fitness Archives - TFW ATHENS GA

March 6, 2018August 16, 2019

Take Back Your Life

This is the story of TFW Athens member Whitney DeWitte finding her place to thrive.

Before joining TFW, Whitney was self destructive and full of anger.

SBG not only offers immersive martial arts programs, but also a comprehensive fitness program dubbed “Training For Warriors” (TFW). As a member of TFW, Whitney has lost weight, gained confidence in herself, and learned to hold herself accountable for her happiness and health. She has reached, in short, many of her fitness goals, set new ones, and broken those. Her story, however, runs much deeper.

Whitney joined during a dark period in her life. Having lost a child, she “needed an outlet for [her] anger,” saying that self-destruction had become her “worst enemy.” Whitney sought to cope with her demons to set a better example for her other children. From what she knew about the program, she understood that it would hold her accountable and help build her own command of life’s chaos. Exhibiting strength rare in most people, she sought to find something positive in an unimaginable situation. She joined TFW not only to lose weight but to take back her life.

TFW has provided her an extended family. One of Whitney’s primary coaches—also named Whitney—has been “the greatest thing that ever happened to me since starting this process,” in Whitney’s words. “She not only became my teacher but my friend. She is the reason that I work hard and push myself. She makes me want to be a better person.” Through these bonds, Whitney—and all of us at SBG / TFW—take a step closer to becoming a better person every day.

Here are a few pieces of advice that Whitney wanted to share directly:

Commit to the process (it works)!
Trust the coaches.
Don’t give up, even if you fail (like I did my first time around). Don’t quit! You are worth it. Don’t just say it to yourself; believe it.

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Whintey struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

Do you want to learn how to drop 10-15 pounds?
Need help with your nutrition?
Looking to start a fitness program?
We have just the thing for you. Click the button below and learn more about our 28 Day Transformation Challenge today!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

October 24, 2017August 16, 2019

Step Two To A Healthier You

Good Nutrition (Eating Right) Goes A Long Way (Step 2 of 3)

It’s as simple as exercising, eating right, and living a healthy lifestyle.

(Click on the thumbnail above and download the high resolution graphic to fill in the details. )

This is the second step in a three part series to help give you the knowledge to reach your goals.

Step 2: Nutrition (female and male)

Avoid Dieting
Cut out sugar, refined grains, and processed foods
Cut back or eliminate alcohol
Watch your portion sizes
Eat whole foods

You don’t have to be a dietician to begin taking control of your nutrition. Try the five things above and you will be well on your way to a healthier YOU.

Stay tuned for step three in the next week.

Step 1 (in case you missed it): Training (exercise)
Step 3: Lifestyle (coming soon)

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

September 27, 2017August 16, 2019

Looking for a workout that’s right for you?

This is the story of TFW Athens coach Whitney Holley.

Before joining SBG, Whitney was frustrated with her weight.

Busy finishing her doctorate (in Music) in 2012, Whitney found herself heavier than she had ever been. She not only felt unhealthy—she says that she would have struggled to walk up a short flight of stairs at that point—but had become uncomfortable in her own skin. Whitney decided to make a change, to regain control over her health and to rediscover the sense of confidence that she deserved to feel.

Whitney had tried a few different workouts over the years, either at home by video or at the campus gym, but she never found a sustainable routine. She says that she rarely made it past a month in any particular program. “It finally occurred to me,” she says, “that the only way I was going to stick with anything long enough to actually get better was to find something I enjoyed doing.” Having taken a few Muay Thai classes in the past, Whitney knew that she was interested in kickboxing. She thought kickboxing might be a habit worth revisiting. Developing a skill, she realized, might help her “forget” that she was working out and make sure that she stuck with her routine.

Whitney set out to find a gym where she could train kickboxing and discovered SBG. Being a musician, she was worried about taking care of her hands. SBG offered her the facilities and instruction that would ensure a quality workout while preserving her hands: “Where better to learn to throw a punch correctly,” she asks “than from people who want to be able to do it for a long time?” Whitney is now one of those people who have been throwing punches for a long time and hopes to continue doing it. She teaches classes at the gym now. She has run multiple 5ks and Spartan Sprints. She has organized her own Savage Race each of the last two years. She even cross-trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She never would have thought she could do any of these things just a few years previously.

In her words: “I am strong now and I am proud of it. People comment on my muscles and I am proud of them, but more than anything I am proud of the mental and physical work that I have done to get them.”

Here are a few tips that Whitney wanted to share from her experience:

Never be afraid to ask for help. There is someone around SBG Athens who knows the answer to your question on any subject. MMA, nutrition, physical therapy, construction, photography, accounting, law, music…Strength comes from being able to admit you can’t do it all on your own and you don’t know all the answers. That’s what the tribe is for.
If something doesn’t go the way you want it to, don’t make excuses. Ask “Why?” Did I do what I needed to in order to make it happen? Did I eat well? Get sleep? Lift more than once in the last two weeks? Go to class? Practice the technique? If the answer is “no” then I didn’t earn it.
You are not your past. There are hard habits to break and there are things that you may fight with for the rest of your life but your past does not define you; your will to change your future does.

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Whitney struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

September 18, 2017August 16, 2019

Feeling “Lazy” and Need Motivation?

