Amanda’s Strong Women Series | Liz Erlandson, Renovate Fitness

My Strong Women Blog Series features ladies who are boss babes AND boudoir babes. These women deserve to be celebrated for their spirit, entrepreneurship, and beauty. This month my Strong Woman is Liz Erlandson, Owner of Renovate Fitness, a new fitness studio in Londonderry, NH that offers one-on-one and semi-private training, nutrition consulting, and even virtual training sessions.

Confession time. Working out is not my jam. Don’t get me wrong, I like to live a healthy lifestyle and that includes exercise. But the thought of going to a gym where strangers can see me (especially right now) makes me cringe. I know lots of you ladies feel the same way. I also know many of you probably made New Year’s resolutions that include improving your fitness which has been super difficult to keep up with lately.

But what if instead of sweating it out at a big box gym, you could visit a small, clean fitness studio with female trainers who work with you privately or in a small group of 3-4 like-minded people? Even I’d be willing to hit the gym for a supportive atmosphere like that! Sounds like a dream right?

Well, thanks to my recent client, Liz, that dream is now a reality for those of us in the Southern New Hampshire area. Even during all of this pandemic craziness, Liz brought her vision of a boutique fitness studio to life and thank goodness she did because she’s been changing lives ever since. I got to hear all about Renovate Fitness during Liz’s recent session and knew I had to share this gem (and her sexy boudoir photos) with all of my readers.

Liz got her start in the fitness world back in high school when she was picked on for being “too skinny.” This led her to study fitness and nutrition in college and although she never pursued this path professionally, she always maintained her love of working out. After a string of careers that left her unfulfilled, Liz had an ah-ha moment and knew it was time to make the switch. She renovated her basement into a fully functional fitness center (hence the name Renovate Fitness) and began training clients part time. The business continued to grow (and is still growing) and Renovate Fitness moved to its current location this year.

So what makes Renovate Fitness different from all the other gyms out there? They use a training method invented by Liz called Shift Training which includes a combination of strength training, high intensity interval training, stretching, mobility, and stability. Most of Liz’s clients come to her because they struggle to lose weight, suffer from injuries and ailments, and even have autoimmune disorders. She told me about one woman who, in just three months of training at Renovate Fitness, lost 6” from her waist and can now grab her hands together behind her back, an impossible feat when she began.

You gals know I’m all about empowering other women, so it’s easy to see why I wanted to feature Liz and Renovate Fitness this month. Not only is her entire life and business about empowering women, but I love that she took some time away from the gym to pamper herself in my studio. Admittedly, she was a little hesitant about coming in for a session (who isn’t?) but she knew a gallery of beautiful boudoir photos would be the perfect holiday gift for her husband. He had no idea she came to see me, imagine his face on Christmas morning!

After a glass of champagne and some girl talk during her hair and makeup consultation, Liz was ready to rock it for the camera. She was such a natural—just look at these photos! And how amazing is her look? Liz said she wanted to look like Megan Fox and I’d say she looks even better!

As I snapped photos, Liz explained to me that although she didn’t really lack self-confidence to begin with, this experience was making her feel even more confident. But my absolute favorite part of the entire session was when I gave Liz a sneak peek of her photos and she yelled out, “Holy shit, I’m hot!” As a boudoir photographer I don’t think I could hope for a better reaction!

My session with Liz was such an amazing reminder that a woman’s strength can be shown in so many different ways - being physically fit, looking sexy in boudoir photos, and as Liz put it, displaying “independence in every sense of the word—being strong physically, mentally, and being able to be on your own, but not necessarily needing to be on your own.” And that’s exactly what my Strong Women Series is all about.

To sign up for a free session and consultation or to learn more about the personal training experience at Renovate Fitness, visit Liz’s website or check her out on Facebook and Instagram. *She’s also currently offering 10% off for all healthcare workers!

If you’re ready to celebrate your journey with a boudoir shoot, contact me.