Ignited by Camp GORGO, Jessica Rich Spreads her Fire
/By Jill Farr
Jessica Rich wasn’t a newcomer to exercise before attending her first Camp GORGO, but her experience there did ignite something that was missing in her pursuit before…connection.
“I have always been active growing up,” Jessica says. “In high school I was on the drill team and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I never thought about my metabolism, fueling my body or my overall health. I didn’t have to!”
The carefree metabolism of youth dimmed a little when Jessica graduated, however, and so did her enthusiasm about physical activity.
“When I went off to college my focus was school, studying and partying,” Jessica says. “Here and there I would put on some tennis shoes and go for a ‘run’, but my workout mojo pretty much came to a halt.”
“What didn’t come to a halt, however, was my my drive-through frequency,” Jessica admits. “I eventually gained the “Freshman 15” and then some. I went from 120 pounds to 160 pounds quickly.”
Like so many other women, Jessica’s motivation surfaced again when a certain milestone—marriage—made fitting into a certain piece of clothing a priority.
“Soon after college I was set to be married and needed to fit into my wedding dress like every other girl around,” Jessica says. “That got me back to the gym, at least!”
But after achieving that goal, Jessica once again lost sight of fitness for fitness’ sake, and slipped back into patterns of dieting and working out that promised quick results but didn’t strike any chords.
“My weight went up and down,” Jessica says. “I tried everything that was fast and easy to no avail. Then there were my two children which was the best thing that could have happened to me, but awful on my body.”
Although she knew exercise was the key, Jessica struggled to find methods that would give her the results she was after on her own.
“Even when I worked out at the gym,” she says, “I had no idea what I was doing. Just like most people, I dabbled with the equipment, but found myself usually jumping on the treadmill because I knew what to do with it at least.”
“Although you couldn’t tell from the outside (I looked okay), my love of all things food and my lack of knowledge with fitness made for an unhealthy me,” Jessica says. “I was using the treadmill for an hour and a half at times, found personal trainers, but still never found what worked for me. I used those things as my crutch and hid behind them like I was doing what was right. All the while I knew I didn’t feel ‘fit’ and something was missing in that part of my life.”
That something came to light when Jessica made the choice to attend a Camp GORGO event—a weekend of group and small session experiences designed to empower and encourage women at all fitness levels, from beginner to advanced, with nutrition and workout guidance, and above all else…the chance to mingle with other like-minded, strength-seeking women.
The connection that had been missing for so long—the conjunction of movement and nutrition, as well as the human connection and “tribe vibe”—was there, and Jessica’s fitness fire was stoked back to life.
“I was ignited inside about fitness at my first Camp GORGO,” Jessica says. “It was that push I needed to get back into the gym and to learn what I needed to do for myself! I started some group fitness classes with a great group of people and things just started to fall into place. I found how important fueling my body was for EVERYTHING, found out how to really push myself and then found my own fitness groove.”
Jessica still loves food, but has found a healthy mindset about what constitutes a treat, and prioritization of fueling activity, and nourishing your body.
“I love to look forward to those meals, keeping a good balance of healthy and treats,” Jessica says.
Connection with fellow fitness seekers was also something that revived Jessica’s outlook on physical fitness, and brought about a relationship that became important not just personally, but professionally, as well.
“When I found this love of fuel and fitness, I also found one of the best friends a girl could ask for,” Jessica says. “We have encouraged each other to do what neither of us thought we could physically, mentally and emotionally. Fast forward a year and we bought our own gym together with the same vibe that GORGO always presents - positivity and encouragement! We like to say our gym (FwdFit) is "One Size Fits All." That's why we started it, to give people a place to fit in and find their own love for fitness.”
“I stress that it's ok to have goals, but learn to create a goal that is good for YOU. Every BODY is different. The next person’s journey is different from your own. Don't try to follow their path to a "T" because it won't get your very far. Be yourself and just do you.”
When asked what she thinks makes her a “GORGO Girl”, Jessica turned to her business partner for help in answering, and the power of her example is made clear by the answer she was given.
“She says I don’t give myself enough credit in this department and this is an important question to me to answer--she says that I always keep positive. This was one of the best compliments she could give me since it’s something I feel strongly about. There are enough women being downgraded by friends, family, the public or themselves. We need to be positive and focus on that! We are all so unique, there’s something for each of us to give. I love to find that something and enjoy it from each person that walks into my life. I think this is a big part of GORGO’s message and one that I love to spread.”
Although being a wife (to husband Blake) and mother of two active young boys (Wylan and Liam), takes up a lot of Jessica’s time, like so many other moms who have made fitness a focus of their lives, Jessica’s advice to other busy mothers is to not put your health—and the enjoyment you can find in fitness—at the bottom of your to-do list.
“My husband and kids are all active,” Jessica says. “That helps a great deal, but it also makes it hard for me to find time for myself. For me, the gym is my "me time." Working out makes me feel good and I can bring home that energy to the people that need it most from me, my family. I wake up early, before they wake up, so I don't have any excuses. I think that taking time for YOU is important for your entire family. I've also noticed that this has influenced my kids tremendously and that gives me even more willpower to keep going. Little eyes are always watching, listening, taking it all in and creating their own little habits. My kids are finding a love for fitness, learning how to eat healthy and being strong in general, and finding BALANCE. I think that’s worth every second I have spent in the gym.”
