Small Shifts, Strong Results with Tory Asmus

For our teammate Tory—AKA our social media and customer service maven—time behind closed quarantine doors was eye-opening. Leaning heavily on her rose-colored mindset (and wardrobe), Tory realized an idea to pursue her joy in movement was morphing into a full-blown life calling, became certified in fitness and opened a virtual pilates studio. Here, she shares her story—and favorite small shifts. (We feel stronger already.)

How did you get into fitness?

I was super active as a kid; I grew up playing soccer, but after three serious concussions in high school, I had to leave my cleats behind. I started looking at health and fitness in new ways, like taking spin and yoga classes. Once I moved to New York, I was enamored by the fitness scene. It was so much fun, so many different types of classes to try, but after I took my first pilates class I was hooked. Now I pinch myself that I get to teach it!

What does a typical morning look like to you?

I am a huge believer that having a morning routine will set up your day for success. Every morning (no matter how crazy they get) I make sure I get in meditation & movement.

In Quarantine, it looks like this....

7:00 am - Wake up & meditate/write in my gratitude journal
7:20 am - Make my bed & throw on my workout clothes I laid out the night before *key
7:30 am - Green Juice—right now I juice celery, spinach, green apple and lemon together
8:00 am - Workout; I like to stretch before and after since I sit all day for work, it really helps with lower back pain
8:50 am - Shower & apply skincare (vitamin c is my desert-island skincare item)
9:15 am - Pour coffee or iced chai, write my positivity sticky ( 3 ways I want to feel today, 1 person I’m sending happiness to, 1 thing I’m excited about) & begin my day

What's the one thing you make sure you do every single day for wellness?

Before I get out of bed, I meditate for 10 minutes. If I skip this I feel off the whole day. My favorite guided meditation app is Headspace. After my meditation, I’ll write in my gratitude journal, which always allows me to step into my day on a positive note. I’m very adamant about avoiding a look at my phone first thing in the morning. The slacks, questions, emails, etc. spike my cortisol, so I like to have at least an hour of time for myself before I respond to everyone else.

What's the connection between exercise and mindset, in your view?

It’s simple really, if you believe that you can’t do something (like hold a plank for example), then well… you probably won’t do it. You have to believe that you are capable, and trust me…you can do hard things! Something that helps me before a workout is saying to myself, you don’t have to do this workout, you get to. Mindset is key.

What’s unique about your approach to fitness?

My approach has always been: It was always someone else's “first class,” too. So if you are nervous about switching up your workout, remember that it’s okay to be a beginner! The worst thing that could happen is that you...worked out? LOL!

Read on here for more, and to join Tory’s upcoming classes.