For most of her life, Ellie had been active. She played softball and ran track and cross-country in high school. After college, she worked out at the Gold\u2019s Gym near her home in St. Louis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy big thing was always the group exercise classes,\u201d she says. \u201cThey really kept me going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2010, Ellie got married, and she and her husband moved to Jacksonville, Florida. When she searched for a Gold\u2019s Gym by her new home, she found that the closest one was 90 miles away. Without Gold\u2019s Gym, she fell into a workout slump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dealing with pain <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nA few years later, Ellie and her family moved back to Missouri. Between being a working mom and taking care of her two young sons, she had trouble making time to work out\u2014until January 2016. Eager to prioritize exercise again, she signed up for the Gold\u2019s Gym Challenge. By the time Gold\u2019s Gym Challenge ended in April, she was back at her high school weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when life took a turn for the worse. Two weeks later, Ellie\u2019s father was diagnosed with leukemia. As she coped with the stress of her dad\u2019s illness, her own health issues surfaced. She was diagnosed with endometriosis and had a hysterectomy. After the surgery, she was on several medications and in constant pain. In January 2017, her father passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDad was always active,\u201d she says. \u201cHe taught us to throw a softball and always gave us a run for our money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That, she realized, was the kind of parent she wanted to be to her own sons. She mustered the strength to return to Gold\u2019s Gym. With a friend\u2019s encouragement, Ellie signed up for a second time for the Gold\u2019s Gym Challenge in 2017 and attended many group fitness classes<\/strong><\/a> like BODYPUMP and BODYCOMBAT. On cardio days, she switched among cycling, elliptical training and the classes; on weightlifting days, she alternated between biceps and back or triceps and chest. She also began monitoring her diet, eating more salads and lean meats, doing weekly meal prep and using MyFitnessPal. Her sons, who often accompanied her to the gym, noticed the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cEvery time we\u2019d go to Gold\u2019s the boys would say, \u2018We\u2019re going to the gym, and Mommy is going to get strong,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Family fitness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery time we\u2019d go to Gold\u2019s the boys would say, \u2018We\u2019re going to the gym, and Mommy is going to get strong,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Ellie](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ggus-dev\/image\/private\/s--RHkwdBkU--\/c_auto,g_auto,w_1201,h_802\/v1\/2405e908\/raceday.webp?_a=BAAAV6Bs\")