Jane Fonda’s ORIGINAL Original Workout
Oh me? I be up in the gym, just working on my fitness!
I’ve personally been overwhelmed by the news from the past ten days—between the six different mass shootings and the murder of Tyre Nichols by the Memphis police, it’s kind of hard not to be. And I won’t lie: it gets progressively harder to write about things that aren’t at the forefront of the news each week. It feels like I’m playing into this narrative that it’s all business as usual when the world is on fire around us.
We’ve had these hard conversations here before and we will undoubtedly have them again because gun violence and police brutality and all of the other harbingers of doom are clearly not going away any time soon. I don’t want to pretend like I’m not afraid of the world we live in because I am and I know others are too, but I also don’t want that to stop us from having other important conversations as well.
Today, on the second to last day of January, the month everyone hitches their well-intended but poorly-planned resolutions to, I wanted to talk about fitness—how we approach it, how it affects other areas of our lives, and what happens when we monetize it. For that, I finally got to chat with another Glossier superstar and a cycling queen, Gill Clowes, about how she turned her love for spinning into something more and what she’s learned from doing so.
Gill Clowes is an Atlanta transplant living a double life (yep, just like Hannah Montana). By day, she works in insurance…but by night, she is a CyclePro at a local fitness studio. She moved to Atlanta to start a career after graduating from the University of Delaware. This time last year, she was undergoing her quarter life crisis, which really solidified the impact fitness had on her life.
When she’s not doing insurance things, or clipped into a bike, you can find Gill strolling through Midtown with her chaotic mini goldendoodle or on her quest to find the best chips & salsa in every neighborhood.
This is a Pro-Cody Rigsby Newsletter, First and Foremost
I have a confession to make: I have a parasocial relationship with Cody Rigsby.1
Only marginally stronger than my love for Cody, though, is my love for spinning. As someone who has (if I’ve crunched my numbers correctly) been spinning regularly for the past seven years now, I can say with confidence that it is one of the only forms of exercise that doesn’t make me want to stop the second I start.
Clearly, I’m not alone as the indoor cycling industry was worth $712.5 million in 2022 and is expected to be worth nearly $1 billion by 2028—granted, it only makes up about 2% of all fitness industry revenue in the US which is guestimated to have been $32 billion in 2022.2 This, of course, comes after the lockdown phase of the pandemic when at-home workouts became essential and companies like Peloton had a massive boon as so many looked to exercise as the number one way to stay sane.
I wanted to know how and why Gill made this shift from One of Us to One of Them (an instructor):
Emily: What was your relationship with working out and fitness in general like prior to now?
Gill: I grew up as a competitive cheerleader and always loved fitness and performance and a team. When I got to college I really stopped working out because I "didn't have to." I emphasized partying and socializing more than going to the gym. Plus, when being active goes from a fun high energy sport to having to lift weights in a room full of frat boys, it's much easier to stop prioritizing it.
While I was in college, I also got into my first really serious relationship with a guy who was a total gym bro—and he had his own issues with body image and fitness. He encouraged me to lift weights and run on the treadmill and do things at the gym that I didn't like. I hated running on the treadmill, but I did it every day. I hated lifting weights, but I did it every day. I didn't realize I had other options. All I thought was that lifting weights could give me a great ass and running on a treadmill would make me stick thin. I never wanted to make time for it and I didn't enjoy it.
When I got into a full time job and living on my own, I stopped prioritizing it because I now had an excuse not to—I needed to make dinner, or I have to work late, or I have errands to run. When I first discovered those group fitness classes at LA Fitness and realized there were other options that could make me strong and healthy, it became a priority. I remember leaving $0.25 wing night at the Buckhead Saloon (RIP) early so that I could get to my spin class.
Emily: What effect did the pandemic have on your fitness journey? Do you think you would be here now had it never happened?
