Susan Stromberg is always at CAMP. If you don't know her, she's the one who's always smiling and making friends with her fellow CAMPers. You can likely find her mastering new poses in Yoga and sprinting in the saddle in Cycle. But once upon a time, Susan was a new CAMPer, and she wasn't nearly this into fitness. Though she used to be an athlete, she suffered from a knee injury that took her out of the game for several years. She also had two kids, both of whom became full-time responsibilities. Fitness fell to the backburner- until she started coming to CAMP. Read on if you're in need of some serious #fitspo- Susan's a beast, and we can all learn a thing or two about dedication from her!
Do you remember your first class at CAMP?
It was Danielle's Cycle class. After class, I had to pull over on MacDill and sit on the side of the road for 20 minutes, trying not to throw up. It was great, and I loved it, but it was so hard. I hadn’t worked out in 5 years.
Why the break from fitness?
I used to be an athlete, but then I had my kids, who are 4 and 2. The last Cycle class I went to while I was pregnant was horrible. I couldn’t keep up with it anymore. After that, I just stopped working out, especially after having two knee surgeries.
What changed?
One of my biggest motivations has been that I didn't want to just be someone who "used to be an athlete," but someone who actually is an athlete. And after only a few months at CAMP, of coming to classes that I love and enjoy, I see and feel the transformation. I do feel like an athlete again, and that's pretty awesome.
I know you've become quite the yogi. Why Yoga?
One day, I talked to Jamie about my knee issues, and she inspired me to come to Yoga. I started with Yin with Amy and fell in love. It became a thing- I wanted to make sure I got to every Sunday night class. Once I started learning some of the poses, I started coming to as many Root classes as possible. Just recently, I started with Flow, because I understand the poses better. I actually just did one of Jamie’s Hip Hop Flow classes, as well as Rock 'N Flow. Now, I want to keep coming back to CAMP as often as I can. I’m in the phase right now where every time I come to a class, I’m able to do something I wasn’t able to do the class before. Sometimes it’s something so simple- like touching my toes, or getting my back flatter in a posture. Today, it was getting crow for the first time. I was so excited, I was basically giddy. I didn’t even know that was a goal of mine until I accomplished it.
What do you love the most about CAMP?
Everything. I’m a nerd for CAMP. My friends have actually started making fun of me because I talk about CAMP all the time! Everybody who works here is so friendly and has been so helpful throughout the whole process. I grew up going to summer camp, so just the name won me over from the beginning. Plus, Jamie and Jen run it beautifully. I try to be friendly- even with the people you don’t know, there’s an undeniable camaraderie that exists between all of us. It’s just a comfortable place to be.
What's your regular workout?
I’m here at CAMP every day- this is all I do now. I really notice just a day or two away from it. It’s amazing how much you miss it when you don’t have that outlet- where you’re not thinking of anything else but working out.
What’s your spirit animal?
My kids- they're both little campers!
Proudest CAMP accomplishment?
Getting crow, as of today! But it keeps changing. I'm excited to see what I accomplish next!
Favorite CRG restaurant?
We go to all of them. Green Lemon is pretty strong right now. We go to Fresh Kitchen a lot. And we get a lot of sushi from Water.
