“It ain’t about how hard you hit it. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward,” is more than just a quote from a Rocky movie. There is a lot of truth in these words. The entire speech encompasses resilience, and it speaks to a lot of people. Chelsea Lumnah is someone who understands the significance in the message. She lives it every day.
Chelsea is not someone who is apprehensive or embarrassed to talk about her personal struggles. If she was, she wouldn’t have put herself in a position to help others, a desire which began three years ago, when she opened Revival Strength and Recovery. She established the facility as a community space, offering a combination of services, including a gym, a fitness center, and personal training services.
Additionally, the facility provided resources related to addiction recovery, whether recovering from addiction, injury, trauma, or illness, with the mission of helping individuals on their journey toward better health and well-being. But unfortunately for Chelsea and her members, this venture didn’t last.
“When I opened the gym and recovery center, I was very lean and had been through an emotional year in my personal life,” Chelsea says. “I lacked boundaries and tried to save everyone, without ever putting myself first. So, I carried this into my first year at gym, and between being a mom, working at my dad’s restaurant, and running my own business, I was just going too fast. I wasn’t able to catch up, and I didn’t take care of myself.”
Without proper balance in her life, Chelsea emotionally, mentally, and physically burnt herself out. She ended up having to walk away from Revival Strength & Recovery for her own good.
“I went through an emotional and mental breakdown and became physically exhausted, which left me basically bedridden and zombie-like for about a year,” Chelsea said. “I also stopped my counseling, which left me with many unhealed traumas that I never processed. There was a time I didn’t think I was going to make it, but I fought and did not give up.”
Chelsea reopened her gym early this past March, but with a new plan and with putting herself first. She renamed her gym, Be Yourself Fitness, and she is happy for the fresh start.
“I’ve used my 27 years of gym experience and my 27 years in eating disorder recovery, to lay the foundation for my classes,” Chelsea explained. “I have an amazing team of friends, family, customers from the Tavern on Main, as well as the most supportive community. I am also fortunate to have a supportive boyfriend, who is also sober in recovery, and who has helped me establish Be Yourself Fitness, at the same location where Revival had been. The owner of the building saved a spot for me. and I’m so grateful to him for this.”
Be Yourself Fitness has classes for both men and women of all ages. Classes include bootcamp strength training classes and cardio kickboxing. Chelsea is available for one-on-one personal training, and starting in June, Chelsea and several others, including one of her first personal training clients (a teenager who is working on his senior project), are starting a program called Be yourself. The logo for this program was designed by Chelsea’s 8 year old son.
“This program will be aimed at preventing addiction and eating disorder addiction for 5-12 years-olds, by introducing them to fitness in a healthy way, and by encouraging them to be themselves and respect one another’s unique strengths,” Chelsea says.
The classes will include strength training and other exercise and fun activities. There will be fundraisers for kids who do not have the money to attend classes so they can participate.
“I’m excited for this new journey,” Chelsea says. “I’m bringing my truest and healthiest version of myself, as well as all of my hard-learned lessons and experiences to the members at Be Yourself Fitness. The only requirements I ask of members is to be yourself, be prepared to laugh, and have a positive attitude. And, never give up.”
Be Yourself Fitness is located at 16 Terry Lane in Chepachet. For more information, call (401) 787-0295. Follow Chelsea on Instagram @chelsea.lumnah and Facebook @Chel Lumnah.