Gill: The pandemic changed a lot for me. When I started spin, I was in a super small "no frills" class and I loved it! I stopped cycling for the remainder of 2020 as I couldn't really find guided workouts I enjoyed doing on my own.
I fell into the Chloe Ting trap during quarantine and eventually upgraded my at home Youtube workouts to a membership at Orangetheory. I always thought that spending big money (over $100 a month) on a fitness membership was frivolous and only for rich people. Once I got into a "real" (aka expensive) fitness routine and I realized how much I loved it, I started making it fit in a budget and making sure that I could be there—something I probably wouldn't have felt ready for until many more years down the line.
I think if the pandemic had never hit I wouldn't have been where I am now.
Emily: What did your journey to becoming a spin instructor look like?
Gill: I have always enjoyed being a performer and a leader, so when I realized that I was enjoying fitness and enjoying spin classes, I decided I wanted to inquire about it going forward. Naturally, with my luck, the pandemic hit the following week and I wasn't able to keep going to the classes at LA Fitness.
When I rediscovered spin and remembered that I was good at it and enjoyed it, they couldn't get rid of me.
I would take 3-4 classes a week just working on building my endurance and learning what the classes look like. After about a month, the instructor whose classes I was the most frequently attending asked me if I'd be interested in teaching. She worked with me to prepare me for my audition—got me comfortable in my "walks," "jogs," and "runs" (50-65ish rpm, 70-85ish rpm, and 90+ rpm pushes, respectively). She taught me how to cue and had me ride on the podium to be comfortable in the spotlight.
I had a two song audition (“You” by Regard and “Motivation” by Normani) at one of our studios which was teaching a class to a completely empty room so that the corporate location could assess my skill and decide if I would be invited to their main studio to participate in the three day cycling certification.
When I spin consistently, I find that I become almost addicted to it, which is a weird way to think and feel about something that is supposed to be good for you. That’s why Gill’s response made me curious as to what the science behind a cycling habit could be.
A 2020 article from Cyclist explained that runner’s high, which happens “when physical activity releases endorphins, chemicals that enhance mood, in the brain,” is a result of the fact that “cardiovascular exercise releases more endorphins than other forms of exercise.”3 Additionally, in a 2011 article from Albany’s Times Union, a personal training director claimed the appeal of spinning came from the fact that “you can get the runner's high spinning without the impact of running." Essentially, cardio leaves you feeling good, but low-impact cardio set to hit music and Britney Spears-based advice like cycling leaves you feeling on top of the world.
Having made cycling her primary form of exercise, I asked Gill:
Emily: How has being a spin instructor changed your relationship with working out?
Gill: It bolted fitness into being a regular part of my life. It's no longer something that I can choose to leave out of my day or leave out of my budget because it's a part of me now. I am one of those crazy people who visits other spin studios in different cities when I'm travelling—something I never would have imagined for myself.
There can be a bit of an internal battle at times. I stand by the mantra that you should move your body because you want to, not because you have to but that's not always a reality for fitness professionals. Sometimes you don't want to, but you do have to! On that note, though, I will also say there has never been a bad day that a spin class didn't at least help a little.
Emily: Has monetizing fitness had an impact on the role it plays in your life?
Gill: It definitely does. Sometimes I'm feeling maybe a little sore or having a tough day and I don't want to be active, but I'm required to be somewhere because it's my job!
I have loved monetizing fitness because, selfishly, it's just getting paid to work out. But it has also made me strive for greatness. I love a fitness challege, I love a race, and I love being able to showcase my strength.
Emily: What do you wish more people knew about the fitness industry?
Gill: Not every gym is created equally, and the more luxurious isn't always the better. So many people are jumping to sign up at the newest most expensive gym or pilates studio or paying $30 for a SoulCycle class when they haven't ridden a bike since 2004. Capitalism is out to get you—everyone is selling you something.
You do not have to pay $300 a month for the most luxurious pilates classes, or $250 a month for a LIFETIME/EQUINOX membership. Find something that brings you joy, excel in it at the lowest cost level, and build from there!
