I Owned a Gym for Five Years Before I Ever Took a Class

If you had told me ten years ago that I'd be working out five days a week at a gym that I own, I would have laughed. The truth is, I had never worked out a day in my life. Like many people, I would occasionally get inspired to try something new. A workout video, 10,000 steps, a run around the neighbourhood, even a Peloton phase. But nothing ever stuck. I wasn't consistent, I didn't particularly enjoy it, and before long I'd move on to something else. As for stepping foot in a gym? That was never on my radar.

In 2018, my husband Andrew purchased Validus Fitness. At the time, I was eight months pregnant with our second child, which in hindsight wasn't exactly the most practical timing, but after a lot of discussion we decided to take the leap. Over the years I became involved in the business, helping behind the scenes with administrative work and supporting wherever I was needed. I spent hours at the gym, watching classes run and seeing members achieve incredible things, but I never had any interest in participating myself.

Whenever members would ask when I was finally going to join a class, my answer was always the same.

"It's just not my thing."

And I genuinely meant it.

That all changed in 2023 when a friend asked if I would come try a class with her. There was no grand motivation behind it. I wasn't looking to make a lifestyle change or set fitness goals. I simply wanted to support a friend, so I agreed to go.

To say I struggled would be an understatement. I could barely lift a 10-pound dumbbell. A burpee felt impossible. I was completely out of my comfort zone and so sore afterward that I could hardly walk the next day.

But despite all of that, I had fun.

The class was challenging, but it was also encouraging, welcoming, and a lot less intimidating than I had imagined. So I came back. Then I came back again. Before I knew it, it had become part of my routine.

The changes came much faster than I expected. I became physically stronger, but the benefits went far beyond that. My energy improved, my stress levels became more manageable, and I noticed a significant difference in my mental health.

As parents, partners, and business owners, we spend so much of our lives taking care of everyone else that it's easy to stop investing in ourselves. The gym became a place where I could step away from the to-do lists, responsibilities, and mental load. For one hour, I could leave it all at the door and simply focus on the workout.

I wasn't getting back to a former version of myself because that version never existed. I had never been athletic. I had never been strong. I had never been someone who enjoyed working out. Instead, I was building a version of myself that I hadn't met yet. Every workout was a reminder that I was capable of more than I gave myself credit for.

Yesterday, I completed my 750th class at Validus.

That number still feels surreal to me. Not because 750 is some magical milestone, but because it represents something I never imagined I'd accomplish. Three years ago, I couldn't even hang from a pull-up bar. Today, I've completed 750 classes, I can do six strict pull-ups, and at 38 years old I feel stronger, healthier, and more confident than I ever have before.

And if I'm being honest, Validus can look intimidating from the outside. There are barbells, pull-up rigs, and people doing things that might seem impossible if you've never stepped foot in a gym before. I know that feeling because I had it too. Even as one of the owners, I assumed the people in those classes were simply different from me.

What I've learned is that nobody walks through our doors already knowing how to do everything. Everyone starts somewhere. The strongest members in our gym were beginners once too. The difference isn't talent or athletic ability. It's simply showing up, even when you don't feel ready.

Fitness didn't completely change who I am. It helped me become a stronger, healthier, and more confident version.

If someone who spent five years owning a gym before ever taking a class can find her place in fitness, there's a pretty good chance you can too. Adrionna