WHO WE ARE
A community of like-minded people that have come together to create positive change physically, mentally, and emotionally. A place to sweat and connect for anyone and everyone who wants in. We offer a one-stop shop where you can get all three fundamentals of fitness under one roof — Strength, Conditioning, and Mobility — in a facility that is inclusive to all ages, bodies, and fitness levels.
A HEARTFELT TESTIMONIAL
I didn’t realize that Bell Let's Talk Day came and went. I’ve been wanting to write this post about the gym I go to called The Fitness Lab and had hoped to align it with this important day. The recovery from mental illness can include a wide variety of therapies and self care. I’m going to share an “interesting” story of how I got my ass back into the gym and how fitness has become necessary in my life. I had been a member at The LAB since 2018. I guess I didn’t recognize how integral it was to my mental health plan until it was closed for lockdowns. The staff did the best job of creating online content to follow but I did my best to not follow through. Before I knew it, my reasons to not put the work in had turned into excuses. As the lockdowns and regulations eased up, I didn’t go back. Motivation can be so tricky, right?! Enduring the challenges that came with the pandemic and losing my mom set me so far back in terms of my mental health. I let myself hit rock bottom on so many levels. I flew out west this spring to honour the last part of my mom’s wishes; to scatter the remainder of her ashes on the prairies. Airport security needed to have a closer look at the ashes I was transporting and that was no problem. The security agent was super kind and she looked really familiar. It ended up being a trainer from The LAB, Jamie, who I hadn’t seen in over a year! I took this as a sign and reached out to Ryan at the Manotick location about how I could get myself back on track. I explained that I had a few barriers; low self worth, insecurity about the way I looked and how my body would perform. Ryan was so chill about this. He had me come in to do a session with him. Quick note on Ryan: I remember the week he started working there and to see where he’s gotten to now has been way too rad to witness. So I do the session with him and he hypes me up and shows me that I’m still capable of most of the fundamental movements that the classes provide. I was ready to go back. Getting back into it was exceptionally challenging mentally and physically. I kept at it, especially on the days I didn’t want to, and after about three months of going 5-6 days a week, it became a habit. The way The Fitness Lab works - at least from my vantage point - is a system of classes; the two main ones I use being; Metabolic Conditioning (cardio; rowers, bikes, jumping around, cable machines, dumbbells and many other movements) and Strength (barbells, free weights, bands, medicine balls, cables, and so much more). A typical class will have a variety of 8 to 9 exercise stations. The trainers are exceptional people. They all have a strong knowledge base and lead these classes as professionals with so many good tips while offering solid guidance. The way I see it; it’s personal training at a fraction of the cost and you get to do it with a bunch of people. Also, the content of the programs rotate every three weeks so your body is always guessing and this is huge when it comes to muscle confusion. I want to send a big shout-out to the admin staff. One always feels welcome at the Manotick location. Every once in a while, you’ll even see the founder of the gym, Adam, mopping the floors. I love to see a team atmosphere amongst staff and the leadership structure seems solid in promoting great values. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! Why have I told you all of this? For two reasons: to discuss how important fitness can be to one’s mental health and to highlight an organization that does extremely well at helping people achieve their fitness goals. I’m not saying you need to go as hard or even nearly as hard as I have. I’m saying that even just moving for 30 minutes a few times a week or going for a light walk can be an amazing place to start. Maybe your barriers are similar to mine. Let me tell you: you are worth it. Moving your body will help you release “happy” chemicals into your system. I still have many challenges on my plate. Feeling less stress and experiencing joy are every day hurdles for me and I can say that this gym and the people who make it what it is have made it all more manageable and worthwhile. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.- Rob M.
A MESSAGE FROM ADAM | 6-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
