http://www.sheltonathletics.com/

Lauren DiSessa - Fitness, Nutrition, & Wellness, 750 Bridgeport Avenue, Shelton, CT (2025)

09/27/2025

You don’t know what you don’t know.

In March, I took a leap, investing in myself and my business, and joined an amazing group at . I wanted to become better for our gym, our community, and myself. I never really imagined being a gym owner (and honestly never thought it was something I’d do), but I knew deep down it was part of my purpose here on earth.

After 15+ years of helping others with their fitness, nutrition, and business management, I felt like a natural fit in many ways. But the truth is, there was still SO much I didn’t know. These past 7 months with TBB have been transformative, not only for the growth of the business, but also for my own personal growth.

At the end of July, I was invited into this very special group of people at TBB who are doing big things in the industry and in their own lives. They are just as on fire for life, for entrepreneurship, and for helping others as I am, and it’s been inspiring to be part of that energy.

This has been a season of stretching in so many ways, between counseling internship and business ownership. I’ve walked into situations and spaces that have pushed me to expand my knowledge, broaden my circles of influence, and rethink what I believe is possible. And honestly—it’s been uncomfortable.

This experience was no different. I’m the little fish in the pond right now, and I love it. It’s uncomfortable, confusing, and overwhelming at times- but I know I’m exactly where I need to be.

Thank you to everyone for being so welcoming, for engaging in thought-provoking conversations, and for making me feel supported in the entrepreneur/gym owner space—a space where I have often felt alone.

I know God has so much more in store for me, and I’m ready to lean in, stretch, and trust.

08/11/2025

Remember when Instagram was just you, me, and the beauty we saw in the world?

07/02/2025

The beauty is in the balance.

I love the vibrant colors of whole, natural foods.

I enjoy an occasional drink on a summer’s night out.

I love a chewy, slightly warm chocolate chip cookie.

I love cooking from scratch when I have the time.

I love the rare occasion I can try a new place and enjoy coffee with a friend.

I love cooking from scratch and the connection it builds with food.

I also love prepared meals that help keep me fueled throughout the day without effort.

Balance is found through mindful awareness and intentional choices made without harsh judgment. It’s the practice of honoring who you are right now, while gently moving toward who you want to become. When we release self-criticism, we create space for compassionate change- growth rooted in kindness, not pressure.
 How can you approach one of today’s decisions with less judgment and more self-compassion?

What might change if growth felt supportive rather than critical?

06/30/2025

This has been the fastest 10 weeks of my life… when I started this program, I couldn’t fathom getting to this point, and here we are.

(…actually as I finish this post, we’re already in week 14 😳)

This is what I’ve learned in the first 10 weeks as a professional counselor intern & therapist… some of these things are concepts we are taught in the counseling field, but we don’t understand how they’ll actually apply until we see it in action.

1. People are trying to do the best for themselves but we’ve all met obstacles along the way. The behaviors and coping mechanisms developed don’t always help us but at times they helped us get by or survive.

2. Hurt people hurt people. Healed people heal people. Generational trauma is real… but you can break the chain.

3. Beyond theory, our gift is the ability to connect uniquely with our clients.

4. If you didn’t have a solid self-care routine prior to becoming a therapist, you better get that in place real quick. It pains me to watch those in helping fields unable to prioritize their own health; be the example.

Everyday, I feel humbled to be a part of this profession. This is a gift and purpose from God that I am honored to fulfill and live each day. Onto the next 20 weeks of learning, helping, and growing 👋🏽

06/07/2025

Back from soaking up some sun ☀️ and ready for the next one!

The goals for HYROX NYC were to enjoy the moment and have FUN. The travel and race in Vegas left us both feeling beat up and questioning whether we were going to do another HYROX.

I tried a different way of training, which included LESS running, more lifting, and more traditional functional fitness class workouts .athletics.

Jen and I barely trained together prior this race but we know our race vibes are on point, and as great friends, we just KNOW each other. We have the ability to quickly and easily communicate in the midst of race chaos and know when the other needs a boost or to take the lead. Those things are the true gems of partner and team racing/competition & hard to teach.

After our 2nd station, I got awful cramp, and we had to take 2 run laps SUPER slow. Jen reassured me we’re here to have fun and easing that pressure in those two rounds, allowed for a big push in the 2nd half.

Still couldn’t get a decent finishing photo 😂 but we ended this race feeling immense accomplishment, humility, and love.

& we beat our Vegas time by about 5 minutes. PR’ing was not the goal this time around but damn, it feels good.

As long as Jesus and my body will allow me, I’m going to keep getting out there and expressing myself through fitness and movement. Maybe will see Jen and I abroad in the future 😁 who doesn’t love a good fitness vacation?

That’s it for today’s ramble. Next week training for the 2nd go around of the Gulf Beach Half starts. Anyone else?!

