From Fit Mom to Fitness Instructor: A Q&A with Meg Quigley of Windy Hill Athletic Club
By Trip Baisden
How did you get started with fitness?
I have always been an athlete. I love to compete and I love the mental challenges of athletics. When I was pregnant with my second child, I decided I was going to work out throughout my entire pregnancy and while the motivation came from having a healthier pregnancy, I realized that I needed it mentally the most. I needed that outlet, something for myself, and that time for myself. It was 60 minutes to focus and listen to my body. My last barre class was when I was 40 weeks pregnant and that’s how I started becoming a fit mother—both in mind and body.
What led you to become a fitness instructor?
A year ago, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma. I was in the best shape I had ever been in. The news was devastating. I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to stop working out—because I needed it more now than ever before. I needed to do this for my husband, my two girls, and to show the medical world that my mind and physical strength can truly overcome matter! I would work out around treatments, blood draws, and nauseousness, and I pushed through the challenges life had presented to me. Windy Hill Athletic Club was my outlet, escape, and home away from home. I had a wonderful support group there cheering me on. After being declared “in remission” in November 2018, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to offer support for others in fitness who were going through challenges as well. I wanted to be on the other side, but I realized it was going to take a lot of work! I will never forget the process of becoming an instructor. It was the most humbling, emotional, and physically exhausting experience, and I would do it all over again. Learning choreography, timing, and layers of instructing, while perfecting your form is a challenge in itself.
What do you enjoy most about teaching classes?
Watching people show up at various hours of the day for classes and work around their daily schedules to make it to a group fitness class brings me so much joy. Witnessing participants in class work so hard and be mentally “in the moment” is so rewarding.
What do you want people to take away from your classes?
I want my classes to bring a level of energy, comfort, and intensity that makes people want to come back for more. I want people to realize I am just like them and that we are in the same room together working toward a goal. We all have days where we are faced with challenges but I became an instructor because I wanted to be there consistently for others and to deliver a class where they leave filled with confidence and pride because they made time in their day to work out.
Windy Hill Athletic Club • WindyHillClub.com
