When you come home from the gym maybe you sync your FitBit on your MacBook Pro and review that journey your heart rate just took to elevate the total number of calories you burned in Circuit.

Maybe you logged the exercise you did in MyFitnessPal to see how many calories you may have burned (because there’s no way MyFitnessPal knows the intensity you exerted, the sweatshirt you wore, the temperature in the room, or the warm up you did that had you dripping sweat).

Rest assured it doesn’t matter because we own calorie burning. If there are better group fitness classes in the area let us know. We know we own calorie burning because the towels we clean after class look like they were dragged along the floor of a sauna for an hour, not on somebody’s neck.

Now that calorie burning is accounted for, let’s shine a light on what goes on after your gym experience.

Does it stick with you?

That feeling you get.

That social high when everyone around you is your best friend.

That mental high leaving you happier than you’ve ever felt.

That sense of overwhelming content and clarity resulting in healthy eating and a new perspective.

Does it stick with you?

It stuck with one of our former 6 Week Transformation Challenge participants and current member, Paula Harland. Sure she started with weight loss, but look at her before and after pictures.

She’s GLOWING in that after picture. As she describes it…

Long story short, I have worked in a highly stressful leadership role for the past 13 years all the while trying to maintain some sort of work life balance. But, while trying to be there for my family and trying to solve all the problems at work, I forgot about myself. I lost touch with friends, let go of things that I enjoyed doing, and I was beginning to feel a bit out of control. I wasn't feeling good about myself. It took my former boss to tell me to join this gym (NexLevel)...that it did her a world of good and that I should check it out. So, even though I've never been a gym-goer, I did it. I walked in, signed up and I have absolutely NO REGRETS. Yes, I am eating healthier and I've lost weight but, more importantly, my mind is sharper, my energy level is higher, my stress level is lower, I'm more patient, I sleep better and I am more confident and self-assured. When I'm at the gym, I forget about work and home and only focus on ME. I push myself for a better me. During my workout, I am overall more mindful - that is, I live in that moment and I allow other thoughts to pass through my mind without stressing over them. And, as a bonus to all of this, I've met a great group of people who share the same commitment to better themselves. Going to the gym is now the highlight of my day and I feel jipped if I don't get there.

So keep the FitBit if it motivates you and keep tracking your calories if it helps you stay consistent. But by all means enjoy yourself when you’re sweating.

Try taking a workout lightly and joke around with people (safely please).

See how many new people you can strike up a conversation with before and after classes this week. Hearing their story may motivate you.

*Thanks for letting us share your story and pictures, Paula! We love having you in class and couldn’t be happier to see your daughter, Lori, working hard and learning a healthy approach to nutrition. *

Beyond the Calories: a true story

Rest assured it doesn’t matter because we own calorie burning. If there are better group fitness classes in the area let us know. We know we own calorie burning because the towels we clean after class look like they were dragged along the floor of a sauna for an hour, not on somebody’s neck.