Now that we’ve looked at some of the financial aspects and physical benefits of working out, I wanted to talk with Gill about the other adjacent conversation that always comes up when discussing fitness.
It’s Almost Like Your Head and Your Core Are Part of the Same Body…
I’m not breaking any new ground here by saying our physical and mental health are linked to one another. The most basic search pulled up a public health report from NIH’s National Library of Medicine which, even in 1987, stated that
the strongest evidence suggests that physical activity and exercise probably alleviate some symptoms associated with mild to moderate depression. The evidence also suggests that physical activity and exercise might provide a beneficial adjunct for alcoholism and substance abuse programs; improve self-image, social skills, and cognitive functioning; reduce the symptoms of anxiety; and alter aspects of coronary-prone (Type A) behavior and physiological response to stressors.
To what extent our mental and physical health are connected does seem to depend on the individual—what their mental health naturally looks like, how and how often they exercise, and the prevalence of other factors impacting either their physical or mental health at any point in time.
Personally, I have noticed my anxiety is generally more manageable and I’m in an overall better mood when I’m working out consistently. I wanted to know, since she has made fitness a strong pillar of her life, how this connection presented itself in Gill’s life:
Emily: Is there any connection between working out and your mental health?
Gill: Yes yes yes. For one, when I am having a bad day and I'm feeling sluggish or hangxiety is hitting, exercise can always pull the funk out of me. Elle Woods was right when she said, "endorphins make you happy, happy people don't kill their husbands." Sometimes I am in a murderous mood, but a good ol’ sweat sesh will pull me out.
When I was going through some of my worst mental health struggles, fitness really did keep me going. It kept me distracted, it gave me a safe space, and it let me succeed in something and clearly and tangibly see it.
This might come as a shock to everyone reading, but it seems as though fitness is not a one-size-fits-all fandango. Forms of exercise that might work for some won’t work for others; motivations vary, as do results and reactions; hell, the role fitness plays in your own life can even look different at various points in time.
Over the course of my life so far, I have been both reliant on exercise—working out up to six days out of the week and doing “double-header” back-to-back fitness classes—and afraid of it, like when I would come up with excuses as to why I would take so long to run a mile or do my pushups in elementary school gym class. I’ve done yoga to be a more flexible field hockey goalie and yoga to sculpt and strengthen my body. I have actively despised running with the fury of a woman scorned, and have gotten a runner’s high from a light jog around my neighborhood.
But as we’ve discussed here before, trends like That Girl, 75 Hard and Medium, or even just romanticizing your life, tend to cover fitness and wellness in the sense that they tell us there is a right and wrong way to work out. The “right way” is typically very aesthetically pleasing: graceful at-home pilates or powerful heavy lifting at a gym, in a colorful workout set with a Stanley cup and a slicked-back pony. The “wrong way” is everything else.
Thinking about this (and also looking for some validation that I’m working out properly despite looking like Larry the Tomato in my mismatched Target sports bra and Marshall’s bike shorts), I asked Gill:
Emily: What do you wish more people knew about fitness?
Gill: It isn't aesthetics.
Everyone (major fitness brands included) loves to talk about the aesthetic changes of going to the gym: so you can have the most bangin’ bod, be the skinniest you've ever been, to LEAN out and LOSE fat. But that is just so wrong. For so many people, fitness is a place where they can escape. You can come in on your worst day and be in a place that makes you happy and makes you feel strong, especially when you're feeling weak.
There were times in my life where I felt like everything was failing—my career, relationship, friendships, choices—but I could go to the gym and say, "Wow I've taken 2 minutes off of my mile time," and, "Wow I was able to hold a fast pace out of the saddle for the WHOLE push" and it gives you back your strength.
Emily: How can people start a fitness regimen without paying large sums of money?
