Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Tuscaloosa and Northport!
Good Neighbor Podcast Northport
Anna Arsenault: Redefining Fitness with a Holistic Approach at Iron Tribe Fitness in Tuscaloosa
Ready to transform your perspective on fitness? Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Anna Arsenault, the dynamic owner and operator of Iron Tribe Fitness in Tuscaloosa. Discover how Anna and her team are redefining the fitness experience with a holistic approach that transcends traditional workouts. With programming crafted by experts holding PhDs in kinesiology, Iron Tribe stands out by prioritizing mental and emotional well-being alongside physical fitness. Anna delves into the supportive community culture at Iron Tribe, particularly empowering for women, and the personalized attention members receive—proving that the right fitness environment can make all the difference.
Imagine treating your fitness routine with the same importance as brushing your teeth. That's the kind of mindset shift Anna advocates for integrating fitness seamlessly into daily life for long-term health benefits. We'll discuss the power of consistency and discipline in reaching your fitness goals and how coaching provides the accountability you need to succeed. Anna also shares candid insights into the challenges fitness business owners face, such as attracting clients and managing financial constraints, offering a well-rounded view of the industry's landscape.
Worried about stepping into a gym for the first time? Anna addresses common fitness fears and the intimidation factor head-on, explaining how Iron Tribe’s community support system helps new members overcome these hurdles. We’ll explore the latest trends in the fitness industry, including the rise of semi-personal training post-COVID, and highlight Iron Tribe's impactful community outreach and charitable initiatives. Plus, get a personal invite from a dedicated coach in Northport to experience what makes Iron Tribe unique—you might just find your new fitness family.
#IronTribeFitness #FitnessTransformation #HolisticFitness #CommunitySupport #WomenInFitness #Kinesiology #MindBodyConnection #HealthAndWellness #FitnessGoals #ConsistencyIsKey #SemiPersonalTraining #PostCovidFitness #CharitableFitness #EmpowermentThroughFitness #MentalAndPhysicalHealth #NorthportFitness #TuscaloosaFitness #FitnessForLife #FitnessCommunity #StrengthInNumbers #GNPNorthport
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Patricia Blondheim.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, patricia Blondheim, and today we have Good Neighbor Anna Arsenault. Anna is the owner and operator of Iron Tribe Fitness here in Tuscaloosa. Anna, how are you today?
Speaker 3:Good. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to chat with you.
Speaker 2:I'm excited to chat with you too, and I know I spoke to you about that. I was, I wanted to come in and I wanted to experience Iron Tribe before I did this podcast, mostly because I am searching. Did this podcast mostly because I am searching for the, for higher function in my life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, we'd like to have you come try a class, and we offer personal training as well. So either one you can do a group fitness class or do a personal class with me or another coach.
Speaker 2:And I think this is what kind of defines Iron Tribe, tribe fitness and high intensity, high intensity fitness um businesses like yours is that, um, what you get through the workout is a higher functionality in your body and in your life it's not merely weight loss.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a whole thing. Yeah, it's definitely um, kind of like. I like to think of it as you know, mind, body and soul it's. It's. It's a stress reliever, it's good for your it's. You know, it's really really good to just it's 45 minutes to get in away from normal life and, uh, not have to think about the stresses outside of the gym. And once you get on the floor you know you're working hard and your, your mind kind of goes blank of just you know the community and the people around you kind of get you through that 45 minutes without having to worry about what's outside of the gym.
Speaker 2:I agree, I agree, so I'm gonna. I'm gonna work to kind of burst that boundary between where I'm at and the gym, cause that getting to the gym is the hardest part of working out.
Speaker 3:A hundred percent and I think you know, female to female, I think a lot, of, a lot of times it can be pretty intimidating to just kind of walking in which I try to create an environment with a lot of other females. That's really welcoming and the women have really rally around each other. When someone new walks in the door they kind of surround her with, you know, just acceptance and love and and really try to show her that we're all at different levels and that's okay to be at any level and you're welcome here.
Speaker 2:So Well, I mean, what sets iron? I think there might be a misconception out there that Iron Tribe is a CrossFit box, so can you tell me something about what? What sets Iron Tribe apart from CrossFit gyms or or other fitness communities even?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, um, you know, I think that uh, I, I obviously I love CrossFit. I love, like you know, I've got friends in the industry all over Tuscaloosa and really all over Alabama and I really like think that gyms are like churches there's a lot of them, but everybody needs one and they need to find kind of their place and their community. I hope it's with Iron Tribe, but if not, like I always want to point to other places in town that I know there's a lot of great community there. The difference really that I think that we provide at Iron Tribe that's really different from CrossFit is so when you are a CrossFit gym, you typically you have a coach or the owner that writes the workouts themselves their programming.
