About a year ago, My friend Renee came to visit and dragged me to a workout class with her. She insisted I’d “LOVE it”. Sixty intense minutes of Orangetheory later, I was hooked.
I am [used to be] a runner. I can do straight cardio all day long. So going into the class I thought, this isn’t going to be that hard. After a few sprints (“All Outs” in Orangetheory lingo) on the treadmill at a 15% incline I was eating my words… or mainly just trying not to vomit. Then it was on to the rowers and the weight room. I should mention I HATE rowing. I’m not sure what it is about that machine that makes me want to kick it when I walk by! Alas, I have learned to tolerate it enough to get by, because I guess it’s a decent workout *insert eye roll*. And the weights… I’ve learned to love lifting as it is so I really enjoy that. Put it all together and it kicks my booty.
Although it’s a really hard workout, there are lots of options to suit any fitness level. This has been a blessing to me as I’ve had to cut back on workouts a little thanks to the fertility thing. They have options for walkers, joggers, and runners. None of which are easy, I might add, but doable for anyone who really wants to!
They also do a lot of motivational events, such as “Hell Week” as you can see from my finishers shirt in these photos. (I’m a little proud, can you tell?) It’s a week long of extra “fun” workouts and you get a shirt if you do five out of the seven days. The five out of seven days might not be a big deal to others, but I usually do two a week. Finishing five was intense. I had my eyes on the prize (shirt) though!
My very favorite part of Orangetheory (besides the motivation, good workouts, and fun music) is the fact that all over the country we are all doing the same workout on the same day. So I can text my friend in another neighborhood or another state to commiserate.
If you’re on the fence about it, go for it! I’ll be sweating right alongside you from Seattle.
