April 2022 Riser of the month
Like the RISE instructors always say, there is someone out there watching you make the good decisions for yourself and for your health, watching you come to class and work to be your best self. This is true for Shana Frederick who has been coming to RISE since it opened. “I would bring our middle daughter to class with me and at some point in class, she’d sneak out of childcare and watch me workout,” says Shana. “Sometimes you could look over and catch a group of the kids planking in the doorway, following along to our every move. No one is copying mom’s workout moves these days, but I know my girls are watching me and that alone is pretty motivating.”
Shana came to love the people at RISE, the encouragement of the instructors and the positivity in the room, always craving it in times when she couldn’t make it into the studio. “Our son has an autoimmune disease, a spectrum disability,” she says. “There have been stints of time when I literally could not workout because we were really in the weeds. During that time, I would have given just about anything for the energy and the ability to go workout for an hour, but it wasn’t an option. Fast forward to today, after years of treatment, he’s healthy and doing incredibly well; but I’ll never forget that time. That moment at the end of class when we take a time to be grateful to move is very real to me. It keeps me humble.”
Today Shana’s short-term goal is to continue to make it to RISE one to two times a week, having moved from Glen Ellyn to South Wheaton. “I’m real excited about a studio location closer to me and hope to make it in beyond my typical days,” she says. “There is an amazing community of women-owned businesses in downtown Wheaton and RISE will be the perfect addition. I’m equally as excited to introduce my Wheaton friends to RISE.”
Long-term, Shana wants to maintain a level of fitness where she can physically do what she wants, when she wants. “That could mean going on a run one day, another day could be kettlebell, lifting weights, going for a walk with a friend, biking with my kids, or doing nothing at all,” she says. “There are days when I want a challenge and days I want to rest – I’m at my best when I live out that balance.”
Congrats, Shana! We are so happy to have you as part of the RISE community. Whether we’re in Glen Ellyn or Wheaton, we look forward to working out next to you.
What specifically, other than format or schedule, do you like about RISE?
I love that my experience at RISE has evolved. Once the clock struck 40, I really felt it. I wanted to be in shape, but dang! It got a lot harder and I had to adjust. In the last decade or so I went from having all kinds of energy, to having babies to, taking care of a young family, to parenting teenagers. Our bodies go through a lot during that time of life. In that way, my priorities have shifted and right now, I really want to feel content, healthy, and strong. I think there’s a lot of women who feel like I do. I love that I can look around the room in any class and there are people at all different places in their fitness and health journey. There are moms coming back from having babies and there are 80-year-old athletes. There are people who have never been on a spin bike and there are marathon runners. There’s community there for all of us.
What Rise class gets you feeling the most mentally and physically amped?
Carin’s kettlebell class is a favorite. I lovingly refer to it as sweats and swears. That class never gets easier, but I never regret going. There is nothing quite like that feeling of accomplishment after you’ve made it through a set that you were sure was impossible.
I came back to RISE after some time away when I was kind of in a Covid fitness funk and set an intention to make it to that class once a week. It’s been over six months and it’s the one thing I do for myself every week. I’ve also grown to love cycle – that’s usually my other class during the week and for me, it complements kettle.
What’s your biggest challenge in getting to class?
Just the plain old logistics of school drop off. I have three kids with three different school schedules and that means I have to fly out of early morning classes just to come home to shuttle kids out the door.
What’s your athletic background? I grew up playing all kinds of sports but primarily I was a swimmer. Everyone in my family is primed to put on muscle fast. I can get lean but I’m not built to be thin. It took me a long time to appreciate that about myself.
What’s your best healthy living tip?
Everything in moderation. I do my best when I don’t deprive myself of things. I try to make healthy choices during the week and then on the weekend, I’m having some wine. If there’s a celebration, I’m eating the cake. That’s what makes me happy.