A Soul in Motion
What was a reflection on a life-changing moment for me, has evolved into a community wide experience! Here is the post I wrote a few months ago, detailing my experiences at (r)evolve cycling, one of our website sponsors. Susie, the owner, then had the brilliant idea of featuring one of her riders each month. Sharing their story, hoping to inspire others to believe in their ability to positively change their lives.
So now, I reflect again! This time on how following your passion, believing in your dreams and your power to see them through can be the most rewarding experience ever. Returning to my love of writing, having faith in my potential at this time in my life has made all the difference. I feel alive and empowered by my choices and more importantly, for the possibilities ahead. This life is a gift and I am grateful…
It’s Monday morning! Like most Mondays I’m clipped in and dancing away on my bike at (r)evolve cycling. Susie, the founding partner with her husband Tony, is leading the ride. In that moment it hit me like one of the awesome beats reverberating through me – this place had completely changed my life!
When I ventured into my first class, just 18 months ago at the insistence of my girlfriend Jeannine, I was ‘skinny fat’. It was a term I’d learned a few months earlier when I began working with Lexington- based nutritionist Beth Kronenberg, owner of KitchenShift. I was nearly vegan and not consuming enough calories to maintain a healthy mind and body. As an athlete I’d always been in tune with my body. I began to notice the changes in my muscle structure and overall coloring. Grey and soft! This led me to Beth. We changed my diet and the next step for me was to get back to work! Working out, that is.
After one month at (r)evolve I was hooked. My body composition a year and half later has changed dramatically, as have my energy and moods. But this is where it all comes together. Actually the studio is where we all come together and that is what moved me so on this particular Monday. Susie’s energy not only makes the class more fun than a workout should ever be, she is inspiring to all her “kids” in the class in ways she may never come to fully realize. We all know this is an incredibly special environment. There is no turning back once you’ve entered the “Boom Boom Nation”.
I’m surrounded by a few peers, but mostly college kids and women far younger than I, just one of the key points that I love about the experience. As the mom of two twenty-something boys I can tell you that my relationships with my kids, their friends and the young adults I meet are what give me hope and joy in my life everyday. I’ve developed beautiful friendships with women just beginning their journey into motherhood and “adulting.” Their passion for life inspires me beyond words.
I travel so much, spinning makes it easy to maintain my personal commitment to working out. There are great studios in virtually every city. But none quite like (r)evolve. I rather think it’s because of the community Susie and Tony have created. It is a rare gift in the saturated and ever-changing health and fitness world. They’ve built a family – a home for all of us hoping to do something to better ourselves the best way we can. And we have a damn good time doing it!