FitFam Celebrates its 7th Anniversary!
As we say “Adieu” to 2022, let’s take a moment to reflect on 7 incredible years of Fitness and Family
In what has been an otherwise extremely challenging year for many, we as one of the most consistent and determined fitness and wellness communities on the planet have so much to look back on and be proud of. It would have been much simpler to pull back and withdraw as the circumstances became increasingly more challenging, but instead we persisted to host our biggest year ever of online sessions, expanded into new global communities, and even found ways (somehow) to host our full schedule of annual events!
This year, we were able to host 4806 in China and over 600 global movement sessions in total, including an eclectic mix of classic HIIT, yoga, running, Pilates, core strength, Zumba and more! Thanks to our virtual community and seemingly tireless army of volunteer leaders, nothing could stop us from moving and staying connected. Of course, none of this happens without each and every person in the community being present and seemingly getting more in return than what they feel they’re contributing. That is really the magic of what happens each time you commit, sweat, connect, smile, and give your energy to those around you… everybody gets more in return.
FitFam now has 75 unique locations located in 16 cities and 11 different countries around the world. Aside from the iconic logo, the sweaty smiles, and the nearly constant flow of high-fives and burpees, our community is globally connected by a few pure and simple core values: health as a lifestyle, fitness as a freedom, connection as a fundamental necessity, and consistency as a point of pride. With this commonality and maximal focus on inclusivity, FitFam has transcended every culture it’s encountered to bring people together.
To celebrate and commemorate everything the community means to us and the impact it has made on our lives, we asked some of our most long-standing members to share what FitFam has meant to them over the years, how they got involved in the community, or what stories they’d love to share to help inspire others to just keep moving. Sit back, take a moment to enjoy their responses, and may hope and inspiration fill your hearts as we look forward to another incredible year ahead.
Katie Arnold
（Original member & Leader since Day 1)
While I may not be as involved as I used to be, FitFam as a model of acceptance and belonging has always stayed with me since I left China 3 and a half years ago. Even with thousands of miles and vast oceans between us, the bond of being a part of FitFam will always connect us. Happy birthday FitFam!
Andrea Keller
（Member since August 2016)
My favorite sentence over all these years has been: "FitFam days are better than non-FitFam days!" And that sums it up pretty much. With FitFam it suddenly became so easy (and even self-mandated) to integrate sports, movement, and fun with an awesome community into my every day routine - even if the days were crazy busy. I just wanted to make it happen because I felt so much better after the workouts and I could also see that offering the sessions as a Leader made a difference for others. For me it was the starting point of discovering a more healthy lifestyle, learning more about proper movement, getting in touch with Yoga and meditation and also a creating a better body awareness. Finding the most inspiring friendships through the FitFam community has been another great addition to my life.
To me another fantastic achievement of FitFam is that everybody has the feeling of belonging right from the start. The only thing you have to do is to commit to a workout and show up - and schwups you are part of the FitFamily! No matter where you are from, old, young, super fit or just starting to exercise, local or international - everybody is welcome and will immediately be integrated. "Getting better together“ and “Consistency is key“ are life maxims that I learned through FitFam and I am forever grateful for these learnings.
Going through the memories of these past years has moved me to tears of gratefulness and a warm, fuzzy but excited feeling remains in my stomach. I am leaving this remark with a great motivation to carry on the FitFam vibe wherever I am (a little bit like the Olympic flame). Because I am very sure that with our FitFam community we are making lives better - especially during these crazy times of uncertainty and fear.
Let’s keep moving!!
Ella Onn
（Member since Jan 2016)
FitFam really shaped my life in Shanghai and I cannot remember life before FitFam, honestly. I wanted to be healthier after having two kids and the community was just perfect considering they started early in the morning while kids were still asleep. My lifelong friends made in China were mainly from FitFam. Life may have its ups and downs, but when going to FitFam, that was the one hour of consistency and a guarantee that I would have a great time while getting my calories burning and sweat on with a bunch of like-minded people. I will forever have a soft spot for FitFam and continue to carry it with me wherever I go.
Harriet Gaywood
（Member since March 2016)
Returning to exercise after a break of many years, I joined FitFam just a few months after it started. After becoming a Leader I started the Pudong workouts and Balance & Bands. Whether joining a HIIT workout or a run, I am always inspired to meet other members of the FitFam family - participating means friendship, laughter, and humility whilst pushing yourself physically. From bands to birthday cakes every moment is a celebration with FitFam! Happy 7!
Edita Wu
（Member since March 2016)
After moving to China, in 2016 I was introduced to FitFam by one of the FitFam regulars. Sweating together almost every day on the field and enjoying social events every week, we became not only training buddies… we became a big FitFamily. The community gave me direction of what I want to do next with my life: not only train myself, but also help to train others to keep fit and stay healthy. Here I am now, after all these years, not only training with FitFam but running my own Pilates studio!
My very first FitFam workout was March 1st, 2016, at Luwan stadium! In the WeChat group I think it was only around 100 people. Christine Fleur helped me with learning some movements and I remember a very nice welcome from Vy Vu. After that, the rest is history!
