• I bought a Peloton during the pandemic but it turned into a clothing rack.
• I had tried all kinds of workouts and nothing stuck, but I also wasn’t happy with my postpartum body.
• I discovered Orange Theory through a friend, and I just completed my 250th class.

I am not an athlete. It isn’t for a lack of trying, though.

As a kid, I tried to dance, but my coordination was off. I attempted gymnastics and even baton twirling (again, no coordination). I played soccer consistently for years, only continuing to make the team because I was able to kick the ball far. I could barely run, and my breath left my lungs before I could make real progress in any sort of athletic activity.

During my college years, when being thin was my only priority, I spent hours in the gym, but I hated every second of it. Still, I was always trying to get myself to love fitness. As an adult, I have tried it all: hot yoga, boxing, pilates, barre, spinning — if there was a fitness trend going on, I was in the class trying hard to fall in love with it.

Of course, none of it stuck

I didn’t want to hold on to my postpartum body

Then, I had kids. My husband and I bought a Peloton for the house, hoping that would be the end of my search for a fitness regime I would stick to. The pandemic offered me an opportunity not to have the “time” excuse anymore and I did enjoy my spin classes for quite some time. But eventually, that Peloton became a (very expensive) clothing rack that now takes up precious space in our bedroom.

I was at a point in my search where I had tried it all — aside from the more intense workouts like Crossfit, which scared me way too much to try, I was seemingly out of options. But my mental health was suffering, and my postpartum body was not something I wanted to hold onto.

My best friend had recently started Orange Theory classes and was trying to get me to join. But I looked at Orange Theory as one of those scary options I would never consider — it seemed like you had to be an athlete to go to those classes, and I am not an athlete.

I finally tried Orange Theory

After months of my friend wearing me down, and slightly out of desperation, I signed up for a trial class. My nerves were explosive. I spent the night picturing a class of uber-fit men and women who would laugh at me when I couldn’t figure out how to use a rower machine.

But as soon as I stepped into the studio, I realized I was wrong.

The members were of all shapes and sizes and the coaches were calm and explained in detail what I could expect from my first class. Suddenly, I could breathe a bit easier.

Once the class started, I immediately realized that even if I couldn’t figure out how to use the rower, it would be unlikely that any of the other members at the studio would even notice. Everyone was focused on themselves, which made my nerves disappear rather quickly.

I would later learn that my first class was one of their signature classes called Everest, which mimics a climb up Mount Everest and is thus considered one of their hardest formats. The idea that I was able to complete the entire class without falling off the treadmill or passing out (although I did feel like I might), gave me the confidence to go back again. And again. And again.

I now love working out

It has now been over a year since I first walked into Orange Theory. I recently completed my 250th class and I can officially say that fitness is not just something I strive to love, but something that has become part of my everyday routine.

When I started, running for more than two minutes was an impossible feat. Now, I am signing up for 5K’s and half marathons. I run faster, I lift heavier, and I leave each class with a mental clarity and a newfound stamina that I never had before.

Beyond the fitness aspect, my health has improved. I no longer worry about longevity or keeping up with my kids. My cholesterol dropped over 50 points and I am finally able to see beyond my physical appearance and realize how much fitness impacts other areas of my life.

In the past, I worked out and attended fitness classes to lose weight. Now, I show up to Orange Theory to start my day off right, to challenge myself physically and mentally, and to show my girls that you don’t have to be an athlete, or be super thin, to be fit. I am now, to my huge surprise, the type of person who wakes up before 6 a.m . everyday to get a workout in. I am the type of person who runs four miles during a family vacation before everyone else gets up — not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to.

Swallowing my fear and walking into Orange Theory one year ago may not have turned me into an athlete — I still cannot run and kick a ball at the same time if my life depended on it — but it did turn me into a fitness lover. And in the end, that’s enough for me.