By Guest Blogger Madison Skakle
On March 15, 2020, when the world started locking down for COVID, I started Workout Friends, a fitness community on Facebook for moms of all athletic abilities. My intention was to keep the group live for just a few weeks until the YMCA (where I worked as a trainer) opened back up again. However, the group has been going strong ever since, and growing every day! Originally my group had mostly Y members working out, but it has since grown to include thousands of people from all over the world! I knew that the constant support and consistency of working out was extremely important during lockdown for women, especially to keep them healthy and strong for themselves and their families, and this group has proved that to be true!
I am a stay-at-home mom of 2 kids (4 years old, Everett, and 4 months old, Wynn) and married to my sweet husband, Austin, who is an internal medicine doctor. Much like many people, the start of the pandemic had me very anxious and when I get worried, I always turn to working out to calm me down and make me a better person mentally. Workout Friends has seen me through my husband graduating residency, moving to another city, getting pregnant and working out through almost all of that pregnancy and now postpartum. This group has been my constant!
Workout Friends is just what it sounds…a bunch of friends working out together in their own homes. It is totally free and anyone can join.
I post workouts Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 5:45am on our Facebook group. These workouts can also be found on the page at any time of day after they are posted. I know the early morning time frame does not work for everyone. These workouts last about 30 minutes and vary from strength training to bodyweight cardio to boot camp to everything in between. They are easily accessible because all you need is a mat, yourself and some dumbbells to do 98% of these workouts. The workouts are also easily adaptable for any fitness level, from just starting to work on your fitness to someone who has been working out for years.
Truly, Workout Friends is for everyone. I have over 15 years of group fitness experience, and I keep it real…children, dogs, husband make appearances in the videos. That is the beauty of it.
What started as a solution to a problem of a “couple weeks at home working out” has turned into a beautiful, strong platform for women to come work on themselves and practice self care. I did not realize how important self care was to me until I became a mom and most of my time and day is spent on my kiddos. The time I spend working out each day truly makes me a better mom, friend, wife and person. I visualize filling my “gas tank” up during the workouts so that I can help fill up my loved ones gas tanks.
You have probably heard the saying “take care of yourself, so you can take care of others.” I believe that with all my heart. My workouts have always had the goal of getting stronger and staying fit, but in the last few years has transitioned to mentally getting stronger. Pushing through that negativity and the excuses we all have each day, that is where I get strong. I am hopeful to help provide that mental toughness during our workouts. We are in this life together, getting stronger together so that we can be strong for our families and friends.
I look forward having you join us in Workout Friends!
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