Sy Yanliang
(2017 年 加入 Member since 2017)
Outside of work, FitFam is a big part of my life in Shanghai, we exercise and socialize like a big family.
My colleagues originally brought me to FitFam and ever since I have been hooked. I was very active and was snapped up as a leader. Very quickly I blossomed from gym novice to extreme sports enthusiast, participating in marathons, trail runs and yoga. FitFam has helped me become more confident and strong.
A few years ago, it was a group of passionate ‘crazy people’ who thrived on the challenge. We would meet in the evening and challenged our bodies to the limits and even participated in a 1000 burpee challenge.
Common interests brings us together and pushes us beyond our limits.
Michael Yuandong
(Member since 2017.1.22)
Just like FitFam’s Chinese name, FitFam is certainly an extraordinary fitness group, bringing people together through movement. FitFam volunteers making big contributions to this community for the last 7 years.
Amy Chu
（Member since December 2017)
I joined FitFam about 5 years ago and immediately fell in love with the energy and vibe of each session I joined. I came out of every workout feeling like I can overcome anything, a shared mindset among Fam friends that got me through the many ups and downs of my years in Shanghai, and I’m sure for many more years to come!
Steven Lee
（Member since May 2017)
In 2017, I joined FitFam following a friend’s post on WeChat. It was FitFam’s 14 Day Summer Challenge, and every day I tried my best to wake up early and accomplish 10 days of workouts completed. After 2 weeks, my habits completely changed, and I discovered I’m capable of consistently waking up early to work out.
In FitFam, I see people from all over the world and united as one. I find this in-sync with my life philosophy, which is to appreciate and share life experience with everyone. I’ve been to USA, Taiwan, and Europe, and luckily I can say there is nothing as diverse and exciting as the FitFam community.
I was first involved in leading a workout when a Leader last-minute needed a substitute at WeWork. I still remember today how nervous I was that night, but it totally changed my life. So, thank you Victoria勺子
There are a few leaders that have moved me the most: Edward from France, Mandy from Hong Kong, Igor from Canada, and of course our Cory, Olivia, and Vy from the USA and Australia. I was very shy to take a photo with Igor when he left, but he gave me one unforgettable line… “Consistency is the key,” and 5 years later I am forever grateful and proud to volunteer and keep the community going.
During the past 5 years I have seen many changes. Many people left, but also plenty of new faces have joined. I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all who have led and participated in a FitFam workout. Without the daily support of members and leaders it would be very difficult for the energy in the community to grow. In Chinese, there is a saying, “There is no party that does not end,” but I disagree. I believe everyone in FitFam will keep on networking through sweat and laughter, and we will continue our party. We may not be peaking at this moment, but at another moment in the future we will!!
Bay Zhang 张贝
（Member since March 15, 2018)
So many thanks to the community that brought me countless sunrise and sunset workouts, great laughter, and lifelong friends. The moments of finishing up a tough workout with sweaty high fives are the best! Which also means everything during the tough 2022.
Edouard Bellin
（Member since February 2017)
By pure chance, one random evening while having dinner with a friend in Shanghai in February 2017, I was sitting a couple of tables away from one of FitFam's core OG leaders, Katie, who overheard my complaining about not feeling motivated alone at the gym. She came over to our table and asked if we'd heard of FitFam. Quick intro about people coming together, love of fitness, and FREE. I was sold. The very next morning, I found myself in the pitch-black early morning of 6am at Jiao Tong university where I got my first taste of burpees and community feels. I was hooked and began joining several days a week. Weeks turned into over 4 years of consistent bodyweight training, immensely valuable leadership lessons learned from having grown new communities in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and lifelong friendships made along the way. Most importantly, it has shown me a side of myself I hadn't discovered to its full potential. One of my proudest achievements in life has been building and growing the FitFam Hong Kong community to a point where, 3 years after launching it, I was able to successfully pass the torch to our core leaders who embody the same values of uplifting people's lives through health, laughs and love, and are taking our community to new heights.
Far too many impactful memories to recall. A top one is bringing on Grace in Hong Kong as one of our core leaders within our first year. After a few months of attending our workouts, she finally agreed to try co-leading with me. Through consistency and encouragement from the community, she discovered *_her_* full potential as a confident, expressive and motivating leader who has since then inspired hundreds of others to come out, stay active, and most importantly, have fun. She went from being shy around people to bringing 40-50+ FitFammers every Monday together. The lesson here to everyone reading is that no one every truly feels like they're ever ready to lead when you're asked. Leading isn't so much about how fit, how vocal, or how extroverted one is from the start. All you ever really need is to trust the community to support you and share their own experiences to get you to a comfortable place when you _*do*_ feel ready. Everything else will come together soon enough.
That's what happened with me, with Grace, with other leaders at FitFam Shanghai, Hong Kong, and everywhere else around the world where our amazing friends have set up new communities.
That's how it all started in the cold winter of Shanghai in 2015 with just a few people, and why our community of thousands will continue to live on through many more anniversaries.
But for now... Happy 7 years FitFam ️
So grateful to YOU and our partners for believing in our mission and staying with us in 2022 and over the last 7 years. As the sun sets on 2022 we are happy you sweated and connected with us in 2022 and look forward to continuing on the path of health and happiness in 2023.
