I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the past 3 years of Alaris Fitness…this journey started about 5 years ago, but my decision to leave my job and pursue this full time was cemented in the summer of 2014 at a women’s running retreat hosted by Kara Goucher. Since then, Alaris has survived a lot, thrived a lot, and grown a lot.
We hosted our three year anniversary party this past weekend and had a lot of fun with Turkish Get Ups, cake, and memories. Three years of coaching has taught me a lot about the human spirit, what it means to give 100% of yourself, and how transformative a gym that doesn’t focus on weight loss can be.
Here are thoughts about these past three years that I want to share with you:
- The name “Alaris” …I never wanted to name my business after myself – I know it’s a popular thing to do, but my core belief is that this gym is not about me, it’s about the people who come in and what they bring to the table. I found the word “Alaris” in a Latin Dictionary that my grandfather gave me in college – while his background was rooted in the sciences, he deeply loved the humanities and the arts, and encouraged me to pursue my undergraduate degree in something that I loved – which happened to be Medieval Studies. The root of the word means “cohort” or “wingman” – I thought that was a great word to encapsulate the camaraderie and support that I wanted in this gym.
- Strength has a higher purpose: One of the struggles I have as a female gym owner is that people assume I run a bootcamp. I don’t….and I won’t….I believe strong bodies allow us to move safely through life, and I believe in good form over everything else. If you can’t do it well, it’s not worth doing a lot of. But it’s one of the things that makes Alaris different. I’m not here to boost your ego with fluffy words and BS one liners you find on Pinterest. I believe that a strong body is a safe body is a capable body. So everything we do in here is focused around strength – because strength does matter, and strength has a high purpose…and that’s to help you live better.
- I drop F bombs, we are not perfect, and I’m OK with that. The last thing I’ll leave you with is something I’ve been personally working on….embracing myself and my imperfections…in all their glory! I am not a model-esque fitness professional. I like wine, I don’t have a 6-pack, I drop F bombs in class…I’m not a perfect human, nor do I expect our clients to be perfect. It’s one of the things I love most about Alaris, our clients are comfortable expressing themselves (through whining, occasionally crying, telling their coaches that workouts are super horrible and hard, etc.), and that my coaches are cool, flow with it, and throw some sass right back (I’m pretty sure I gave a client a hard time for complaining that she was seeing ME too many times in a week, and wanted to know where my other coaches were).
I love everything about Alaris Fitness, and I’m so excited to see where the journey goes next. To all of you who have been part of this – I thank you from the bottom of my heart – this place is truly special because of the energy you bring in with you every time you workout.
With Gratitude,
Coach K