Jillian

How did you begin your journey at (MDR) and when? The first time I ever took a MDR class was back in 2016! I was visiting a friend before moving to Los Angeles and she gave me one of her passes. I remember I was almost too sore to walk for the next two days. Once I moved to LA, I was hooked and made it part of my workout routine and I’ve been here ever since.

How has your perspective on fitness and wellness evolved over your time at (MDR) ? Working out for me has always been about de-stressing and maintenance. I’ve always been very active and enjoyed playing sports and trying new activities. When I was in my 20s a workout routine was something that helped me manage my stress and gave me confidence in myself. Not only to feel good about my appearance, but to mentally push myself to do hard things and come out the other side stronger. Now that I am in my 30s, I don’t need to do the hardest workout (although this IS the hardest workout). It’s more about staying healthy and taking care of my body so I can keep doing this for many decades.

Have you encountered any new challenges in maintaining your fitness routine and how have you overcome them? Yes! Covid was a huge challenge for many reasons, but the fitness and stress management piece was a hurdle that required me to be more creative. Working out alone at home was not motivating for me so I transitioned to walking and biking outside. I had to get used to less intense workouts since I am not great at pushing myself without an instructor there to encourage me. As soon as the outdoor classes were offered I bounced back, but the lack of community and not being in a class where I have to stay for the full time was challenging.

What role has The Studio (MDR) continued to play in your fitness journey? Studio MDR has been such a huge part of my fitness journey. Most recently, I injured my knee dancing and when I began PT I was able to recover a lot faster because of the strength I had built from working out at the Studio regularly. I had done pilates for years prior to the Studio, but once I started taking classes regularly in 2016 I noticed a change in my endurance, overall functional strength, and the outline of a 6 pack for the first time ever.

How do you stay motivated to keep up with your fitness goals? The late cancel fee keeps me in check. I would rather drag myself out of bed at 5am than have to lose money for not showing up.

How do you balance your fitness goals with other aspects of your life? Plan ahead! I schedule all my workouts as soon as I can and build my mornings around it. I know if I don’t make time for myself I have a much harder time staying consistent.

What advice would you give to others who are working towards their fitness goals? Find something that you actually LIKE doing. I have tried so many workouts over the years and a lot of them I just didn’t like so it felt like a chore to go to that class or the gym, etc. If you like it, it’ll be one of the best parts of your day and you won’t skip. Also, if you can get a friend to go with you that helps. An alternative that I have found has been to make friends with the people you see all the time at the same class as you. I can rarely convince my friends to workout on “the medieval torture device” that is the Megaformer, so it’s nice to have friends AT the classes I take regularly.