By Lauren DiRe, 
Intern

On Wednesday, August 17, I attended Ballard Fit Club, a new fitness group in the area that meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church, 23rd Avenue NW and NW 70th Street.

After being persuaded to join the workout (instead of just standing by to watch), I was surprised to find myself laughing and really enjoying myself 30 minutes later.

“The real idea, basically, is to meet people socially, who are doing the kind of thing that you need to do to be healthy,” said participant Robert Du Beau.

Before attending last Wednesday night’s class, I had no idea that there were several “fit clubs” around the Seattle area.

Apparently there are.

After the fit club in Magnolia recently shut down, Debra Davies decided to start one closer to home - in Ballard. She called churches in the area, which offer cheaper rent space, and found the one on 23th Avenue Northwest.

They’ve been meeting for four weeks now, but Davies wants to get the word out about what they’re doing.

“We want people to come,” Davies said. “And it’s free. There’s no free workout anywhere I know of.”

Not only is it a free workout, but it’s a warm, welcoming group of individuals who come together each week to support each other in living a healthier lifestyle.

“The nice thing about it is the community,” Du Beau said. “This is how I’m getting inspired.”

And indeed, inspiration is what they have.

After completing our workout, the group shared their stories about struggling with weight, finding a workout that actually yields results, and eating foods that have left them feeling healthy as well as satisfied.

“I used to be a gym rat and it wasn’t getting me anywhere,” Davies said. So one day she decided to try P90X (or Power 90 Extreme) -- a series of home workout videos developed by trainer Tony Horton in conjunction with Beachbody.

“I just tried it on a whim, because I had doubts,” Davies explained. “And I was like this doesn’t work. … But after two weeks I was like ‘holy crap -- this works!’”

The three who attended Ballard Fit Club last Wednesday have all found success with the P90X series, as well as other home videos such as “Insanity,” “Turbo Fire,” “Hip Hop Abs,” “Slim in 6” and “Brazil Butt Lift.”

“All of us, we’ve had so much success with it, and people need to know that this is out there and available to them,” Davies said. “It might work for somebody, and it might not.”

Adam Keeling has lost 53 pounds since last November.

“You have the chance to come here and sample the different programs,” he said. “And to see what would work and what might appeal.”

Thus far the group meets every Wednesday and decides then which workout they feel like doing. And as silly as I felt at times being unfamiliar with the video and what was coming next, or how to properly do that “punch-jab-smack-side kick”-- or whatever it was called -- I never once felt judged or uncomfortable.

We all knew how strange some of the exercises were, and sometimes laughed at their intricate names, but we were there together to complete what was (at least to me) a difficult workout.

I may someday buy some of the Beachbody workout videos and do them at home. But as Davies said, and I experienced, “When you work out with people in a group it just motivates you that much more.”

I doubt that I’ll be at the Ballard Fit Club every Wednesday night but I will definitely be there again, and I’m glad I was persuaded to be a part of it last week instead of just sitting on the sidelines.

For more information, email Davies at ddavies919@gmail.com, visit their page on Facebook, or better yet, show up next Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Calvary Lutheran Church.