Gill: YouTube is HUGE! I loved MadFit's dance party videos. They had me moving to a beat, jumping around and dancing, and using that cardio endurance—it makes sense that I found my way back to spin! I also did Chloe Ting, and when I was ready I moved up to an Orangetheory membership.
Once you find something that makes you happy and has you looking forward to movement, you will always make time for it and that's when you can reassess that budget and start adding more!
Emily: As someone in the industry, what are a few things you think companies need to do to make fitness classes more accessible to everyone?
Gill: Changing membership cancellation policies.
At most studios, you sign on for a membership for a monthly fee, but you have to give a month's notice to cancel. So you might decide mid-month that you're cancelling, but you still have to pay for that next month, or you’ll be required to cancel in person, or have to pay a "cancellation fee."
I wish studios realized that people would be more willing to try a new fitness studio if they didn't feel that they were going to be taken advantage of financially. I also think new member specials are always great—but doing them without pressure is even better. Nothing is worse than going in for your first class somewhere, not loving it, and then getting the sales pitch. I'm such a people pleaser I always feel so weird saying no after taking a first free class.
Emily: What is your relationship with working out and fitness now?
Gill: I'm in a much healthier place with it now. It's helped me to shift my mindset of working out for aesthetics and more for functionality. I've started running and doing more cardio not because I want to be skinny, but because I want to improve my cardiovascular health and help make my job easier. I don't lift weights because I want sexy arms, I do it because I need to make sure I can hold proper form.
I hate when the wellness and fitness influencer girlies are right, but they are—it's really a shift in mindset.
Cool Down Lap
I’ve been fortunate to know Gill for a few years now and I can say with confidence that the version of herself she is today is lighter but stronger compared to who she was when I first met her. Obviously, that isn’t a direct result of working out but as we learned from another Glossier Atlanta alum, even small changes can have a meaningful impact.
I asked Gill:
Emily: How has making fitness a job impacted other areas of your life?
Gill: It gave me a lot more confidence, and it gave me financial freedom to leave a relationship that wasn't working—two things that really changed my life.
I wasn't afraid to take up space in my career and complain about poor treatment in any area of my life. I walked around with my head high always, and it led me to making so many positive changes. Not even a year into my journey of being a fitness instructor, I was able to find a community away from my hometown, leave the job I hated and start a new career, leave a relationship that I wasn't happy in, and find a part of the city that makes me feel fulfilled.
These little things piled up and just made me understand my worth.
Admittedly, there was a brief window in college when I thought about becoming a spin instructor myself and, as we learned from the last two installments of E4P, I regularly use this newsletter as a way to live vicariously through others. So I wanted to know:
Emily: What would you say to someone who wants to pursue fitness as a side hustle or their primary employment?
Gill: TALK TO YOUR INSTRUCTORS! There is nothing that brings me more joy than talking to people about my experience and encouraging them to do the same.
There is a universal truth about fitness instructors: we want to see you succeed. Making the jump from participant to instructor is so scary and exciting—ask us about it any time. So many people either do it as a side hustle or have experience at many different studios and can offer you direction and guidance.
Find something that you are good at and that burns your fire, and start making your dreams known.
Emily: What are your three favorite songs to play in class?
Gill: “Guilty Conscience (Zookëper Remix)” by 070 Shake
“Applause” by Lady Gaga
“Supercut” by Lorde
In honor of this question, I put out an entry on my Instagram story asking for everyone’s favorite workout songs and have compiled all of the responses into a playlist:
It’s certainly a vibe, although which one exactly is yet to be determined.
Thank you so much to Gill!!!! I’ve been looking forward to talking with her about this journey for eons now and am thrilled we made it work!!!
Although at this point, who doesn't?
I could not find more precise data than this, but most revenue-tracking sites claim the fitness industry was worth around $87 billion globally and between $32 and $34 billion nationally.
The article also set out to answer the question of whether or not you can become addicted to cycling, and found that you can!!!