Speaker 3:Iron Tribe does not do that. So I do write personal training program but group fitness as a whole. We have a programmer, we have a team of people that write the workouts. They have, you know, phds and kinesiology and stuff and they, they work together to write the workouts. Um, so they're very, very tailored so that you're not hitting kind of the same muscle groups over and over and over again. There's a science behind it, which I love, because I've done it all and I've seen myself get fitter and stronger with the Iron Tribe programming. The coaches typically are fitness professionals, so they're salaried full-time employees versus just somebody who kind of likes fitness. Not to say that other gyms don't have great coaches. Our coaches are just typically people that have a career minded, and we hire people to work full time versus just class for class, and we do have some part time coaches that are wonderful. We just really try to think of it more as a as a career for our coaches, versus just filling in here and there.
Speaker 2:So I come from a background of physical therapy and orthopedics. Okay, and and so, and this is a whole like series of podcasts we need to do- at a time you know we need our cause.
Speaker 2:I can go, I can go deep down that rabbit hole. That idea that you had, that that you put forward, not an idea but a fact that, um, that strength and conditioning is a science, and, um, it's not just you don't, you can't, just you can. You can throw together a workout and it can, you can have a good effect, but the science behind it is so powerful and create the whole different, um word, the whole different, uh well, it's results driven Um, and I, I think, um.
Speaker 3:So if I have a member who comes in and maybe has some restrictions that need some modifications maybe they've got some elbow pain or maybe they've had a shoulder replacement we have a member here who has had a complete shoulder replacement. He's in his sixties, um, and so there's things that I'm going to know about him specifically so that when he's walking in the door I'm going to know he's on his way and I'm going to prepare for that. So my coaches or I are going to say, okay, hey, today we have this movement that maybe this member might not be ready for. Maybe it's a mobility issue, maybe it's a strength issue. So we're going to work together as a team to modify and to make him still feel a part of the group without completely isolating him into a different workout.
Speaker 3:Maybe that member then realizes I'm having to modify everything in this group class, and so that's when I would say, hey, maybe for six weeks let's get you in doing some semi-private or some private training, so then I can write specifically to that member to help them kind of get through that injury or whatever modification they need. We were going to work specifically on shoulder mobility. I work pretty closely with some, like you said, some physical therapists that I can call on them and ask them for some advice and things. And we have a physical therapist who's in the gym. That's wonderful and he sees a lot of our members as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because it's not science unless it's measurable and you can replicate it Exactly, and that that's huge. That's different than throwing a bunch of spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, which can be fun at times, but not good for long term. Yeah, which can be fun at times, but not good for long term. I love throwing spaghetti.
Speaker 2:So so can you tell us how important is community to fitness and what role does it play at Iron Tribe?
Speaker 3:Well. So I recently did some interviews with some of our long term members. We have some members here that have been here for 10 years and the common factor with all of their interviews was I keep coming back because of my community there. They all love the fitness, they all love the 45 minutes of keeping them strong and feeling fit and things like that. But the common denominator for, I would say, the majority of our members, whether they've been here for a week or they've been here for 10 years, is they love the people. It's where their friends are. It becomes family. The coaches really, really love on our members. So when they're going through something hard, you know we kind of come together as a community. We have birthday parties, baby showers, all kinds of stuff and it really becomes, you know, people that you really look forward to seeing every day.
Speaker 2:So I think it's really important because I think it keeps people coming back. You know, and that poses the question right, what would fitness be like if it was your life, rather than something that you sort of peel off and have to do on the side as an obligation?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, it's funny because as a mom, I've always taught my children fitness is like brushing your teeth it's something that should be, that you should some somewhat do every day, whether it's going for a walk outside, whether it's lifting.
Speaker 3:So so I teach fitness as it's something that should be, you know, kind of a huge priority in the law in your life for long term mental health or long term physical health. But I think it's one of the things that we we create with our coaching here is that how important it is to show up every day. And again, not every day. I don't want, you know, I don't need people here seven days a week, but, you know, choosing their, their goals in there, you know, whether it's three days a week, four days a week. Obviously, fitness and family is my life, because I chose it as a career, because I'm very passionate about it and I don't expect everybody to be that passionate about it. But I do think that's where the discipline and, you know, choosing to make it a part of your life really, you know, is important, and I think that's where coaching comes in for the accountability in that area.
