Danielle Paschka

Did that 6 months fly by or is it just me?!

If you’ve been here awhile you know that I was die hard Orangetheory Fitness for almost 6 years. Ride or die. I forever said I’d be there forever. But things changed & I wanted more than they were to offer me.. some really great girlfriends had moved over to Sisu & couldn’t say enough great things so therefore I was intrigued!

I don’t want this to be a bashing post about OTF because I’m literally so grateful for what it did for me for the journey I was on! I made so many friends there & will forever be thankful for what they did for me there!

My friend Lauren has said it best.. “You don’t know what you are missing when you don’t have anything to compare it to” & I couldn’t agree more with that when it comes to Sisu. I thought for sure it would just be another group fitness place where I was gonna get my ass kicked because have you seen their social media stories?! Holy smokes.

Was I so nervous to try Sisu? Yes. Am I so glad I tried it? Yes.

So Monday, Wednesday, Friday are lifting days & to say I’m so obsessed with those days is an understatement. I always lift with my sweet friends Lauren & Karleen. To say they are so strong is an understatement. They are so motivating, encouraging and helpful. I love our little group & love how we’ve been together on this journey since day one.

Tuesday & Thursday are conditioning days.. I truly don’t think I’ve ever been this challenged before in my life with some of the things we do.. Can I run? Yes. Can I row? Yes. But their conditioning days are so much more than that! I LOVE that I’m getting strength in the conditioning as well as cardio! I don’t need to run 23 minutes on a treadmill to get in my cardio all the time. I can lift and toss a 100lb sandbag 30+ times and get my heart rate up there just like I would running.

The mental toughness I have built from being at Sisu is just next level. I truly cannot tell you how many times in my head I’m like there is no way I can do this when I’m reading the workout on the screen but I freaking do it because my team or partner is depending on me to show up because they are showing up for me too!

That leads me into the community.. I truly thought I was in the best community at OTF but honestly at that point it was just a handful of people that had my back & cheered me on.. with that being said — the community at Sisu is next to none. I have never not had someone not tell me “good job”, “get it girl”, “you got this” etc. I truly have never felt less than or not good enough to be there & for being so nervous and intimidated when I got there that speaks volumes! The friendships I’ve made in 6 months is so wild to me when those friendships took years at OTF.

The guidance from the coaches especially Jeff & Nick is so wonderful & I truly am so grateful for them— they’ve taught me so much & I love hearing all their knowledge in the gym. They want you to do well, they want you to improve, & this isn’t just a paycheck for them. You can tell their drive speaks volumes in those walls!

Last thing.. I’ve noticed such a difference in my health that I didn’t think I needed to change. My cycle is so much more healthier than it was at OTF. It’s not 40+ days like it was for years because I truly think my body was always under constant stress with how much cardio I was doing. I’m seen differences in my body from progress photos (we are almost done with my 2nd full cycle that —maybe I’ll be brave enough to show photos) & just overall mentally. I’m not overly exhausted like I was— yes I’m still an old lady & fall asleep on the couch most nights but I’m not so exhausted that then I am rude AF to everyone around me.

All in all.. I have seen differences in my mindset, in my progress pictures, & some things with my health. I truly think the best is yet to come with this new journey & I honestly can’t wait to see how the next 6 months goes!

If you ever want to come try a class— Saturday’s are always free or you can try out the first 2 classes & see what it’s all about! I promise you wont be upset!

Xo, Dani