Cindy Ley
My name is Cindy Ley. I’m the executive director of Open Doors for Youth, a nonprofit in Elk River serving homeless and housing-insecure youth in Central Minnesota. My husband and I have lived in Elk River for 25 years, and we have four adult children.
I have always been active, and participated in sports that required strength. In high school, despite having a lot of muscle, I compared myself to thinner girls and thought I was fat. I resorted to extreme low-calorie diets of plain tuna, dry crackers, and grapefruit, tying my self-esteem to my weight and body image. As a young adult, I struggled with binge eating, gaining weight in college. Fast forward to adult life, having 4 kids, and a busy family life left little time for me to eat right and take care of my body.
I first joined FitClub (formerly Fuse) when it opened in 2017. At the time, I was working out at another gym, taking group classes with friends. I was taking classes from this badass instructor named Nicole Smith. Her husband owned the Snap Fitness in Elk River and was starting new small group fitness classes so she persuaded several of us to follow her to Fuse. I'm so glad I did! I attended the open house and won a month's membership. Initially nervous about the new environment, I soon got hooked after a few challenging classes. The small group sessions and personalized attention from coaches make FitClub unique. The support and encouragement from both coaches and members create an unmatched sense of community, motivating me to get up at 4 a.m. most mornings.
My transformation mainly happened in the last eight months. I took time off during 2020's COVID pandemic, gaining weight from reduced activity and stress eating. Returning in 2021, I struggled to regain a comfortable weight and fitness level. When the Fall Breakthrough Challenge started in September 2023, I decided to fully commit. Since then, I’ve lost 14 pounds, 16.5 pounds of fat, and reduced my body fat by 10%, while maintaining my muscle mass around 60-61 pounds. These results came from hard work—tracking my food, meal prepping every weekend, working out 3-4 times a week at FitClub, and doing cardio on weekends.
Equally important was showing myself grace when I missed a workout or my InBody results were disappointing. I owe my success to the support from my coach Candace and my 5 a.m. workout friends.
I’m nearly back to my pre-COVID weight, feeling stronger and healthier. It's not just about the scale—it's about building strength, losing body fat, maintaining healthy habits, and taking care of myself as I age. I might be the oldest person at FitClub!
I’m not one to boast about my achievements and had to be convinced to write this story. I know many have made greater changes and faced tougher challenges, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made over the last eight months. My key takeaways and advice for others from this time of transformation are surround yourself with a supportive community (like FitClub), slow and steady wins the race, and strong not skinny!
I have always been active, and participated in sports that required strength. In high school, despite having a lot of muscle, I compared myself to thinner girls and thought I was fat. I resorted to extreme low-calorie diets of plain tuna, dry crackers, and grapefruit, tying my self-esteem to my weight and body image. As a young adult, I struggled with binge eating, gaining weight in college. Fast forward to adult life, having 4 kids, and a busy family life left little time for me to eat right and take care of my body.
I first joined FitClub (formerly Fuse) when it opened in 2017. At the time, I was working out at another gym, taking group classes with friends. I was taking classes from this badass instructor named Nicole Smith. Her husband owned the Snap Fitness in Elk River and was starting new small group fitness classes so she persuaded several of us to follow her to Fuse. I'm so glad I did! I attended the open house and won a month's membership. Initially nervous about the new environment, I soon got hooked after a few challenging classes. The small group sessions and personalized attention from coaches make FitClub unique. The support and encouragement from both coaches and members create an unmatched sense of community, motivating me to get up at 4 a.m. most mornings.
My transformation mainly happened in the last eight months. I took time off during 2020's COVID pandemic, gaining weight from reduced activity and stress eating. Returning in 2021, I struggled to regain a comfortable weight and fitness level. When the Fall Breakthrough Challenge started in September 2023, I decided to fully commit. Since then, I’ve lost 14 pounds, 16.5 pounds of fat, and reduced my body fat by 10%, while maintaining my muscle mass around 60-61 pounds. These results came from hard work—tracking my food, meal prepping every weekend, working out 3-4 times a week at FitClub, and doing cardio on weekends.
Equally important was showing myself grace when I missed a workout or my InBody results were disappointing. I owe my success to the support from my coach Candace and my 5 a.m. workout friends.
I’m nearly back to my pre-COVID weight, feeling stronger and healthier. It's not just about the scale—it's about building strength, losing body fat, maintaining healthy habits, and taking care of myself as I age. I might be the oldest person at FitClub!
I’m not one to boast about my achievements and had to be convinced to write this story. I know many have made greater changes and faced tougher challenges, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made over the last eight months. My key takeaways and advice for others from this time of transformation are surround yourself with a supportive community (like FitClub), slow and steady wins the race, and strong not skinny!