Speaker 2:And I strive for my highest self. I always do. I always have all my whole life. But I found that physical fitness raises my baseline. Yeah, like it raises the, it actually raises the ceiling. My higher self becomes higher because of what I'm doing in the gym.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love that. I think you know I I truly believe in doing hard things, whether it's in the gym, whether it's having a hard conversation with somebody. There's all kinds of hard things that can be had, and it's, you know, maybe it's nutrition, maybe it's for you. I've always wanted to learn Spanish and I've never done it, and so now I'm going to commit to it. Whatever it is, I think, like you're saying is, like you know, finding something that's kind of your heart and and, and then crossing that line of feeling accomplished and I think that's what we provide here at Iron Tribe is, you know, a 45 minutes of something pretty hard, and it's all going to be what you put into it, and then getting that sense of I've accomplished something, which then gives you that sense of I've reached my higher self, like you said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So what are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as the owner of Iron Tribe Fitness?
Speaker 3:I think you touched on it at the beginning is just the getting people to walk in the door.
Speaker 3:So you know, as as we've kind of gone through, you know everybody, I think, as business owners right now are struggling with people you know wanting to spend money, and then they're you know they're saving, and people you know that to spend money, and then they're you know they're saving, and people you know everybody's kind of struggling in their own way.
Speaker 3:And so for us, I think the misconception that this is just for people that are already really fit, or once I get people will say, well, once I lose 10 pounds, then I'll come versus okay, just choosing to come and trust the process, whether that's you need to lose weight, whether you just need a community, whether you just want to get stronger, whatever your why is it? To me is my biggest struggle, I think, is getting people over the mental of choosing to make some changes in their life and not being intimidated about what Iron Tribe is, because I think people will drive by and they see you, you know running, and they're like I can't do that. Or you know, they see, you know on videos, on social media, and it's there someone's lifting something really heavy and, um, I could never do that. Well, you don't have to do that. That person might be doing that, but there's always modifications that are going to get you to where you want to be, but it doesn't always look like the person standing next to you, so I think that scares people away.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I mean, I, I'm an active observer of my own psyche. And I really have been deeply thinking about just dropping in and doing classes with iron cartons right, deeply thinking about it and observing the excuses that come up in my head with some amusement, Like I don't have anything to wear, my knees hurt.
Speaker 2:Maybe if I lose just 10 pounds I'll be able to do some of it with yeah. My, my knees hurt. Maybe if I lose just 10 pounds I'll be able to do some of it with yeah, and it's fun. The amount of pushback that I observe in my own brain about getting in there. It can only be defeated by getting in there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I've heard it all. You know, I've been doing this a long time. Um and uh, I have heard it all. And also I haven't just heard it all, I've said it all to myself, even somebody who's, you know, been pretty, you know, active in the fitness my own is, you know, I've I've had injuries and I've had children and there's all kinds of things that I think, okay, well, I'll start this new, you know, nutrition program. I'll start it once, I you know, once my kids go to college and I have more time you know, whatever it is, I just I say all the things to myself.
Speaker 3:You know, I'll start running again when I can go get new shoes because I need. You know, I don't have any good shoes right now.
Speaker 3:I mean, I've, just I again I've heard it all and I've said it all to myself, so it is. It is kind of amusing when you start thinking about it, but those fears and those are excuses are real to people and you and I can like kind of giggle about them, but I've had women, you know, weeping to me about these fears and they're, they're real, they're, they are very real and they will set you back for the rest of your life unless you are open to sharing them with somebody and letting someone kind of link arms with you and helping you overcome them.
Speaker 2:I agree. I agree with everything except that fear is real. Fear is not real. Fear is shame turned inward, or it can be in a lot of cases.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And the best way to get rid of it is to talk about it. Yeah, open up and to say the words.
Speaker 3:It's kind of funny the way it happens just evaporates yeah yeah, and you have a, and you have a whole environment where you've got a whole community full of people where all of that fear can be evaporated yeah, yeah, and I think it's, you know, like I said, finding the right person um to to open up with, and somebody who's you know going to speak truth and speak honesty. You know about, about what it is, those fears and, like you said, if you you know saying like this fear is something that you are experiencing, this is your feeling, but let's walk through that door together, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And that's how I coach, you know. I, you know, have male coaches and I've, you know, female coaches, and I work really closely with a lot of females. And I've, you know, I, you know, have male coaches and I've, you know, female coaches, and I work really closely with a lot of females. And I've, you know, again, done this for a long time and I've seen a lot of females do a lot of really amazing things after walking through that, that door of getting over some of their fears.
