riser of the month - Kelly Voelker

What brought you to RISE? A few years ago when I had three preschool-age children or younger, I went to a gym that had a large daycare facility that could accommodate my needs. At first, I avoided classes and was a straight-up treadmill or elliptical kinda gal. However, I started trying out some of the classes they offered and found that I really liked the variety. As my girls got older and started going to school full-time, suddenly I had all these options available to me. With my newfound interest in group formats and the intro of RISE to the community, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how much more challenging the RISE classes were and the instructor’s were/are so inspirational. I was hooked after my first class! What classes do you attend and why? All of them! The childhood dancer in me has me gravitate toward Barre and Zumba when I can manage to fit it into my schedule. The competitor in me loves to get my butt kicked at Kettlebell, Power Circuits and Kickboxing. I love Fusion classes for their mix of just about everything. I've also really enjoyed trying TRX. And don't get me wrong, the Cycle classes are amazing too yet I can’t seem to decide which class to forfeit to squeeze Cycle in my workout schedule. Too many options, too little time. What do you like about RISE? Aside from the variety of classes I mentioned above, I love that EVERY SINGLE CLASS challenges me. Every class pushes me. Every instructor motivates me. It's the best feeling to walk out of that door each morning and feel like I've accomplished something. I can confidently say repeatedly “that was REALLY hard - but I did it." I also love the tight-knit community we have at RISE. There's an energy you get from the other people in class that keeps you going and makes you not want to quit. It's hard to find that anywhere else. In addition to the classes, I've participated in three RISE Challenges so far and I am so appreciative that RISE offers these a few times a year. The Challenge is great whether you're just starting to think about healthier food/exercise choices, or just need a reset, it’s a great way to get inspired and take back control of your body and mind. I have learned something new each time. In fact, one my most cherished outcomes is the creation of my “Salad Club”. Originally implemented by my first Challenge team, the premise is that we each prepare a salad one day a week for the team. And voila – we all have a delicious healthy salad for lunch Monday-Friday. We're coming up on two years in April and are still going strong - no more scarfing down my girls' half-eaten PB & J's! Any other tips to you’d like to offer? I want to also mention that even though I felt like my brood of three girls was a little much for the daycare room, my youngest daughter has been there countless times and we adore the community of even the smallest RISERS. She has formed some amazing friendships and loves the childcare staff –evidenced by her enthusiasm when she sees these amazing women out and about in the community. It’s close to a celebrity sighting for her and they are always greeted with a huge hug. I want all my girls to have a positive body image and to learn how to lead a healthy, active and balanced lifestyle. RISE has enabled me to give them that and so much more.