Hey #REVFam! Annie here.

You may recognize me from the Barre Studio at REV McHenry Row, where I love nothing more than to motivate my students to push past their limits to become stronger not just physically, but mentally as well. If you haven’t tried the popular barre workout before, or perhaps not at REV, I’d love to see you bright and early Wednesday or Friday mornings at 6AM to introduce you to our athletic approach – no socks needed!

When I’m not killing your thighs or prepping for my upcoming wedding, I work full-time for a national nonprofit organization called Free to Breathe, dedicated to doubling lung cancer survival by 2022. Now, I’d love to share my story about how REV has helped me to get where I am today and ask for your support in advancing Free to Breathe’s mission!

Few people know this, but I actually hosted REV’s very first charity ride back in January of 2014, just a few weeks after REV’s doors first opened! At the time I was working part-time at the front desk, and REV’s owners kindly offered to let me host a charity class in honor of my Mom, Pamela Truax, who we lost to stage IV lung cancer in March of 2012, just a month after she was first diagnosed. Little did I know this would be where I made my “teaching debut” – don’t worry, I’ll stick to the barre room ;).

You see, for me, sweating has always been my outlet for stress and anxiety – spinning, running, barre, yoga, my preferred workout has changed multiple times over the years, but the result remains the same – exercising makes me feel like my best self, and losing my breath makes me feel incredibly alive.

After losing my Mom so suddenly, I found myself craving this “high” more and more, which ultimately inspired me to get certified to teach barre and, more recently, power-vinyasa yoga (check out Sunrise Yoga Barre every Friday at 6AM up on the roof!)I felt so deeply connected and supported by my favorite instructors, that I wanted to give this back to others – and I wanted to teach from a place of knowing how very short life can be, to encourage my students to make the most out of every single day and never settle for less than greatness.

Last August, I hung up my hat as a freelance marketing consultant and started a new chapter, not surprisingly, in the nonprofit world working as a Regional Events Manager for Free to Breathe, where I’m responsible for planning the Baltimore Free to Breathe Yoga Challenge and the Brooklyn Free to Breathe Run/Walk 5K.

Together, we WILL make lung cancer survival the expectation, NOT the exception.

The Baltimore Free to Breathe Yoga Challenge is an all-day, outdoor yogathon where individuals participate in teams of 8 to complete eight consecutive hours of varied-intensity, instructor-led yoga, with each of the eight hours led by a different local studio. To “earn” their place at this truly one-of-a-kind event, each team is responsible for fundraising a minimum of $1200 prior to event day, which in turn allows Free to Breathe to fund more than 51 lung cancer investigators at 35 cancer institutes across the U.S. Check out our website to learn more about the community we are building here in Baltimore.

Once again, REV has my back and has formed not 1 but 2 fundraising teams to support this year’s Yoga Challenge! Team REVive #1 and Team REVive #2 are made up of some of the most inspiring people I know including instructors, front desk staff, and clients, all united by the belief that ALL lung cancer patients deserve a cure. These teams have done an amazing job jumpstarting their fundraising efforts, but we need YOUR help to get to the finish line!

Here’s how you can show your support:

1. Attend Team REVive’s upcoming fundraising event on Sunday, August 13! REV instructors will band together to teach charity spin + barre classes at our McHenry Row Studio from 11AM – 12PM, with proceeds benefiting lung cancer research! Click here to sign up.
2. After your workout, join us at City Limits for Sunday Funday! Starting at 2PM, a $10 donation at the door will get you discounted drink specials and a complimentary food buffet. (Workout not required to enjoy drink specials!)
3. If you can’t join us for either event, but would like to show your support, please consider making a safe, secure, tax-deductible online donation to Team REVive here. Remember, no amount is too small to give, every dollar helps us get that much closer to a cure.
4. Or, form your own team and join us for the Baltimore Yoga Challenge! No previous yoga experience required – you’re invited to do as many (or as few!) of the eight hours as you’d like, and each instructor will teach to all experience levels. If you’ve been thinking about giving yoga a shot, this is a GREAT way to get a taste of all that Baltimore’s growing yoga scene has to offer!

Stay focused, motivated and keep pushing forward no matter what curveballs life throws your way, and always remember, you are SO much stronger thank you think!

Submitted by: Annie Truax, REV Barre Instructor at REV Cycle Studio. Learn more about Annie here.

Tags: annie, barre