This is the story of Kristen Peissig, member of the TFW fitness program at SBG Athens.

Before joining SBG, Kristen had trouble motivating herself to work out.

Kristen says she has had some trouble managing her time. Faced with spare time, she preferred to take a nap or binge the latest show on Netflix. “Yet, somehow,” Kristen says, “any time I thought about exercising, I would tell myself that ‘I don’t have enough time to go to the gym.’” She has had success with dieting, but even at a weight she was happy with, she didn’t “feel very fit or healthy.”

Kristen first learned about SBG Athens when a friend invited her to one of the gym’s Women’s Self-Defense seminars. After spending some time at the seminar “it became very clear that the people [at SBG] knew what they were talking about.” Kristen realized that the coaches at SBG might be able to round out her fitness regimen. In addition to being happy with her weight, Kristen wanted to feel stronger, more in control, and better able to defend herself. Right after the first day of the seminar, she decided to commit to the SBG Athens tribe on a long-term basis.

She says that she appreciates that the gym offers multiple programs. Kristen wasn’t ready for martial arts, in her own words. “At the time, I felt like I needed to gain some strength through the TFW [Training for Warrior] program,” before moving into martial arts training. Before joining the gym, she couldn’t do a single push-up, chin-up, or bench more than the bar. Now, she does push-ups in sets of 15, does weighted chin-ups, and keeps adding pounds to her bench press. “These are things that I never imagined I would be strong enough to do, but it’s amazing the things you can accomplish when you put in the effort each week to attain your goals.”

Here are three tips that Kristen wants to share:

1. Don’t compare yourself to your teammates—it’s okay to not be able to lift as much as your teammates or run as fast. We’re here to cheer each other on in our own races to improve ourselves, and it’s perfectly fine to be at a completely different point in our race as our teammates. When you realize this, you can focus on how to improve yourself.
Come to class and do your best—this one seems pretty self-explanatory. Show up to class as often as you can make it. Getting myself to the gym was the hardest part when I was first getting started with TFW because I am very good at convincing myself that I don’t have time or am too tired to go to the gym. But once I got myself in the habit of going to the gym 4-5 times a week, it became routine to the point where if I go more than 3 days without working out, I feel like something is missing. Even more than showing up, though, is actually giving your all to a workout. You’re only going to get out of a workout what you put into it. Focus on doing an exercise with proper form and push yourself to lift just a little heavier, and you’ll notice improvement much faster.
Don’t worry about the number on the scale—focus on how you feel in your clothes, how you feel after completing a challenging workout, and how you’ve improved from the beginning to where you’re at in your race now. A number on the scale is just a number. It doesn’t show all the hard work it took to get you to the point where you are now.

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Kristen struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

August 10, 2017November 22, 2020

Are you Insecure, Lacking Confidence, and Full of Anxiety?

This is the journey of Melody; 41 years old, mother, middle school teacher, and student at Training for Warriors Athens.

Life before TFW was filled with insecurities, a lack of confidence, and anxiety medication.

Melody begins by saying, “I don’t know why, but I think it’s often the case that females feel a little uncomfortable in our own skin. Maybe it’s our perceived imperfections, or a lack of confidence. Maybe I feel like I’m too fat, or too tall, or I’m too this or too that.”

Melody’s first class came during buddy week by invitation of a friend and member of the program. She is 100% certain she would never have walked in the gym for the first time without a friend. Since that time, Melody is a constant fixture in class. In any given week she can be found sprinting, squatting, deadlifting, cheering on her teammates, and getting after it.

Melody speaks about how strong females are encouraged; celebrated even. “Our coaches tell us to stop apologizing and walk like you own the earth,” she says. Although she can’t quite explain how meeting the small physical challenges translates into confidence in all aspects of her life, “I just know that it does,” she says.

Instead of imperfections, she now sees an hourglass shape, as well as definition in her legs, arms, and shoulders. She feels strong and walks proud and tall.

I leave you with the top three (or four) tips that helped Melody transform:

“Show up and do something.” Coach Rory
Fear is a liar – (that little voice that tells you that you can’t do something is a liar)
“Walk like you own this earth.” Coach Adam
“Stop saying you are sorry.” Coach Steve***

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Melody struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

This is the story of TFW Athens member Whitney DeWitte finding her place to thrive.

Good Nutrition (Eating Right) Goes A Long Way (Step 2 of 3)

This is the story of TFW Athens coach Whitney Holley. Before joining SBG, Whitney was frustrated with her weight.

This is the story of Kristen Peissig, member of the TFW fitness program at SBG Athens. Before joining SBG, Kristen had trouble motivating herself to work out.

This is the journey of Melody; 41 years old, mother, middle school teacher, and student at Training for Warriors Athens. Life before TFW was filled with insecurities, a lack of confidence, and anxiety medication.

This is the story of TFW Athens coach Whitney Holley.

Before joining SBG, Whitney was frustrated with her weight.

This is the story of Kristen Peissig, member of the TFW fitness program at SBG Athens.

Before joining SBG, Kristen had trouble motivating herself to work out.

This is the journey of Melody; 41 years old, mother, middle school teacher, and student at Training for Warriors Athens.

Life before TFW was filled with insecurities, a lack of confidence, and anxiety medication.