Member Spotlight: Hannah Melenbrink
We are very excited to feature Hannah Melenbrink for our member spotlight this month. Hannah is a long time member who consistently shows up for herself. Some of us will even remember that Hannah was a coach at Forward Fitness, before kids.
We asked Hannah to tell us a little bit about herself before Forward Fitness and this is what she shared, “I grew up in St. Louis- specifically sunset hills. I started playing soccer in first grade and played every year until Jr Varsity in high school. Moving my body has always been important to me- I just feel better if I can do something daily, even if it’s just walking my dog.”
Hannah has three great reasons for making health and fitness an important part of her lifestyle, “Forward fitness’ emphasis on functional strength is a perfect match for my lifestyle. Being able to keep up with my 3 active boys as they grow up is what pushes me to keep up with my work outs.”
We love finding out how our members find Forward Fitness, this is how Hannah found us, “My friend told me about a really fun gym she joined near me that she thought I’d like- and she was right! At that point in my life I was doing class pass and experimenting with what type of work outs I liked most. I loved (and still do) the small classes with a variety of different work out styles- HIIT, functional strength, tabbata, etc.”
When we asked Hannah how she has overcome challenges she shared, “My relationship with going to the gym has not been consistent over the years. Between having and raising three boys and working through some health issues, I’ve had to, at times, take months off. Through it all though the coaches at Forward Fitness kept checking in on me and made it known they were there for me whenever I was ready to get back at it. And after going back with each baby I had a deeper appreciation for what FF contributed to my life.”
She also tells us how she has been able to make her health and fitness a priority in her busy like, “I’m at the point in my work out career that I notice it impacting my mood if I go too many days without working out. With that being said the external accountability Forward Fitness offers has helped me out of slumps several times.”
This is the advice that Hannah would give to someone thinking about adding a fitness routine to their life, “Do it! Getting into the habit can be hard but once it’s part of your routine you’ll find yourself looking forward to going. Having gym buddies at a good gym (both of which I’ve found with FF) will always help, but at the end of the day they can only be a multiplier. You have to be ready to show up and put in the work.”
We always like to ask if our members have any fun facts to add, this is Hannah’s, “I think if I had to I could do that thing where a mom lifts a car off her toddler.” I don’t doubt that she could. Thank you Hannah for being a part of our Fit Fam and for sharing a little bit about yourself with us.