I was a student athlete growing up, from Little League to rowing club crew in college. After college, I hopped around to a variety of different ways to stay active. I had gym memberships where I did weight circuits, I rowed crew with a local adult team, I swam, I ran 5Ks, I worked with a personal trainer, and I even did pole fitness classes for a while. I enjoyed finding new ways to move my body and build strength.
Enter parenthood. When my first child was born in 2019, my entire focus shifted to being a mom, while also trying to juggle working full-time. Fast forward to having my second child, and all of a sudden, it had been 5 years since I had worked out in any meaningful or consistent way. I had all but forgotten how it felt to exercise.
Earlier this year, I made the decision to prioritize my physical (and mental) wellbeing, and I started trying out a whole bunch of different exercise activities to see what current me likes, and has the ability to work into my existing schedule.
A few weeks ago, I took my first class at btone Fitness in Southborough. The classes are 45-minute, continuous movement classes, centered around a pilates-inspired reformer called the TONEy.
Hopping on a new machine for the first time can be intimidating, but I really appreciated how the instructor, Sara, welcomed me into the studio, made sure I knew where to put my things, where the bathrooms were, and got me situated on my machine. 
There are cubbies at the front of the studio for shoes, as well as grippy socks (required for class or BYO) and other workout apparel for sale. In the back of the studio is a filtered water machine and a vanity with some essentials to freshen up after class.
Sara took the first few minutes of the class to go over all of the parts of the TONEy, making sure we fully understood how to use the machine and do so safely. Then we got right into the workout.
Sara demonstrated each motion at the front of the room and then walked around and provided individual pointers on positioning. Most movements had a more challenging option and a more supportive option, so that every person in the class could adjust to their own comfort and strength to get the most out of the workout. The movements focus on slow, controlled movement and pulsing, rather than a large number of reps.
Sara wore a microphone so that everyone could hear her from anywhere in the room, and there was upbeat music playing, which kept the energy in the room up without being too much.
The class was easy to follow and didn’t feel intimidating, even for attending a new class for the first time. What I really liked was that a lot of the movements worked more than one muscle group, so I left really feeling like I got a total body workout, and based on how I felt the next day, I definitely got a good workout in!
