Feel Fit with Laurel

02/09/2026

Come celebrate the gym’s grand re-opening with me!

***SAVE THE DATE***

The COMEBACK can be better than the setback
🗓️ Sat, Feb 28
📍 95 Thompson St • Asheville

Helene flooded our community and flipped everything upside down—but it didn’t finish us.

Coach Laurel and I shared space and kept showing up while we rebuilt, and Coach Luis graciously opened his gym, his community, and his heart when we needed it most.

2025 became the year we ALL rebuilt. Now we’re coming home to 95 Thompson St—stronger, closer, and BUILT different.

We’re coming back as family, community, bigger and STRONGER!

Join us to CELEBRATE!

Schedule:
9:00 AM — Workout (optional… but worth it)
10:00 AM–12:00 PM — Open House + Bites & Boost (potluck brunch)

More details + local supporter shoutouts coming soon—this is just the first heads up.

Drop a 🔥 if you’re in + tag a friend who needs comeback energy.
fit.with.laurel

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02/01/2023

08/04/2020

WEAR THE SHORTS. 🔥

When I started teaching group fitness classes over 6 years ago, I would only wear a very few pieces from my wardrobe and they were ALWAYS leggings and ALWAYS black or dark colored because I thought lighter colors might highlight my so-called ‘flaws.’

Shorts were an ABSOLUTE ‘No.’

I have fought with clothes for most of my life. I used to have a bunch of unspoken rules as to what a ‘bigger’ girl could and couldn’t wear.

I am so darn PROUD of this girl who has decided that choosing an outfit based on HIDING parts of myself rather than for function or personal style or comfort, NO LONGER SERVES ME.

Now I wear shorts almost EVERY single day - I think they FEEL the best, and allow me to MOVE my body without fidgeting with them all the time. Plus they don’t overheat me! 🙌

It’s taken literal years of trying to change my body with the delusional idea that I could or would finally stop judging myself for these things once I looked a certain way.

You don’t have to wait to wear something until you have lost ‘X’ amount of pounds, or accept that you’ll never wear shorts because your thighs jiggle and rub together (mine do too!), have cellulite (95% of women have this!!!), have spider veins (ME TOO!) or aren’t as tan and toned as the fitness industry shows us you need to be. Blah blah blah...

I challenge you to start picking pieces that make you FEEL AMAZING! On trend, off trend, more skin showing, less skin showing- DO IT FOR YOU. We ALL deserve to accept ourselves as imperfect, ever-changing and malleable beings NOW! Not in some hypothetical made up future. No. You deserve it NO MATTER WHAT!

Wear the damn shorts! (Or whatever your ‘no’ clothing piece is) I love you all! 💕

07/21/2020

Let’s talk body image.

I have dealt with a negative body image most of my life. The distorted idea of what healthy looks like is ! Health looks different on every BODY 💕

Being unable to live in the ‘now’ because we are constantly thinking of WHEN I look this way, or WHEN I weigh ‘x’ amount of pounds I’ll be more well-liked/happier/healthier, can negatively impact us more than you can imagine. Start from within, and the rest will follow.

I have never had the body type that our fashion and fitness industries hail, and I haven’t always been nice to myself about the way I look.

Thankfully, this is something I have the power to change and have been working to reframe my self talk and how to change the negative, and unhealthy mental loops I have created, over the past few years.

When I have bad body image days, here’s what helps:

➖Not weighing myself!!!
If I’m already thinking negative thoughts, knowing an arbitrary number about my density absolutely doesn’t help!

➖Going for a walk/moving my body.
It can be hard to motivate through those negative thoughts but getting my blood pumping even for just 5-10 minutes helps TREMENDOUSLY! This could be ANY type of movement that feed good to you.

➖Hydrating.
Even though hydrating can make me feel heavy and full at first, drinking clear liquids helps energy levels, digestion, and bloat a TON and I’m always thankful after the fact! 😌

➖Having grace.
Probably the most important thing to remember, is that you can move through these feelings while honoring them. It’s OKAY to not feel your best, but it’s not okay to beat yourself up about it. Acknowledge, and move forward because there are SO many more amazing things about you than your body/weight. 💜

What are some things that help you when you’re being your own worst friend? ⤵️

07/20/2020

Absolute KILLER cardio🙌
I saw this workout last week by and just HAD to give it a go! I made it 6 rounds (18 mins) and was dying in the BEST way! 😝 I love trying other trainer’s workouts and this one is a keeper for sure. 💪

EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute)
MIN 1:
➖10 Swings
➖+ 8/8 Skater taps
MIN 2:
➖10 Swings
➖+ 10/10 Shoulder taps
MIN 3:
➖10 Swings
➖ + 8/8 Reverse lunges
X4-6 ROUNDS
Rest for the remainder of the seconds in each minute 🙂

Thanks for an amazing cardio blast!!! Try it yourself 🙌😅