By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A new indoor cycling studio coming to downtown sets out to go beyond fitness by creating a vibe that helps people improve their physical and mental health.
Souljah Wellness, 412 E. State St., is a new studio created by registered nurse and longtime fitness instructor Theresa McDermott. She plans to showcase the new business on Saturday during Stroll on State. The goal is to launch the first classes in December.
“This is my passion. This is not just fitness for me,” McDermott said. “Maybe it looks like just a cycling center to some people, but I feel like lives are going to be changed here.”
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Souljah Wellness fills the Urban Equity Properties-owned space that previously housed The Bubble Hive next to Wired Cafe. Renovation work is continuing in the space to prepare for its December debut, but much of the work is already complete including stocking the main floor with 20 new Life Fitness ICG bikes.
McDermott also plans to add a couple elliptical machines and potentially treadmills to allow for participants who may be too heavy for the bike or who just don’t like spin to participate in the upbeat fitness vibe she provides.
The 45-minute classes are set to high-energy music from a variety of genres. McDermott also looks to include songs with positive or motivational lyrics, and she uses the large-screen TV in the studio as a means to display encouraging statements and other motivational visuals.
The combination of all those elements is designed to leave you encouraged about how you look and feel.
“When you leave out of here you’re going to feel — if you’re one who goes to church — like you just left church,” McDermott said. “You might come in feeling down or crappy about your day or your week or maybe a friend drug you in here to try it out, and you were feeling depressed, and you leave feeling like a new person.”
The class gets participants sitting and standing to spin, as well as incorporating hand weights for an upper body workout.
Some classes may include a live DJ to pump up the energy level.
Classes will be open to all adults, or those age 16 and 17 who are with an adult. There will be memberships, drop-in and class packages for sale.
McDermott plans to host evening classes Monday through Thursdays, adding daytime classes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
She also plans to provide special group classes. For example, she wants to connect with the Family Peace Center and Remedies to provide classes for survivors of domestic violence. She said she survived domestic violence as a teenager, and fitness helped her handle the trauma.
“It’s a safe, private class just for them. I think it will be a good, positive thing for their mental health, mood, anxiety and depression,” said McDermott, who has been a registered nurse for 23 years. “I’ve dealt with all of that myself over the years, and fitness always makes me feel better.”
She said the new studio feels like more than a business to her.
“I feel like this is my calling,” she said. “This goes beyond fitness. I don’t even look at this as my place I look at it as a vessel. I just want to reach people and I want people to feel better.”
About | Souljah Wellness
Where: 412 E. State St., Rockford
Projected opening: December 2024
Facebook: Go HERE
Instagram: @souljahwellness
Contact: souljahwellness@gmail.com
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas