Shred415.

I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try...

Shred415 has been my go-to workout since it opened in 2011. I was naturally drawn to the format of the class. It was highly intense and challenged me to do more than my regular workouts at any old gym. This class was made for someone with a competitive nature!

I could have had the worst day at work and then go take a Shred415 class and 60 minutes later leave feeling like I had accomplished the world. I quickly went from finishing class around a 9.0-10.0 speed to eventually a 12-13! I felt fast. I felt like I was back to my high school athlete days. I left every class on a high like no other. Pretty amazing right?

It's no surprise that Shred415 is an unreal workout. It was then in 2011 and it is even more so now in 2018. As some of you know, it's also been my place of work since shortly after opening. From working the front desk and working as an Assistant Manager to now teaching these amazing high energy classes myself, I'd say it's a company I enjoy working for. However, it's more than that. It's more than a workout. It's more than a job.

Now that I have a child, I can see this more clearly. I can bring Claire to Shred415 while I either teach or workout. When I drop her off in that Kids Room, I know that she is going to have the time of her life and that she is getting top notch quality care. For new moms especially, this is a HUGE relief. It's your worry-free hour to get out of the house on a cold dreary day when your child is literally driving you nuts. It's your hour to have "silence" from all the cries and lullaby nursery rhymes. I mean THEY EVEN CHANGE DIAPERS. You can get an hour FREE from diapers!!! That is actually worth $1 MILLION dollars right now with how funky Claire's are getting these days (sorry TMI). Ok,  you get my drift. It's pretty amazing. Shred415 is such a family oriented fitness community. It's not just a workout, it's not just a job and it's not just a daycare. It's a safe place.

Of course I love teaching classes at Shred415 and I really do get a high every time I get on that mic. Not only do I get to step out of my comfort zone, but I get to help others do the same. We are a team. We are in it together. I am "teaching" my class, but it's a joint effort the entire time. We are building off each other, we are growing with one another and we are challenging ourselves to push past our limits and create that change we so want to see. To be a better athlete or instructor. To work harder. To motivate to the max. To run faster. To get stronger both mentally and physically. To workout with intent. To be mindful and patient with our bodies. To see in yourself what you seem to crave and see in others. To remain focused. To be happy. To feel safe. To feel loved and appreciated and to then appreciate the other 30 people working so hard around you. It's about feeling all of those feelings we sometimes don't necessarily take the time to REALLY feel.

Shred415 is more than a workout. It's about feeling that excitement or anxiety you get when you walk in that door and then that overwhelming sense of joy and exhaustion you experience when you leave. No matter what that feeling is when you enter or exit Shred415, you get to feel alive.

ALIVE. Now that's worth it.

Keep on Keepin' on,

TM