This has been a long time coming, but our fitness series, How Do You Sweat, is complete! Over the past few weeks, Jess and I have traipsed from one side of town to the other – all in the pursuit of fitness discovery.
If you’ll remember, I’m the one that got us into this mess when I made the “mistake” of telling Jess I was feeling physically weak and unfit, and I was achingly bored by my workouts.
Here we are several weeks later and I’m feeling much stronger. Sore as hell too, but definitely stronger. And like so many adventures Jess and I get into, this one brought us so much more than just physical strength.
First off, we decided to reimagine what the term “workout” means. Remember recess when you were a kid? It may have only been half an hour; but, as a child, you were able to cross galaxies – and work up quite a sweat while you were at it.
That’s how we chose to approach this challenge. Asheville was our playground, and our inspiration.
We started by getting recommendations from you, our readers. Then we got testimonies from some featured fitness influencers, and personally tested others. Make sure to check the list below in case you missed any!
We did get to try a few fun workouts that we hadn’t heard of before starting this series. Unfortunately, we met these brilliant folks after we had established our editorial calendar, but you can bet we will be covering these and others in the near future. So a huge thanks and a see you soon goes out to:
Nico at Riveroak Fitness. Swift Bootcamp with DJ Rexxstep was tough, but an absolute blast.
Jenn at Rogue Combat Club. Cardio Kickboxing sounded real cool, and we were getting along great, until it came time for abs…
Marybeth the Sun-saluting yogini. I’m always down for some yoga so she might be my favorite. But seriously, without her I would have been too sore to walk, and she taught us some new moves.
And to all the folks sweating it out alongside us over the past few weeks, it’s been a pleasure!! I’m looking at you Arlene! And you Rebecca!!
BUT DON’T WAIT FOR US! If you look back at our Instagram posts and stories from the last month, you’ll be ready to check these gyms out for yourself! Then you can tell us what you think!
This brings me to the best part, which always seems to happen in this curious city. The gyms and workouts we discovered weren’t half as cool as the people doing them.
It’s been inspiring and uplifting to meet these folks and hear their stories. Among all, the message remains the same: Asheville provides plenty of opportunities for people to get fit in a fun, safe, judgement-free environment.
PRO-TIP: If you’re interested in trying a new gym or workout, contact them about deals. Whether it’s a drop-in class, or a month-long trial, most places offer something for first-timers.
Also, you can always dive in on an 828-Strong card, which gives you access to three gyms, as well as discounts to several other local businesses. We learned about this at Scorch, and highly recommend you contact them, Well fit, or Pure Yoga obtaining one.
If you have any lingering questions about our recent shenanigans, be sure to leave us a comment or send us a message. We still want to know “how do you sweat”?