Thank you BeatboxFIT

If you know me well, then you know I love my husband, my kids, the beach, my book club, and Sweedish fish.  If you know me super well, then you know I’ve been going to BeatboxFIT for a while, and I talk about it all the time.  And if we’re really close, then I’ve dragged you along to a class, and we’ve died together.

I have always been the tall girl with long legs.  Being a size 6-8 was easy for me.  And, then I had a baby.  Your body changes and stretches and then tries to ooze back together in some sort of form.  It can be a disaster, and it can make you feel like a blob of skin, fat, and leftover baby flab.  I met Ellen and what would become BeatboxFIT when Granger was a few months old.  I had to do something to regain myself back

Why would anyone choose burpees, squats, jumps, push-ups three times a week.  Why would anyone pay to pee her pants on a regular basis in front of other women in Spandex?  That’s a great question.  Here’s why.

BeatboxFIT started as a dream of a girl who believed that fitness could bring people together.  Ellen is a fun, spunky, and incredibly strong woman who encourages others while she makes them jump, burpee, jump, burpee.  She is passionate about what she does.  She has trusted God to provide the place, money, and people.  Her family has made sacrifices for people’s health in Nashville, including mine.  Ellen has created a space that is safe for people to modify, drip sweat, and wear non-name brand work out clothes that cost more than her class packages.  Ellen is powerful and a consistent friend who’s real about life, working out, and post-baby bodies.  She's created a team of people who believe what she believes, and they are all incredible.  Shoutout to all the instructors who give of themselves to change Nashville's health.

BeatboxFIT has created a community of Moms that I’ve yet to find anywhere else.  Our kids play together during class, and the moms complain about bedtimes, sickness, potty training, and school drop off.  We sweat together and somehow feel closer as if we were going through some sort of initiation together.  This class is the only place in Nashville where we aren’t competing.  We encourage each other to work hard and play even harder.  Our ages and sizes are all different, but we don’t even notice.  Some of Fin and Granger’s best friends are from BeatboxFIT, and they beg to go.  Ellen has worked to make BeatboxFIT affordable, so for $1.50 a kid, I’ll take it.  It’s also a much needed mommy break from whining, fighting, and hide n seek.  In our house, if you make sad choices and can’t go to BeatboxFIT, you can expect the biggest tantrum, which will include kicking and screaming.  Being a mom can feel isolating when you don’t have other moms that understand.  These moms get it, and we care about one another through top 20 songs that make us stronger for those little ones.

BeatboxFit is a spiritual place.  At the end of each class, we pray.  I’ve realized how thankful I am for a body that moves, and that I’m able to move my muscles and bones in ways I didn’t know I could.  I have come to see my body in a whole new way.  As women, it’s no secret that we struggle with comparison, self-hatred, and unhappiness over our bodies.  This is the biggest way BeatboxFIT has affected my life.  I am stronger and in better shape than I’ve ever been.  Even better shape than before I carried those babies.  I can do things that I didn’t know were possible for me.  But I pushed and pushed and didn’t give up and kept coming.  Yes, I modify every song, but it’s my own workout, and I am proud of what I can do.  It’s a habit, not a quick fix, and my body is changing.  All of a sudden, a number on a scale isn’t important. 

There are things we yell every class:

1.     Are you here to get skinny?  No, we’re here to get healthy.

2.     Are you here to get comfortable?  No

3.     We don’t care about your age or body type

I didn’t know this was possible, but after years of hearing that 3x a week, I have come to believe that it really isn’t about being a size 2.  I still see imperfections, and I still have moments of insecurity.  But I see my body as strong, and I am proud of what I have accomplished.  Yes, I’ve lost 38 pounds, but I am more proud of the hard work I’ve done to get there.  I have more energy for my kids. I am more confident as a woman, and I want my sons to see a woman who talks about her body as a gift from God, not about how much weight she need to lose.  This class and community have made me more grateful and more happy and proud to be who I am.

This New Years, I don’t have any resolutions, because I’ve lived it the past 2 years.  So, I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.  Keep putting on those TJ Maxx workout pants and Old Navy tanks and show up to get my heart rate up, to make myself stronger, and continue to create my healthiest self.

If you want to try it out, let me know.  Packages are 25% off right now, so you know I’m stocking up!

 Happy 2016 everyone!