about sweat diaries

There's so much research that moving your body is the cheapest form of therapy. I've spent over 25 years as a fitness instructor and personal trainer helping people reach new levels - both physically and mentally. I have thrived on the energy in a sweat-filled room, and I have been filled with meaningful connections from those who came back week after week. 

It hasn't always been sweat drops and muscle gains in my life. I didn't start "working out" until I was 18. I had lived abroad in the mid-90s, gained a significant amount of weight, returned home, and knew something had to change. I didn't have a built-in drive to move my body, and I was terrible at sports (I still can't throw or catch a ball). Then, a wonderful new VHS tape was released: Step Reebok. In my basement, I played that tape on repeat. Exercise was timed with the beat of the music! Finally, something I could relate to! I knew the steps, perfected the movements, and for the first time, I really had fun moving my body. The weight came off, and I went off to college with a new healthy habit. Virginia Tech was where I built my fitness career. I taught fitness classes, became nationally certified, started training other instructors, and found my true passion in inspiring movement. Years later (with many life experiences under me), I'm learning more about how fitness is so much more than just a workout. Fitness, as it turns out, is health.

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Oh, but life didn't just nicely sail along. After hitting a very hard, deep low in my life, I decided I wanted to push myself to try what that research (and I) promoted for years - sweat for healing. More than once, I spent 20 minutes mostly crying on my spin bike - not because the workout was hard, but because I took myself into the workout to heal my depression. For the first time in all those years, I wasn't focused on losing weight or changing my physique. I needed respite, release, and refreshment. 

It felt really weird - and I wasn't healed in one workout. Truth? I'm still enrolled in my own sweat therapy to this day.

Sweat Diaries came out of my experiences. I have always felt most comfortable speaking with a microphone on my head and a beat in the background. It brings me so much joy to motivate people to achieve more than they thought they could through moving their bodies. Now, I'm continuing the motivation, but with a different microphone: The Sweat Diaries Podcast. 

As a visitor here, you are part of a fantastic community, where we use sweat to help us get through life...the good, the ugly, the beautiful, the messy. It's time to build your Sweat Diary. You'll find downloads and products to help you build your own diary easily. (Truth: the diary-writing won't be easy, but it's part of the process).

So, I'm going to speak up, and I'm going to listen. Sweat Diaries will be a place where you can hear some advice, talk about your experiences, heal, and most importantly - MOVE.

You'll find plenty of workouts here. But the focus is 100% on the therapy a workout provides. 

Thank you so much for being part of this community. 

Gratefully,

Mindy

Founder & Host, Sweat Diaries

PS. If you're willing to get real with me and spill your Sweat Diary, please email me directly and I'll get you on the podcast!