Today is my one-year anniversary at Orange Theory! I am not exaggerating when I say joining this gym has changed my life. I remember driving by the studio for YEARS, thinking “I wish I had the courage to go in.” I was always intimidated by the workout because I wasn’t super in shape, couldn’t run far, and knew nothing about rowing or weight training. Somehow I got up the courage at the end of last year (I’m sure thanks to my husband, who is my biggest motivator and supporter with everything in my life) and I never looked back.

I was so nervous going into my first class. I knew nothing about gyms (I’ve always been an at-home pilates or yoga type) but the coach was so nice and welcoming. For your first class, you get there 30 minutes early to fill out paperwork and have a quick training session to basically learn how the class is laid out, how to work the treadmill, and get a quick rowing lesson (the rowing comes in time, eventually it just feels right and clicks). You wear a heart rate monitor during your workout, which I LOVE because I have heart disease in my family, so I love the idea of strengthening my heart. Part of what drew me to Orange Theory is their motto “More Life.” Especially since becoming a mom, my health is at the very top of my priorities.

Once my first class started, I felt like I was doing a decent job of keeping up. Even though a lot of people who go there are super in shape (which I find really motivating!) there are people of all fitness levels, and you can modify anything. Something that helped me out was joining the Orange Theory Facebook page before going to a class. I had read a lot of advice for newcomers, and most of their advice was not to feel self-conscious because everyone is just focused on their own workout and trying not to die! I kept that in mind throughout the class and it definitely helped me feel less nervous. Now that I’m a year in, I can officially confirm that this is very true :) I had so much fun in that first class that I had happy tears in my eyes! Let me tell you, after running in my basement on the treadmill listening to Sesame Street, going to this cool fancy gym blasting hip hop music, and having an awesome coach motivating me to push past my comfort zone was everything I didn’t even know I needed. It was (and still is) awesome!

I think part of what addicted me to Orange Theory is that I’ve never had great self-esteem, and these coaches just pump you up and make you feel like you can do anything. Not only do the coaches offer words of encouragement, but all of your stats from classes are tracked in the Orange Theory app, so you can actually see the progress from all of the work you’re putting in. So it’s not like you’re there just trying to lose weight (although I’ve lost 15 pounds since I started!) but you’re seeing that you can run longer, row faster, lift heavier… it’s really cool! It actually reminded me that I loved playing sports when I was younger. I love the competitive aspect, even if I’m mostly just competing with myself. The absolute best part is seeing the progress I’ve made. I was able to run a mile without stopping this year. This may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but it was huge for me! I love the feeling of getting stronger and having more endurance. Such a huge lesson I’ve learned from this whole experience is that the biggest battle is in your mind. Knowing this and feeling myself push past my own boundaries has helped me become physically stronger, and also mentally stronger in other aspects of my life as well. I truly believe I’ve grown as a person outside of the gym from these workouts.

In addition to having more endurance, I can see that my heart is getting stronger! A lot of people say the “goal” of Orange Theory is to have a “perfect pyramid.” This means you spend most of your time in the green zone, which is a challenging but doable effort (heart rate of 71%-83%). Their website has so much great info, including everything about the heart rate zones. During my first class, I was mostly in the red zone (Max heart rate- over 92%).

This is a comparison of my first class and my most recent class. I have definitely improved! I still have a lot more goals to achieve, but I am really enjoying the process of this journey toward “More Life!” They say Orange Theory is a cult, and I am definitely drinking the orange Kool-Aid!