Merritt Clubs Blog

Calling all yoga lovers who want a little more from their workouts!

Calling all fitness newbies who need a good workout they can keep up with!

Calling all people looking for something fast-paced but low impact!

As an ultra-marathoner, group-fitness instructor and all-round cardio-junkie, I had a hard time sitting still physically and mentally. My body was always moving, and my mind was moving even faster, often on auto-pilot with a broken steering wheel. On a positive note, I was often referred to as “High-Energy” and on the flip side, I was occasionally referred to as “High-Strung” and an “Over-Thinker.” The thought of doing anything involving slowing down such as yoga or meditation had me joking that I would be unable to do anything like that because there was no way I could sit still and “my third eye would keep opening.” The only time my mind seemed quiet, other than when I was sleeping, was when I was deeply focused while training, running, teaching, or racing. I finally reached a point where the internal and external distractions of life were having a negative impact on me and my quality of life.

Spring is here! The promise of warmer days and cleaner homes. Now’s the time when we break out the vacuum cleaner and eliminate those dust bunnies. It takes work to deep clean our living space, so why not kill two birds with one stone by turning it into a workout?

I recently ordered my first LM Prep food delivery that arrived this Monday to the club. I had my reservations, "Will it taste good?", "Will it be fresh?", "Is it worth the cost?", "How big are the portions?". So, I thought, if I am questioning, then I may not be the only one.

Have you ever taken Zumba before? This may be a bold statement, but I have to put this out there - you don’t know true happiness until you have taken a Zumba class with Adontae.

There’s something magical about beginnings. Beginnings represent a clean slate and the opportunity to start fresh. For many of us, each new year marks this kind of beginning. We commit to new goals and a new way of being. We face the future with optimism and a can-do spirit.

I have to admit, I did it. When COVID-19 hit, the gym membership was one of the first things I cancelled. I panicked and thought of catching COVID from everyone sweating in the gym and figured that was the last place I wanted to be.

This February marks the end of a full year we have lived with coronavirus. And wow it has been hard. Hard physically, mentally, emotionally.

The answer is YES! Like many of you, I went into a sheer panic when I heard masks were mandated even when vigorously working out at all clubs except Eldersburg. Thoughts like “I am not going to be able to breathe and I am going to end up eating the mask when trying to talk while teaching” raced through my head. I was nervous to say the least, but I needed to wear a mask so I could keep myself and others safe.

“New Year, New Me.” What does that even mean? Okay, yeah 2020 was a tough year for everyone. But how does the new year, 2021, change you as a person? What is going to be new about you in one day? What are you going to be doing differently? Why does making a change on January 1^st become the time that we decide to make transformations? Why not tomorrow? Why not RIGHT NOW? Yes, I get it, the new year is like a fresh start that we attach next to this commitment, but why are we putting so much pressure on this “New Year” to be a better you? Why not start now? Why are we committed to making New Year’s resolutions just for this time of year? Yes, it is important to have a time frame for goals, but why do we tend to fall short? What is the missing puzzle piece?