Third round you f’ing kill it. Keep it that simple.
And don't take things personally! If you get corrected in a workout, learn from it, fuel yourself and do better. As coaches we will always. Give. You. A. Lot. But we also expect you to give back to us. Every day is game day at HIIT BOX. Just approach each workout on it’s own and never be afraid of your strength. There is nothing to fear except being out of shape and unhealthy. That my friends is scary….
We are launching an educational series: HIIT BOX COLLECTIVE, devoted to exploring health and wellness and bringing you information to compliment your workouts each month!
SPRING AWAKENING
Sunday, March 11 at 3 pm
All HIIT BOX clients know that we live in a toxic world and need to focus on taking care of ourselves. In addition to working out - taking care of your skin, monitoring your nutritional intake, and keeping a toxic-free home are also very important. It can be overwhelming to know where to begin with implementing changes! One powerful tool is essential oils, and we are excited to have Oceana Baity show you how they can be effective in removing toxicity and provide healing. She will cover everything from shifting your physical and mental well-being, effectively treat her small children, to empower you to live well. We are welcoming Oceana Sunday, March 11th at 3pm to showcase her modern take on Ancient Healing and an introduction and overview to working with essential oils. What better way to celebrate Daylight Savings?
In this informal class you'll learn:
- The top ten essential oils and how to use them
- How to boost your immune system naturally and tips to support common winter ailments
- Daily self-care routines to support sleep, stress and mood
- Essential oil safety, application and dilution
- Using essential oils with kids
Open to all, but space is limited, please RSVP to
Still here? We appreciate it and would love to give you 15% off all class packages with code: spring15