A Mom's Journey Back to the Gym

After having kids, Jessica, an actuary in downtown Toronto, realized, like many other parents, that she never had “me” time in the evenings and wanted to get back into the gym. So, she returned to the Adelaide Club in 2017, adding midday workouts to her schedule. Originally drawn to the Club because of its stellar downtown location, she has stayed because of the Club’s wonderful Members, finding a great under and over 30 crowd to connect with.

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“I love the Adelaide Club because of the team…Feeling included makes a huge difference.”

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Jessica didn’t just return to the Adelaide Club with general workout and fitness goals in mind. Sure, she wanted to lose weight and strengthen her abs, but it was about more than that. As a mom, she needed to rebuild her foundation. While pregnant, her abs had separated and in the years since having her kids (high-energy 3 and 6 year old boys) she’s been tough on her body and suffers from alignment issues.

This led her to Pilates (and working with Tracy) to re-strengthen her body and improve her alignment. After almost a year and a half of adding Pilates to her weekly workouts, Jessica is feeling stronger and credits this modality as being one of the most important parts of her fitness journey.

She also says that the consistent motivation provided by her trainers has helped her to lift heavier weights and, together, they’re building towards achieving her intangible fitness goals – increasing her weights, jumping higher on her box jumps, lifting more, and stretching more. In all honesty, Jessica just wants to work towards being better and stronger.

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The three words that best describe the Adelaide Club: team, fun, & spirited

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There is one ultimate fitness goal she’s striving towards – being able to do 5 pull-ups. Jessica went so far as to put this goal in writing to Peter; she can do tons of pull-ups with bands and probably 2 right now without the bands, but there’s still work to do. Thankfully, she’s got the best motivation waiting for her at home.

Having enough energy to do everything she wants (and needs) to do during the day has to be balanced with keeping up with her boys. She’s found that working out during the day has helped to increase her energy and allows her to sleep better at night – both of which are essential for the mom of two.

And while Jessica’s motivations for getting fit may not match yours, she’s got some great tips and recommendations for those starting – or kickstarting – their fitness journey:

• Have a plan. If you like group classes, research the Club’s offerings and find the ones you’re going to regularly attend. Then, attend them.
• Don’t be afraid to try something new. Always be open to other disciplines and other types of movement. For example, do more than just barbells, try Pilates or yoga and use your own body.
• Mix up your workout. Don’t just repeat the same workout day in and day out. Your results will plateau and you’ll find yourself stuck and unmotivated.
• Get out of your desk. Consider midday workouts to increase your energy for the rest of the day.

Jessica’s story may not be exactly like yours. I mean a few of her favourite workout songs are Blackstreet & Dr. Dre’s No Diggity and The Notorious B.I.G.’s Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems – which aren’t everybody’s idea of pump up songs. But what her story does remind us of is that we need to find (and hold onto) our motivation – whatever that might be – and surround ourselves with the best people to help us stick to our goals. Whether you’re working towards becoming your best self for you (and only you), or you want to be a stronger version of yourself for your family, let our team of experts help you to reach your goals this year.

In celebration of our 40^th year, we’re featuring members of our community, from longtime and new members, like Jessica, to our trainers and staff. Stay tuned for their stories all throughout the year and keep your eyes peeled for our newest campaigns featuring Jessica throughout the PATH and Club.