Member Spotlight - July 2017, Alex S.

Alex S. has been an ENRGi member for a year and has made serious personal gains in that time! If you are a pizza lover like Alex, you can find him in our noon classes to get recommendations.

What motivates you to workout?

Just generally being healthy and feeling strong. Also, to attempt to offset the amount of food I eat. 

What are your favorite classes at ENRGi? 

Warrior and SWAT are my favorites. They both have a great mix of resistance movements and cardio.

How do you recover post workout?

Foam rolling and sitting in the Normatec. I also drink a lot of water.

What is your guilty pleasure? 

Eating obscene amounts of pizza. And drinking. 

What is your favorite quote?

If you hear me say "I'll be right back" at a party, it usually means I'm leaving. -@GSElevator

Congrats Hayden & Julie!!

We have new captains leading our ship and they are a POWERHOUSE! We asked Hayden & Julie to share their fitness journeys so you can learn more about them.  

Hayden's Fitness Journey:

I was never sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I figured it'd hit me eventually. And boom- one day a kettlebell hit me. Well... it dropped on my foot as I was re-racking weights at my first gym job. I guess I'll deem that as my calling into the fitness industry. 

It wasn't always a gym, but my odd jobs always had an aspect of physical activity. I think if you grow up playing sports, you crave movement and exercise in your daily life. Whether it was pushing carts at Target, driving a pedicab, or helping move things around on a construction site- I just wanted to move. 

When I started my first gig at a gym in 2013, I knew right away it was the place I wanted to be. A place where heavy weights flowed like the rivers of ancient babylon, and the gains flourished under the downpour of sweat. The press to encourage people to feel the same way I did about fitness set in almost immediately. Got certified, started training, and the rest was history. Group Fitness ended up being the path I found a passion for, and I haven't turned back. 

"You're an athlete, kid." -My high school hockey coach, John Butler

Julie's Fitness Journey:

I got into fitness because my Mom was a gym coach. From an early age I was thrusted into competitive gymnastics, soccer, then cross country and track. My love of movement turned into a passion for dance and before I knew it I was off to college studying Dance. 

Post college I performed in various companies around Chicago and in 2013 I made the decision to embark on a great cross-country cycling adventure. The route began in Portland, Maine and ended in Santa Barbara, California. 26 initial strangers and myself averaged 70 miles a day totaling around 4,060 miles. We crossed 16 State borders, biked through the Poconos, many cornfields, the Ozarks, straight into the panhandle of Texas, through the White Sands of New Mexico to the Grand Canyon, monsoon in the Mohave and landed in California! I rode with Bike and Build, an organization that encourages young adults to participate in community enrichment by raising awareness and funds for the affordable housing crisis. On our days “off” we would volunteer with different organizations across America and help repair homes for people in need. 

I am intrigued by the body and what it can accomplish, maybe one too many parkour videos! I am extremely excited to keep learning as the industry expands and help pass along the knowledge!

Living with Tennis Elbow

It is quite common for those of us who are most active and aware of the importance of listen to our bodies to be the same ones who take our bodies for granted. We push it just “one more time”, or “one more race” only to put ourselves out of commission for longer than we would have been if we’d listened to our bodies the first time.  

Sue's Story:

My latest recovery story is one where I took those lessons from the “just one more time” mindset. 

In December of 2016 I woke up one morning to severe elbow pain. I couldn’t tie it back to a workout or injury, & figured it was the heavy load I’d been carrying around all week. The next morning, flexion and extension became difficult & I experienced numbness. Again, I thought, hmmm, slept weird. Once function returned I didn’t think much of it. 

Day three it hit me. When I grabbed my big glass of water in the morning, searing pain shot from my hand, through the tendons in my arm to my elbow. I dropped the glass to the floor and, well, expletives. At that moment the terms “carpal tunnel”, “tendonitis”, and “tennis elbow” all ran through my head. Basic things were suddenly painful- squeezing a bottle of Windex, brushing my hair, opening a jar, pulling wet clothes out of the laundry, even taking a picture with my iPhone! 

I went immediately to my expert resource, a Facebook Post. In all seriousness, the number of friends I have who had “been there” or are in the healing arts, I knew I’d get excellent feedback.

My routine quickly shifted to Epsom salt baths, massage, yoga (my body has been screaming MORE YOGA for years) and in particular, locust pose. Being consistent, I saw great improvements. I could also see the impact of skipping a day or two of some kind of recovery effort.

After teaching at ENRGi, my arms craved a deep stretch (there’s some serious arm action in WERQ!). Hanging from the bars in the SWAT room, or deep stretches using the yoga hammocks did wonders.

I learned more about foods that cause inflammation, thereby increasing pain & hindering progress. As a cheeseaholic, I was saddened to find dairy a prime culprit. But the reduction in inflammation I felt just a week into avoiding it quickly changed those desires.

I did officially get a tennis elbow diagnosis and PT routine. While I’m still improving, my pain level is drastically reduced and my function greatly increased. It has truly been a lesson in the importance of recovery and consistency. A happy body is definitely worth the dedication.  

If you'd like to contact Sue about her story, email info@enrgifitness.com and we will connect you.  

Member Spotlight - June 2017, Mayumi M.

Mayumi W. has been an ENRGi member since 2010.  She's always smiling, working hard in class, and never misses a workout. Best of all, her attitude towards life is inspiring!!! 

What motivates you to workout?

Staying fit while eating and drinking what I want.  

What are your favorite classes at ENRGi?

WERQ! Shredded, Suspension, Gravity Barre

How do you recover post workout?

Drinking Coconut Water and Kombucha

What is your guilty pleasure? 

I don't feel guilty at all - drinking lots of really good red wine and eating copious amounts of chocolate covered nuts.   

What is your favorite quote?

"We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once." Nietzscheat