There are a ton of great gyms in the Rochester, Minnesota area but if you haven't found your favorite yet, a new gym is opening up on Monday, October 31st! And women, this one is just for you!
Quite a few people know what my job was before I got into this radio stuff...and I'm sorry if I yelled at you while I was at that job. I promise, it was not a mean yell, it was an encouraging yell, and I had to yell because the music was cranking in that cycling room at the gym. Yes, I was a gym rat…and I loved it. The gym is my happy place.
Throughout my years of teaching fitness classes, I saw so many women who felt like they didn't belong. They struggled with different insecurities and challenges that life threw at them. And unfortunately, the environment to get healthier wasn't always helpful because, shocker, the gym is not always a female-friendly environment.
When I heard that a new gym for women was opening up, I wanted to give the owner, Shelly Walker, a huge hug because I know so many women who truly need this. That hug hasn't happened yet but I did have a little Q & A session with her about her new place:
Q. So, Shelly, how long have you lived in Rochester? A. Born and Raised!
Q. What was the moment when you realized your dream was to open up [Switch] Fitness? A. This dream has been building for a few years now, but looking back, I would say that the moment it started was over 7 years ago when I made the decision in my own life to truly start prioritizing my health. That meant looking in the mirror and being incredibly honest with myself and starting to focus on more innerwork over everything else. I have always enjoyed being physically active but struggled with maintaining a healthy weight, body image, and balanced nutrition throughout life.
I was a working mom of two and at an all-time low as far as prioritizing myself goes. I needed to make some changes. It took over a year but by incorporating consistent exercise and making sustainable changes with nutrition (and more importantly starting to break down my triggers with nutrition), I lost over 80 pounds. It was tough but I gained confidence by going through the tough and unlocked a better version of myself – for my husband, my kids, my friends, my co-workers, for MYSELF!
I decided to bring [Switch] to life because I am so passionate about helping women who want to better themselves and would prefer a space that focuses on females. At the end of the day, no matter who you are or what your health or fitness looks like, we are all in this together!
Q. Where is [Switch] Fitness located? A. [Switch] Fitness is located at 6101 Rome Circle NW in Rochester, Minnesota.
Q. What will you be offering at the studio for women? classes, individual sessions, seminars? A. [Switch] stands for Supporting Women In Their Continued Health. We will focus on this through small group fitness classes, and nutrition coaching and will continue to collaborate with a variety of experts to provide education on health and wellness issues specifically related to females.
Q. What type of equipment can be found at your fitness studio? A. If you come to [Switch], you will find dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, medicine balls, slam balls, resistance bands, plyo boxes, jump ropes, cardio equipment (bikes, rowers, ski ergs), and my personal favorite – battle ropes! Our workouts are 60 minutes and focus on a combination of strength building and endurance through functional movement.
Q. One question that seems to be an issue for a lot of women…do you have childcare at your location? A. We do not offer childcare at our studio. In fact, we do now allow children under the age of 13 at the studio. This was a tough decision, but ultimately, when women come to workout we want them to be focused on the workout, on themselves, on moving safely etc. We do not want distractions. This is their time and we want them to prioritize themselves when they are here. We will give them 100% of our efforts at every class and when they walk in, we want them to do the same. We plan to offer some special kids events here and there!
Q. What would you say to a woman who has struggled with the journey or with finding a place to help her get healthy? A. I would say keep fighting for yourself – you are worth it. The journey never really ends and every day there are decisions that need to be made to support the goals you have set for yourself. Life will ALWAYS provide struggles, ups and downs, distractions, and at no point will there all of a sudden be extra time in the day or more energy given.
Prioritizing movement should be viewed as a scheduled doctor's appointment – you schedule it, put it in your calendar, and then show up for the appointment. The struggle will feel less like a struggle as you continue to consistently put in the work with establishing good habits and routines. More importantly, going through all of it together inside a supportive, positive, uplifting group of females who are going through exactly the same thing makes it so much better, enjoyable and sustainable through life!
If you love live music, coffee, pastries, and want a sneak peek at the brand new [Switch] Fitness in Rochester, Minnesota, stop by the grand opening on Saturday, October 29th, from 9 am until 11 am.
I love sharing good news and filling your newsfeed up with stories that make us smile. If you've got a good news type of story or just know of a place opening, send me a message on my Facebook page – Jessica On The Radio – or an e-mail at jessica.williams@townsquaremedia.com, I'd love to chat!