I didn’t realize how important it was to me to be apart of a community until I became a stay at home mom. Suddenly, my community was reduced to me, my husband and my baby. And honestly, my baby was pretty ornery most of the time. Not working outside the home meant fewer interactions, fewer opportunities and reasons to talk to other people. It became really isolating.

I’ve always enjoyed working out, but always struggled to do it consistently and kids only compounded that issue. When Isla was about 8 months old, I was introduced to Moms Run This Town. We’ve talked about our love for MRTT, so I won’t go too far into it, but it connected me with an amazing network of like minded women. Being immersed in a community of women who valued making time for themselves and it showed me it was worth prioritizing.

Then Nolan was born and I was taken out of the game for a bit. Changes happened in my little core group (more babies, moves, preschool schedules) and our group disbanded. After Nolan was born, I began trail running, but with a husband with the most unpredictable schedule known to man and two toddlers, it became next to impossible to get out for trail runs. You can’t push a stroller on a single track dirt trail! I did my best to get stroller runs in, but my kids just get heavier and heavier and while I’m not afraid to run in the rain, it’s another thing to make your kids do it.

We tried the traditional gym route, and it worked for a while. I always struggled because while I’d say I have a moderate level of fitness, I never really knew what to do at a gym when left to my own devices. Doing it all on my own was so daunting that most of the time I did a quick 10 minute circuit and called it good. I was frustrated from missing that sense of community, lack of physical outlet and feeling like my life was dictated by my kids’ never ending list of demands. Spoiler- my kids still dictate my life!

I knew what I wanted- a community of people dedicated to making healthy choices (with some moderation thrown in there too) that would motivate me, a fun atmosphere and a coach or trainer to just tell me what to do so I didn’t give up before I even started. We heard about Kaia FIT through MRTT because a lot of women are members of both.

Kaia FIT is a women’s fitness program that specializes in delivering personalized training in a group setting. Their mission is to create strong bodies and powerful minds by focusing on nutrition, movement, and ongoing support. I love that they also have a nutrition component because a healthy lifestyle is more than just a grueling workout. If you are still hitting the drive thru every day, not much is going to change! I also love that Kaia FIT Roseville/Orangevale is owned by two women, Amy and Leslie. Kaia FIT is definitely women powered, which I think makes it that much more approachable for women.

After trying Kaia FIT for six weeks, I can say I’ve found the fitness community I’ve been looking for! The workouts are tailored to me, the coaches are incredibly knowledgable and supportive and the environment is so welcoming and positive!

Kaia FIT is so much more than a gym where you scan your card, spend 20 minutes on the treadmill, never speak to anyone, and then head home. The fitness community Amy and Leslie created is such an asset and if you’ve been looking for a place like this, the search is over! Here are all the reasons why you need a fitness community like Kaia FIT!

There is power in numbers. The positive attitude at Kaia FIT is infectious. I am a natural complainer, so at first, I wanted to say all my snarky comments as I was doing whatever dreaded exercise it was. But after a while, the positive attitude of everyone else won me over. It’s so much easier to do something that sucks when other people are doing it too!

You will work harder. When I workout on my own, I give up so much faster. But, add a few sets of eyeballs on me and guess who’s suddenly got a little more gas in the tank? And working harder means better results! I’m also a pretty competitive person, so having someone right next to me doing the same thing automatically pushes me.

There is more accountability. To attend a Kaia class, you need to register in advance on the app. I swear I read somewhere that you can’t cancel within an hour of the class starting (If that’s wrong, don’t tell me because it’s getting my butt there!), so once you’re registered, you may as well go! The more regularly you go, the more likely a coach is to notice you were missing, which definitely helps me stay accountable too! I was out for almost two weeks when Flu-maggedon hit our house and I got an email encouraging me to come back. That is just the kind of accountability I need! If I know someone is noticing I haven’t gone, I’m way more likely to go back!

Being around like minded people makes the changes easier. The past six weeks is the most consistently I’ve ever worked out in my life outside of training for a race. I’ve always wanted to be someone who works out consistently, but I have never found the right fit and I need someone to do it with me. Misery loves company, right? Kaia gave me a built in group of people who all wanted to do the same thing I do. It wasn’t weird that I was going to the gym so much, because they were too. It wasn’t weird that I wanted to make healthier food choices because these people were too.

If you’ve been looking for a fitness community, we cannot recommend Kaia FIT enough. If you are in the Roseville area, you can try them out for free until January 6th! They’re also starting a 6 week BRIK bootcamp on January 7th if you’re looking for a jumpstart for 2019!

If you’re not local, be sure to still check them out. There are over 40 locations nationally!

Contribuded by Heather from www.okayestmoms.com. Check out her blog for more great info!