About Rhonda Goode

 

The Straight Truth

I'm Rhonda. I'm 50 years old, and I've been working out seven days a week since March 31, 2011.

I teach group fitness classes because sitting kills people. I've watched it happen to my family, and I refuse to let it happen to me or anyone willing to put in the work.

What I'm About

No pills. No patches. No shakes. No surgery. No shortcuts.

Just movement, consistency, and making better choices.

I lost 120 pounds and five dress sizes by showing up, even when I didn't feel like it. I still eat chocolate every day. I still eat carbs. I just move more and eat less garbage than I used to.

My Background

I spent 27 years at Eastern Kentucky University before retiring to focus on fitness full time. I started teaching group fitness classes over a decade ago because the instructors who kicked my butt were leaving. I didn't want to settle for less, so I got certified and did it myself.

Now I teach boot camp, Tabata, spin, aqua fitness, low impact cardio, and stability ball classes. I don't just teach them. I do every single one with my people.

What Drives Me

My mother spent her last two years housebound. She couldn't walk to the car. She couldn't make it to the bathroom. Her entire life revolved around medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and everything else that comes from a lifetime of sitting and poor choices.

Both sides of my family are riddled with diabetes, obesity, and early death. My grandmother lost half a leg to diabetes. My father died at 69 from cancer, diabetic the entire time.

I watched all of this. I was headed down the same path at 35 years old.

I decided that was not going to be my future.

My Teaching Style

I'm not for everyone, and I'm fine with that.

I push people. I chase them down after class. Some people are scared of me at first. But the ones who want to work hard and see real results stick around.

My classes are packed because I show up. Every single day. I don't cancel. I don't call subs. My people know I'll be there, so they show up too.

We have people doing two to three hours of classes in a row. We have people coming straight from 12-hour shifts. We have 87-year-olds doing Tabata. We have people getting off blood pressure meds and diabetes medications.

That's success.

What I Believe

Your body was meant to move. Exercise fixes more problems than most people realize. It improved my mental health before it ever changed my body.

The scale is a liar. Measurements and how your clothes fit matter more.

Motivation fades. Discipline keeps you going.

You can be in better shape at 50 than you were at 25. I am.

Your genetics don't determine your future. Your choices do.

Real Talk

Like I said, I'm 50. Some days my knees hurt. My shoulders ache. My lower back gets cranky. But I'd rather hurt from working out than from sitting on a couch for 20+ years.

I still have days where I don't want to show up. I show up anyway because my people show up. We hold each other accountable.

This isn't temporary. This is a lifestyle. I've maintained this for over a decade, and I'm never going back. Even after I decide to teach less classes, I will move my body every day until I take my last breath.

Who I Work With

People who want to work hard. People who want consistency. People who understand that health isn't a phase or a quick fix.

Lazy people are not my people. People who just want to check a box are not my people.

But if you're ready to do the work, I'll push you further than you think you can go. Because you can always do more than you think you can.