By: Jessica Hurkes
I’ve always enjoyed working out, and over the years I’ve tried all kinds of training and classes.
At one point I was teaching classes in Pilates and kickboxing, and my husband had started doing Crossfit. He started showing me the kettlebell training he’d been doing at his gym, and I was really interested in a more intense way of working out.
The missing piece of the picture was technique. My husband and I knew how effective intense training could be, but we also knew that something like a kettlebell could be a tool for rapidly destroying your lower back if we used it without better instruction.
For a while, we were at a loss for what to do, and were trying to learn through trial and error at his then-gym, and by watching youtube tutorials.
Then Abby started telling me about the new workouts she was doing, and what she was learning as she went through the qualification process to start her new gym.
I went with her to Spearfish for a week of Barefoot workouts, and I was hooked. I saw how this way of training put everything together. We were doing intense strength-based workouts, with great technique and movement instruction, and it was all adjusted to ability level.
I became Abby’s first instructor, and started the qualification training with her.
Here, I began gaining the fitness that helped me get back into shape quickly after my pregnancies, and have the energy to raise four little boys.
I thought my exercise background had me in pretty good shape, but in the workouts we started doing, I quickly realized how limited I was. My mobility and strength started to rapidly improve, and as an added bonus, I was no longer bored with working out!
I’d been doing Barefoot workouts for about six months when we opened Barefoot Watertown.
A few short weeks later, I was pregnant with my second child. I’d had many pregnancy complications before and was very cautious about training during my pregnancy, so I relied on the fitness that I’d built in the previous six months, and worked to maintain that.
I was back in the gym about a month after he was born. My strength came back quickly. I was amazed at how fast I was able to bounce back compared to my first pregnancy. I thank the fitness base from my Barefoot training for that.
Earlier this year, we had twin boys, so now we have four boys ages six and under! Again, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within three months, and I have no doubt that my pre-pregnancy fitness level is what made it possible to get back in shape after my babies.
Even now, I’m still gaining strength and getting more fit. I’m excited to see where this takes me, and one of the biggest things for me is that I’m not worried about seeing a certain number on the scale, or trying to get to a certain clothing size. My goal is to have the strength and energy to keep up with my busy, growing family.
Barefoot has not only had a great impact on me, but also on our entire family. My husband trains at Barefoot now too, and our kids love being in the gym. They’re always looking for physical challenges to show us “how strong they are.”
Exercise and playing outdoors is now a family activity. I am so thankful that my kids see the importance of an active lifestyle and are excited about it. Barefoot Fitness truly is a family that encourages and challenges each other, and I am so blessed to be a part of it.