Fidget SPINner: How Spinning Helped Me Overcome Anxiety, Depression and PTSD

I walked into my first spin class a very depressed woman. I’m not exaggerating—just a week before accepting my new position at FFC’s Oak Park location, I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress…
Member Stories: How Travel Inspired Me To Make a Diet Change, Change My Lifestyle & Lose Over 10% Body Fat

Member Stories: How Travel Inspired Me To Make a Diet Change, Change My Lifestyle & Lose Over 10% Body Fat

I’ve been overweight all my life, since I was a little kid in kindergarten. I was always getting picked on and seen as an outcast – all the way to high school. I always kept telling myself that things would get better, that I wouldn’t…
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About a VO2 Max Test & Why You Should Get One
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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About a VO2 Max Test & Why You Should Get One

I love data. Being in marketing, I love being able to make smart decisions based on numbers and know that the route I’m taking my work has a good likelihood of succeeding. I also am a big fan of nerdy stuff when it comes to fitness and wellness…
How I meal prep lunch for a week plus helpful tips for meal prep

How I Meal Prep Lunch for a Week Plus Helpful Tips for Meal Prep

My friends and coworkers often ask me about weekly meal prep. I am very passionate about healthy eating. In multiple conversations with friends and coworkers, I have noticed most people want to do it, but find it difficult to justify the time…
Employee spotlight: my love-hate relationship with spinning and giving back to a greater good

Employee Spotlight: My Hate/Love Relationship with Spinning & Giving Back to a Greater Good

Several years ago, after ruining my knees from a lifetime of running and martial arts, I took up spinning to keep my cardio up while I rehabbed.  I hated it…  but not for long.  After a while, I started putting together playlists and decided…
High intensity interval training area at FFC Union Station

Top Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training & Why You Should Give HIIT a Try

Finding new ways to keep workouts interesting has always been a challenge for me. After recovering from two injuries last year and beginning to lift weights, run, and participate in group fitness again, it all started to come back as I saw the…
FFC wellness: do you balance your yin and yang

FFC Wellness: Do You Balance Your Yin And Yang? Here’s Why You Should

Foundations are the beginning of all things, whether it be the first day of a new job, or training for the Chicago marathon. Present within these foundations is transformation, such as rain becoming snow. Thoughts transform into our attitudes…
5 reasons you actually do need a facial

5 Reasons Why You Actually Do Need a Facial

Imagine a soothing massage. Now imagine that, but for your face. Usually thought of as a pampering practice, facials are actually a very important aspect of skincare. Here’s why you need a facial, plus wellness benefits associated with a facial. Jess,…
Try this recipe: cauliflower mash with yukon potatoes - low calorie

Try This Recipe: Cauliflower Mash with Yukon Potatoes – All Of The Flavor, Less Of The Calories

With all its versatility and nutritional benefit, it’s easy to see why cauliflower has become such a popular ingredient in some of our favorite comfort foods. It’s become the go-to substitute for cutting calories in everything from rice…
Try a healthy ice cream recipe this summer!

Try a Healthy Ice Cream Recipe This Summer

It’s FINALLY that time of year… warm weather is here! With this transition, we all begin to crave more sunshine, pool time, and of course, refreshing meals and sweet treats. Summer is also the time where we want to feel and look our best,…
Member Stories: Learning that More Fun Leads to Better Triathlon Training

Member Stories: Learning that More Fun Leads to Better Triathlon Training

I joined FFC in December last year as an early Christmas present to myself. After a successful year of racing, I was ready to head into the “off-season”. Even though I had a successful and enjoyable season, I was looking forward to taking…
How to recover from burnout by getting back to your basics

How to Recover From Burnout By Getting Back To Basics

Everyone feels run down, overworked, and just plain depleted at one time or another. Getting back to a wellness baseline with your weekly schedule will keep you feeling your best and ready to take on all that life throws your way. Here are a…
6 spices to have on hand that will improve your health

6 Spices To Have On Hand That Will Improve Your Health

While some flavors and spices seem to transport us directly to the holidays, the truth is that the benefits we can reap from spices are so valuable, we shouldn’t just assign them to one season. Not only do spices provide great health benefits,…
Member stories: training for the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike at FFC

Member Stories: Training for the Tour du Mont Blanc Hike at FFC

For more than 10 years, the idea of trekking in Europe had been on my mind - it only needed a focus to actually come to life. I soon found it: a 100-mile trek around the largest massif in Europe called the Tour du Mont Blanc. I have been…
What is a resting metabolic rate and why is it important?

What Is a Resting Metabolic Rate and Why Is It Important?

What is a resting metabolic rate? Resting metabolic rate, or RMR, measures how many calories you burn at a state of rest (as if you were sitting on your couch watching your favorite TV show all day). Scientifically speaking, the resting metabolic…
Becoming Tri-Fit: The Fitness Support Network I Found at FFC

Becoming Tri-Fit: The Fitness Support Network I Found at FFC

Last summer I, a thirty-something British woman, relocated from London to Chicago. I have an extensive background in marathon and ultra-marathon running, but by the time I arrived in Chicago, at the end of June 2017, my fitness was at an all-time…
How to have a better relationship with food - nutrition tips

How to Have a Better Relationship With Food

I recently was listening to a podcast with Oprah and Geneen Roth, an expert on body acceptance and reducing compulsive eating. One concept they discussed that struck me was that your relationship with food is a microcosm of your relationship…
A Farewell Letter To My Fitbit

A Farewell Letter To My Fitbit

FFC personal trainer Marylou Tawney pens a humorous breakup letter to her Fitbit, explaining that her fitness goals have evolved and become too complex for the step counter. Dear Fitbit, I'll never forget the first time we met. After a…
30-minute recipe for your sweet tooth: chocolate hazelnut "new-tella"

30-Minute Recipe For Your Sweet Tooth: Chocolate Hazelnut New-Tella

Eat real food. This simple nutrition tip can drastically change the way your body looks and feels. So many of the things we find on our shelves at the grocery store sound like they’re healthy - the front label might use words like “natural”,…
Why you need a resistance training specialist - fitness tips

Train the Source, Don’t Focus on the Effect of Exercise: Why You Need a Resistance Training Specialist

“Exercise can be described as a ‘tug of war’ around a bone or joint.” –Tom Purvis, RPT Interestingly, this is not a metaphor exclusively for exercise. It also represents the most fundamental struggle we encounter throughout life…