05/08/2025

Thank you, Jesus for some perfect running days this week 🙏🏽 It’s making HYROX prep for NYC much more enjoyable and helping me become less ghostly ☀️.

Another aspect of training for races and events that I love is the lessons learned along the way. It’s really through the journey of these preparations that we grow & transform- not reaching the final destination.

Sometimes we’re so eager to reach a destination, outcome, or level of achievement that we miss the enjoyment, heart, and purpose.

Remind yourself the beauty is in the process and preparation.
athletics

05/06/2025

I’m tired of the narrative that “being in control” of your food is the answer. What actually changes your life is healing your relationship with yourself, with food, and with movement. It’s about creating habits that nourish and honor your body- not punish it.

It’s everywhere, and worse, it’s being pushed by so-called health and fitness “experts” and influencers. Disordered habits disguised as discipline have become so normalized that people think they’re healthy. They’re not.

Let me set a few things straight.

Constant food obsession and noise is not normal.
Fear of going out to eat is not normal.
Obsessive food tracking is not normal.
Living for cheat days or cheat meals is not normal.
Feeling guilty for eating a cookie is not normal.

Is there anything you see on your feed that is red flag within the fitness and health space? share it in the comments 🚩

04/17/2025

Our first thoughts about the world—and the people in it—often come with automatic judgments, aimed at others and even ourselves.

Why is she doing that?
Why is he acting like that?

We jump to conclusions with limited information, making assumptions without understanding the full story.

But what if we paused?

What if, before letting those thoughts take over, we created space—for compassion, for curiosity, for something deeper than judgment?

That pause could ripple outward, inviting more kindness into the world.

It starts with how we speak to ourselves.

Then, it can begin to shape how we see and speak to others.

03/18/2025

Victory favors the prepared. We trained our butts off, reviewed our strategy, and dressed to impress (look good, feel good!). But here are a few things I wish I had better prepared for before our first HYROX:

1️⃣ You’ll run more than 5 miles. Make sure your long training runs reach the 6-7 mile range so you’re comfortable on race day. The ROX zone and different course layouts will affect the total distance, but it’s never shorter! 😁

2️⃣ Don’t overdo your warm-up. I saw people in the warm-up area doing way too much for a 1-2 hour race. A short run to break a sweat, dynamic stretching, and testing any implements you’re less confident about so you know how they’ll feel on the course.

3️⃣ Training on turf doesn’t translate to HYROX carpet. That racecourse carpet is no joke. I trained sleds with heavier weights on turf, but it didn’t prepare me for how the sled felt on that carpet. I’ve searched online for a comparable product but haven’t found anything yet 👀. For now, I’ve been training on rubber mats, which feel more similar.

4️⃣ Always have a race plan. Whether you’re doing doubles or individual, know your pacing, how to split work, and estimate times for each station based on your training.

5️⃣ It was HOT. We were in Las Vegas in February—not exactly a heatwave—but the convention center was packed, and the air felt thick and hot with all the people sweating and breathing hard. We took more water breaks than we did during training. Don’t panic—if you need to, walk in the ROX zone, splash some water on your head, hydrate, and keep going!

02/06/2025

As a long time competitor, here’s how I recover after a competition:

Take time off – Even if you’re not sore, competition puts significant strain on your central nervous system. Rest is crucial for recovery.

Fuel your body – Just because you’re not training for a few days doesn’t mean you should skip meals. Proper nutrition supports muscle repair and recovery.

Incorporate recovery activities – Light movement, such as walking, or using recovery tools like Normatec, can help increase blood flow and speed up recovery.

If you’re still feeling sluggish when it’s time to get back into training, consider taking a few more recovery days. It will pay off in the long run!

11/13/2024

We take time to get to know our clients, their diverse health history, and what they want to achieve with personal training.

Every person has unique goals and needs, which is why we develop each program to fit your specific fitness level and lifestyle.

Whether you want to build strength, improve endurance, be sport ready, or just stay active, we are here to help you reach your goals safely and effectively.

Come meet with us today and let’s get you moving closer to your goals.

10/25/2024

Focus on what you CAN do.

I’ve never consider myself much of a runner, even when I was in the peak of my “athletic career” (use that term loosely 😂). and I frequently dodged the mile run test during high school…

I just never felt like I was good at it and I hated that feeling. However this year, I decided it was time to tackle this weakness. Dealing with a chronic injury, I had to pull back from a lot of things I loved in the gym but I found that running didn’t cause me any pain. This gave me a renewed purpose to focus on with my fitness journey.

In order to grow and thrive, life requires the ability to pivot when faced with challenges. You have a choice- worry about the can’t or focus on how you can. The possibilities are infinite.

Lauren DiSessa - Fitness, Nutrition, & Wellness

09/27/2025

08/11/2025

07/02/2025

06/30/2025

06/07/2025

05/08/2025

05/06/2025

04/17/2025

03/18/2025

02/06/2025

11/13/2024

10/25/2024

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