December Member Spotlight

Each month we will be highlighting one of our amazing Forward Fam members. Get to know members and their experience with health and fitness. Afterall it is so much more than a number on a scale. It’s about the process, building habits, finding a supportive community, and living stronger, healthier, and happier lives. 

Without further ado our December Member Spotlight is… Kelly Hoffman!

I remember meeting with Kelly for her initial strategy session. She had an eagerness and excitement to get started with FIT Camps. We both ended up going to C. Oliver later that day and Kelly was already wearing her Forward Fitness Maplewood Strong shirt. It made me smile and get even more excited that she was now part of our Forward Fam. I love meeting people who get excited about fitness and want to challenge themselves. 

Growing up and through college Kelly was always active, whether it was playing soccer or running she found that it was a great way to make friends, stay in shape, challenge herself, and stay mentally sharp! Her life experience furthered solidified these ideas and stressed how important staying active is for her long term health and injury prevention

It may seem easy to stay active when no obstacles arise. But, at some point we are all faced with challenges. It may be finding time after a major change in your schedule or not knowing what to do to get the results you want. For Kelly it was an injury.Throughout her active childhood Kelly was able to avoid injury. However that injury free streak ended a little over a year ago. Kelly hurt her lower right back and hip right before joining Forward Fitness. She attributes it to skipping out on proper warm ups, stretching, and cooling down. This was the first time she experienced debilitating pain. It hurt to stand, walk, run, workout, and pretty much do anything. It would have been easy to call it quits and let this setback get the best of her, but that’s not Kelly. 

One of the amazing qualities Kelly possesses is her determination. She chose to move forward. She got the needed medical attention and joined Forward Fitness with the goal to strengthen her core and back and increase her hip flexibility. Her clear objective, consistent attendance, and attention to form allowed her to accomplish these goals. Kelly even reported “everything feeling the best it has in a really long time.”

Kelly just celebrated her one year anniversary at Forward Fitness and still consistently attends classes or does our live streams. What an awesome accomplishment! The first month of a new fitness routine is shiny and new, but what keeps someone consistently working out over a year later? For Kelly seeing actual progress in her strength and injury recovery played a big role in holding herself accountable and staying consistent. She also embraced fun activities at Forward Fitness like the Summer/Winter Games and 100 Workout Challenge! 

I love learning about what others get excited about and what they are proud of when it comes to their health and fitness. For Kelly, it was staying consistent with her workouts during the Stay at Home Order. Even though going to the gym was not an option, she joined in on the live stream classes. Kelly said that this was crucial to her mental and physical health. Kelly also mentioned being happy that she accomplished the 100 Workout Challenge, seeing progress in her kettlebell swings, and going up in weight in other exercises. Kelly has worked her way up to dumbbell press the 50 pounders! WOW! Not 25 lbs in each hand, but 50 lbs in each!  

Kelly’s advice to anyone contemplating adding fitness to their life: “Do it! Whether I’ve had a good or bad day at work going into a class where I see recognizable faces and instructors always helps! I would also add that the classes at Forward Fitness go a long ways to making you feel better mentally and physically.”

Congrats to Kelly on her consistency, dedication, determination, and growth mindset!