Meet BBG Community Member Chiedza

One of the things I’ve learnt in the years since I first created BBG in 2014 is the power of our incredible community. 

Women can do amazing things when we share our experiences, offer our support, and lift each other up. 

Meeting the BBG Community is one of the best parts of my job, so I recently made some time to speak with 10 incredible women — I wanted to know more about their lives, their journeys with health and fitness, and what they thought of my new program BBG Zero Equipment.

I have been so inspired by all of the amazing women in our community who have tackled their own challenges, and I am so excited to share some of their stories with you. Chiedza (who goes by @seattle_squats on Instagram) has had an incredible experience over the past year — and I know you’ll appreciate getting to know her just as much as I did.

‘You will be able to tackle so many other challenges’

Me: Hello! I would love it if you could say your name, where you’re from and what you do as a job just to start.

Chiedza: My name is Chiedza. You can call me Chi. I live in Seattle, Washington. I have been doing the BBG program since 2016. 

Me: How do you fit fitness into your day-to-day life?

Chi: I am an attorney. I work from about 9 to 5, so I usually work out during my lunch hour or immediately after I finish work because I know that I'll actually get it done. If I wait a little bit, it's not gonna get done. We have a space in our house that we've kind of created for workouts and we've made our own little home gym.

Me: And do you work out with your husband or just by yourself?

Chi: Usually just by myself. My husband has tried to join me for the BBG workouts and has quickly tapped out!

Me: Yeah, I always find that. I always find like the husbands get roped into doing the workout and then they're like: “I'm not doing this anymore — absolutely not!”

So, what has been the biggest personal barrier you’ve faced in your life?

Chi: I found out I was pregnant early last year and I did have a pretty difficult pregnancy. It started out with the nausea and all of that. And I found out that I had large uterine fibroids which are benign tumours in my uterus and they caused me to have contractions and to give birth to my daughter at 24 weeks, which was so unexpected. I was due to give birth in November and gave birth on August 2nd. It was completely overwhelming, Kayla. When I say nothing can prepare you for giving birth to a 24-weeker. She was one pound four ounces which if you can imagine is — it's like the size of a banana. It was a really challenging time.

Me: It's hard not to cry.

Chi: You're gonna make me cry. I'm trying to hold it together... She's thriving, so we're so happy about that.

Me: Why was returning to fitness important to you?

Chi: I definitely want to set a healthy example for my daughter, just wanting her to know what it's like to live a healthy lifestyle. I really also felt that after everything that we had gone through, dealing with kind of the anxiety and the stress that came from that, exercise really helped me with that. When I went back to work is when I decided I could really recommit to my fitness and working out again. 

Me: How did BBG help you get back into fitness?

Chi: I think initially, it was just figuring out what worked out for me. I tried morning workouts. I'm not a morning person, so that didn't work. I started working out from home with the BBG app which is how I had started anyway, so it felt kind of like a return to the good old days. You're able to do it with just yourself, just your body, and you can do it anywhere. And so I really like the flexibility that comes with the program.

Me: What did you think of the BBG Zero Equipment workout?

Chi: The workout was intense. The workout was definitely intense, but I really loved it. For me, being a working mom, it's really great to be able to stop for 30 minutes and do an in-office workout, or working from home right now, being able to get in a quick workout while baby's napping. Not having to have equipment, so making it something that people can really do anywhere, I think that it makes it really accessible because you can just work out at home with just yourself. It's really great.

Me: After the workout, how did you feel?

Chi: I was dripping in sweat after that workout. My husband was like, "What were you doing in there?".

Me: Who do you think BBG Zero Equipment is for?

Chi: It's the flexibility [that] makes it so great for women who are kind of on the go and need to be able to work out quickly and get a good sweat in. 

Me: Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?

Chi: I would say that we've made it through one of the most difficult times in your life, and so you will be able to make it through and tackle so many other challenges that you may face later on down the road.

Celebrate the amazing women in the BBG Community

I’ve been so happy to see women from all over the world in the BBG Community doing my new BBG Zero Equipment workouts, despite the many challenges they face in their lives. This program means so much to me because it takes out obstacles that so many women face when it comes to working out. 

One of the great things about the BBG Community is that the women who are part of it support each other’s commitment to their health and fitness, and celebrate every little success along the way. It makes me SO proud to be a part of it!