Hello everyone!
Welcome to another edition of our Member of the Month series, where we feature some of the amazing people who are part of our Loyobo FIT family. We think it is important to share their stories to help inspire others and to celebrate their amazing accomplishments!
This month that member is Nadine Lozon, who is one of our VIP members. Nadine is the type of person that is willing to go above and beyond. Our instructor team and members is so impressed with her commitment to attend classes, try new things, push herself outside of her comfort zone and overall – her positive spirit and energy and how she has shown up to support us and encourage other members during these unprecedented times. She has shown us so much love and now we want to make sure she knows how much SHE means to US!
Her kindness, sense of humour, willingness to be open and honest makes her a joy to teach and we could not be more proud of her journey.
This month, NADINE, we celebrate YOU! We are so grateful to know you. Thank you for being a part of our family and for sharing your story with us!
How long have you been coming to Loyobo FIT and what initially inspired you to try a class?
“I started coming to Loyobo FIT in January 2019. I initially reached out to Courtney about personal training sessions after my old trainer shut her business. I was convinced I was not a fitness class person and needed one to one support to be held accountable to exercise. It only took about 6 weeks of gentle prodding and emailing from Courtney before I finally got myself together and tried my first Sculpt & Sweat class, trying something totally new by doing a group fitness activity.”
What are your top 3 health and fitness goals?
“These have changed pretty dramatically in the last few weeks since our world has been upended. Right now my goals are:
1) Maintain my physical strength and exercise routine as much as possible by accessing virtual classes. I need serious hand holding to complete my workouts at home – if I turn my camera off there’s a good chance I’ll take a break on the couch. So I’m working hard to put as much effort and intensity at home as I would at the studio.
2) Stretch more often, for longer and with more regularity.
3) Keep reframing how I think about my body and food/nutrition. Lately, I’ve gotten so tired of our society’s way of talking about peoples bodies as if they are for public consumption. Even kind, positive compliments on how someone looks or how their body has changed make me uncomfortable now. I’m working really hard to stop talking about the way anyone’s body looks, responds or behaves – starting with my kids because even though they are little now, I don’t want this to become habitual on my end, or expected on theirs. I am also working on not restricting myself with food (which is easier now!) and not assigning morality to food.”
What is one of the challenges that you have faced in your health/fitness journey? What have you found most helpful in working to overcome it?
“When I was pregnant with my eldest I developed a very sudden, very dangerous and debilitating complication that turned into a life long chronic health condition. I went from a healthy, super active adult to managing medications, the inability to walk, exercise restrictions, and fear – all on top of being a new mom. I didn’t even recognize myself and felt so far away from the person I used to be. What was most helpful for me in finding my new normal was having someone walk me through step by step, one program and exercise at a time, working with my limitations and giving me a road map to where I wanted to go. I’m so thankful for all the knowledge of the exercise professionals in my life!”
What was your life like before you started at Loyobo FIT? How did you feel about your body?
“Before I started at Loyobo FIT, I thought a lot about my body in terms of the way it looked often to the point of exhaustion. I was constantly comparing myself to others and felt like I was bigger, messier, less refined and less stylish than the people around me. This is hard to admit but I felt a bit superior if I encountered a situation where I didn’t have those feelings.”
What has changed since you joined the Loyobo Family and started coming to class regularly?
“My husband says I’m nicer to be around 🙂 I’ve changed the focus of my thinking from what I look like to what I can do with my body which has given me a lot more confidence and peace with myself. I’ve gotten stronger physically, become calmer and more mentally resilient and feel like I have expanded my community circle to include a whole bunch of inspiring and bad-ass people.”
What is your favorite memory or achievement of your time at Loyobo FIT?
“My favorite memory is the 3rd pound class I took with Lori because I finally felt like I could keep up with the choreography. I tried the Friday Happy Hour Pound Fit class in Summer 2019 and was…so…lost. When it came on the regular schedule, I challenged myself to see if I could finally get it – 3 classes in and I finally had that moment!”
What advice would you give to someone just starting their health and fitness journey?
“Find something you enjoy and do that – whatever it is. Don’t let anyone tell you that exercise and fitness need to come from a certain place or look a certain way. Embrace what you like and commit. Ask for help and lean on people who know what they are talking about.”
What is your favorite class and why?
“Tone and Flex – I like lifting heavy sh*t.”
What is your favorite inspirational quote?
“My favorite inspiring quote right now is “you don’t need permission to have your feelings”. I’ll credit my favorite mental health professional for that one 🙂 I think its especially important right now because in the chaos and fear that is our world right now, you don’t need to justify or explain how you feel to anyone. You’re entitled to feel how you feel and there is no right or wrong.”
Congratulations Nadine! You deserve this moment in the spotlight as we celebrate the awesomeness that is YOU. THANK YOU for including us as part of your journey and for sharing your story. Your resilience, lovely smile and incredibly positive presence inspires us all and we are so grateful to have you as part of our Loyobo Family!
Feeling inspired? You could be our next Member of the Month! Try a virtual class today with our 30 day trial for first time participants. Our online classes are a source of love, support, community and strength as we navigate the uncertainty that surrounds us!
See you all again soon!
– Sobia