30 in 30: 16: Join a fitness class

My brother in law and sister in law both do CrossFit. And they both love it! About a year and a half ago, Kristen invited me to one of her classes. They were doing "bring a friend for free" night and she thought it would be something I would enjoy. It kicked my ass! That brings us to about 3 months ago. 3 months ago I did a blog how I was not feeling myself. You might remember it {you can read it here} because A LOT of you reached out to me! Well so did Kristen. She sent me a very long text (I bawled like a baby) and she told me about her CrossFit class and how she thought it would be the perfect thing for me. I told her I didn't want to do CrossFit (having done it before) and then she told me about another class her gym has.

So here we are: 30 in 30: number 16: Join a fitness class

She goes to a gym called Swink. The class she had me look up is called Swink Sweat. She told me that Groupon had a $44 deal for a month trial. It took about a month of convincing and making sure Bobby was ok with Brody by himself at night while I did this. (FYI: Bobby is wonderful with Brody. Brody's witching hour is between 7-8pm and class is from 6:30-7:30pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday so making sure they were both good without an extra set of hands was/is my first priority).

Swink Sweat is like a baby version of CrossFit. By no means is it easier, I leave class dripping wet. It's just that we don't use as heavy weights and we don't do some of the movements like you would do in CrossFit. 

I can't begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed this class. I leave every time with a bounce in my step. I always go to workout excited too. One reason I go excited is because of the 3 people below; Andre, Betsy and Meg. I can not tell you enough how much I love all three. Andre is the owner of Swink and coaches CrossFit and the one on one classes. Betsy and Meg take turns coaching my class (they are sisters (if you can't tell) and Betsy is engaged to Andre). Meg is a nurse and Betsy helps people figure out why they are hurting and she will teach you how to roll out the pain. She can even tape you to help with the pain. 

Betsy, Meg, myself and Andre
Notice my shirt! haha....get it....my class is called Swink Sweat and my shirt says Sweat.....ok I thought it was cute. It's from Cotton:ON but as of this week I can't find it on the website. Sports bra and leggings are Fabletics

They never push me to far, are always eager to teach, never complain when I ask questions, make sure everything I am doing feels right. They don't make me do anything I don't want to do or aren't comfortable doing. They show you the way a workout is supposed to go/look and then modify it if you have an injury or the movement is too hard for you. Not once have I felt like I was stupid or couldn't do it. Since day 1 of class they have made me feel like part of the family. The vibe is always positive. They are always happy. 

The ladies I workout with come from all over. They are different ages, different backgrounds, different jobs. But it doesn't matter. Swink is very big on supporting one another. You don't put up your equipment until everyone in your class is done with the workout. We encourage one another. No one is chatty or looks down. They always cheer you on and always give you that extra push. 

As soon as you get to class, you start. You do a warmup to get your muscles warm and moving, then they teach you the workout of the day and then you do it. Class is from 6:30pm-7:30pm in Midlothian, Monday/Wednesday/Friday. 

I am a very shy person and doing this was totally stepping out of my comfort zone. And I can't tell you enough how glad I am that I took this leap. This has been one of my favorite 30 in 30's so far. I am down 2 pounds and I can now fit in my size 6 jean shorts. I am not eating as clean as I would like to be, but I am working on that. I feel stronger and before I started class, I couldn't do a push-up or a squat to save my life. No joke! Now I can do 7 push-ups in a row and my squat has improved beyond what I ever thought I could do! 

My month trial is over tonight and I am so excited to say that I am staying. I have decided to join. If you are interested in learning more, {here is the website}. Also, the {$44 Groupon} is still going on so get on over to Groupon, buy it and come join me in class! You will be amazed at what you can do and what you can learn in just 30 days. Seriously....go to Groupon and come join me in class! 

Here is an update on me:
The photos on the left were taken 30 days ago and the photos on the right were taken Wednesday night.

My arms are a tad buffer and I have less fat. My arms are a big problem for me (they hold weight easily) so I find this to be an improvement.  

Before I still had the baby pooch, now I am slimmer and the "donut" has gone down half of what it was. I feel like my butt has slimmed just a tad too. 

I can tell a difference from the front too because if you look at my belly button, on me today it is positioned higher on my stomach. Meaning I am flatter and more toned there. 

Starting to get my abs back and I couldn't be more thrilled! 

My attitude towards life has improved. My attitude towards myself has improved. I feel happier. I feel healthier. Bobby has been telling me this past month how good I look. My mom has too! I can't even begin to thank Kristen and the Swink family for all they have done for me. For pushing me just a step farther. For telling me I can do more, even when I don't think I can. You guys simply are the best!

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And I just want to say a BIG thank you to all of you who reached out to me, either through text, Facebook, email or in person about my baby blues. I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me to know I wasn't the only one or that I had a shoulder to cry on or there was bottle of wine and a girls night if I needed it. Thank you for all the prayers and the thoughts and the time of day to think of me. I love you all! 

And to my husband, thank you for stepping up in a big way when it comes to Brody! He's not the easiest baby but you have never complained to me once about him. He is all about daddy these days and it makes my heart just grow a thousand times. Thank you for the encouragement and the questions about my workout when I get home. I am so glad I have you. I love you!