Speaker 2:Well, Anna, are there any trends that you're seeing in the fitness industry? It's always changing.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, it really is. Um, yeah, I mean, fitness goes in waves, you know, and it's fun for me to watch because, you know, I've I, you know, been a swimmer. I've been. I used to teach deep water aerobics at UA. Like I love all of the things and I, as somebody who really loves fitness, like I used to be a Spartan racer, I've run marathons, I've done CrossFit competitions, I've done a lot of different things and so I kind of love the waves of fitness.
Speaker 3:As a business owner, obviously I'd love for it to stay kind of where we do, but I'm also the type of person that like we'll, we'll, we'll go with the model. So after COVID, you know, we saw a lot of semi-personal training kind of picking back up because post-COVID, everyone needed these, you know, we had to do smaller classes and things and people started seeing results with some personal training and we started seeing a huge need for it in the community and for people wanting real results. And I, you know, that's why we started doing personal and private training and I love it because it goes back to my background and then we see people get real results with it.
Speaker 2:So, anna, can you tell us about any community outreach or charity initiatives that Iron Tribe is involved in?
Speaker 3:Yes, and I'm so excited you asked about this because this is a passion of mine. We have a few things we do, so we work pretty closely with Wagner's Team Sports and Wagner's Run Walk. Their owner is an owner with us as well, and so every year we do a turkey trot run on Thanksgiving, right before Thanksgiving, and so we do. All the proceeds go to Magic Moments, which is a charity in Alabama that gives moments to children that are living with illnesses.
Speaker 3:My family is a recipient of this my youngest daughter and it's very, very special and it was a credible experience for our family, and after they granted my youngest daughter a wish, it became just such a huge part of what I like my side to do. And so Wagner's partners with us with the Turkey Trot and gives to Magic Moments every year, which is just wonderful. And then the other one we do is called Workout for Water Forrest Walden, who is the founder of Iron Tribe. It's his charity and it's a workout that we do and everybody gives money to do it, and we actually carry these big, giant water jugs to represent what these children and women are having to do to get water into these countries. And so then we partner with Workout for Water and the charity is called Never Thirst.
Speaker 2:I love that and did not know about that charity.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:So what keeps you motivated, anna? I mean, you motivate everyone. What keeps you motivated and passionate? You know about life and about running Iron Tribe every day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, I think you know I've always loved fitness. I've always loved what it's done for me personally, and so it's really it's always just been a passion of mine to see people, like we mentioned before, do hard things and come on the other side of it, because that Spartan Race uses a term it's like talking about crossing the finish line, and I love that in all areas of life, whether it's, you know, parenting is hard, jobs are hard, marriage is hard. There's so many things in our life that are really hard that when you get to the other side of it, that when you get to the other side of it, that feeling is incredible, and I like to give people that a little taste of that every day. And so when they come in here carrying a lot of weight on their shoulders from life and then they get to walk out of here just with a little bit less on their shoulders because they experienced something hard, um is really what keeps me going.
Speaker 3:Um, I love it. I, I, my children are a huge part of the gym and I love seeing them in the gym every day. Um, yeah, I guess that's really it. You know, I just, I just know what of a difference it makes in people's lives and that keeps me getting up and coming in every day.
Speaker 2:Awesome Anna. How can? Um? Well, actually, what, what, what do you like our listeners to take away about Iron Tribe Fitness?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I, I, I like that. That you asked that because, um, I really want people to know that Iron Tribe is for all, all people. It's not, it's not just for your super fit, you know, uh, athlete that's going to be lifting heavy things. I mean, we have people that are in here. We have a kids class, so we have kids starting from six years old and to our oldest member, who's in the 70s, and I love that we can accommodate all ages, all injuries, all walks of life. We have different packages that accommodate it for different people that have different financial situations. Um, and I, just, I, I love that we can serve Tuscaloosa in in all areas of that, and I hope that people, when they're thinking about, um, changing their lifestyle, that they would give, uh, give me a call and give Iron Tribe a shot, because I think we could really make a difference in their lives.
Speaker 2:Wonderful. And how can we reach out to you? How can we contact Iron Tribe Fitness?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we have an Instagram. Is Iron Tribe Tuscaloosa Facebook page Iron Tribe Tuscaloosa as well. You can always reach me at momstrongfitness on Instagram, because I'm pretty active there as well, if you just want to reach me directly with your own questions, um, and and you can also just stop by. We're downtown Northport and there's always a coach here. We're open, you know, from wee hours in the morning to pretty late at night. So even just to drop in just to to watch a class and to to see what we do here, I think uh would give you a big eye opening of what what it would be like to be a member here.
Speaker 2:Wonderful. Well, you've given me some motivation to um to cross that boundary. So, much and thank you so much for coming by and sharing all of this, thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, northport. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpnorthportcom. That's gnpnorthportcom, or call 205-809-4910.