Five years ago I hosted a group of committed "staff members" (aka, my family and Teri Miller, City Gym's first employee) in the yet-to-be-finished City Gym KC. I had somehow convinced them to join me in my gorilla marketing efforts by passing out CG green water bottles at the Brookside Annual Art Fair all weekend.

And just like that, brick by brick, conversation by conversation, handshake by handshake, water bottle by water bottle, the idea of who City Gym would become began to take shape. City Gym is born of the belief that a gym should be more than a place to workout, it should be a place to belong.

Winter is finally over and – while the Kansas City Royals just finished their spring training in Surprise, Arizona – spring training has just begun for you City Gym members who like to change things up occasionally and take your workout outside, where you can breathe some fresh air and soak up some Vitamin D.  Whether you like to run, cycle, swim, golf, or play tennis, there are a few things to keep in mind before you head outdoors...

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Who is that girl?  The girl who smiles in class, greets and chats with everyone whom she sees, and simply makes people feel good when she is around????  That girl is Mary W., one of our favorite members at City Gym. Working out is one of Mary's passions, and you will often see her in SPIN and Zumba Classes as well as walking on the treadmill and lifting weights.

When Mary is not working out, she spends time at St. Peter’s Catholic Church as a volunteer assistant as well as works at the YMCA Children's Center Campus.  She loves working with children and helping them learn how to play with each other.

So, I’m starting to wonder if the City Gym slogan should be revised to say: “Be Fit.  Be Well.  Belong.  Be Pregnant.”  I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there are quite a few members at our gym who in various stages of their pregnancy, so I thought it might be appropriate for me to focus this month’s article on some of the “old wives’ tales” or myths surrounding physical activity and exercise during pregnancy.

Myth #3: “You shouldn’t let your target heart rate get over 130 BPM.”

I am a firm believer in and defender of the idea that exercise is a personal expression. So many people think there is a perfect way to perform it, that they avoid even getting started. They hear advice from fitness experts who have labored to find their path of exercise, their personal expression, and if it doesn't resonate with the layperson, well they don't even start. 

My advice? If you find something you love--do it! Throw yourself into it. Join a club or group of enthusiasts and surround yourself with it. Buy the shoes AND the shirt. If you don't have the results you had hoped for or you injure yourself (I hope not), consider why. Learn from it. Grow.

I hope everyone has had a great start to 2016. This is the first installment of a monthly article which I will be providing to my fellow City Gym members and which will focus on various health-related issues and topics of interest.