We’re so proud to announce our August Member of the Month is Amanda Sanders! Amanda is one of our OG members, going all the way back to our Anytime Fitness days. She’s a 37 year old Physical Therapist who was an athlete throughout high school and college and lost touch with her fitness journey when she started a family (our moms know that struggle all too well). She has been back on her fitness journey since 2017, which is AWESOME! Read on for some more information about Amanda:
Q: How many days per week do you typically work out? What groups are you a part of?
A: 4-5. Limitless Lifestyle. In the past, I have done Barbell and Warrior string Kickboxing, both of which I loved.
Q:What’s your favorite exercise?
A: Lifting heavy – probably a 3-way tie between bench press, push press and squats.
Q: What’s your favorite post-workout meal/snack?
A: That’s a very unfair question. I typically workout at noon, so I get to eat lunch afterwards. But on other days I shake up a PEScience protein shake so I don’t eat ALL the food. My favorite flavor is chocolate cupcake. Recently I’ve also been turned onto Fairlife CorePower chocolate milk which is delicious.
Q: What do you find most challenging about working out?
A: Making it a priority. I struggle strongly with mom-shame, so it’s hard to put me first. I try to keep the mindset that I’m teaching them to make their fitness a priority too, but on days in which time is short, “mom’s stuff” is usually the first to be sacrificed.
Q: What keeps you motivated to work out regularly?
A: My People. My Family and my FitFam. I need to be healthy and strong to be a good role model for my daughters and make sure I can be there for them for a long time. My FitFam keeps me accountable; there’s an overflowing wealth of support and encouragement. They expect me to be there, but don’t shame me when I fall.
Q: What advice do you have for someone who’s thinking about getting started in the gym?
A: The hardest part is showing up. No matter what you do, how many times you fall or struggle, and especially when you don’t want to, Just Show Up.
Q: What is something you couldn’t do when you started, that you can do now?
A: Full push-ups, still a challenge to do more than 5 in a row, but I’m still getting stronger every day.
Q: What fitness accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: Winning the strongman last summer. That was a lot of fun.
Q: What goals are you working on now?
A: Right now my focus is getting my nutrition in check. Eating to fuel my body for bigger strength gains and to shed the extra weight.
Q: Tell us a random fact about yourself that people might not know.
A: I’m originally from Omaha, NE.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about working out at The Strength Collective?
A: The people. We are a family of warriors. It may feel strange to have a “stranger” encourage you and push you, but that’s what we do. The minute you walk through the door, you’re no longer a stranger, you’re family.
Thank you for being a ride or die member of our #fitfam Amanda!
