Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing
Photographer / Kelli White
Hayley Murray and her husband Ryan were on a flight home from Phoenix when they began talking to a fellow traveler who had just attended a training seminar for Eat the Frog Fitness. When they heard about the unique training concept they were hooked, as they are both entrepreneurs and fitness buffs.
Eat the Frog was co-founded by Bryan Clay, an Olympic gold medalist who was named Worlds Greatest Athlete in 2008.
He knew the importance of cross-training and changing up the workouts because thats where you see the best results for your body, Murray says.
The concept incorporates bikes, rowers, weights and bags. Coaches guide members through a fitness assessment and based on those results, they create a customized guide that includes cardiovascular, strength, flexibility and core training, as well as recovery steps.
We also customize your heart-rate training zones based on your individual efforts, which makes workouts more effective, Murray says.
Eat the Frog offers high-intensity, low-impact workouts that can be done at each members convenience, as the club offers 24/7 access to the studio. During business hours, members can sign up for a personalized, coach-led session, and during off-hours they can follow virtual workouts at their convenience at home or on the go.
The name of the facility was inspired by the following Mark Twain quote: Eat a live frog first thing every morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
“The idea is to get the hard things done first,” Keenan says. “For a lot of people, their frog is fitness, so just go ahead and get it out of your way and you”ll feel good about your day.”
Murray decided to open an Eat the Frog franchise in Zionsville, and recruited Megan Keenan to join as general manager.
Keenan, a travel soccer coach who shares in the Murrays passion for health, has enjoyed helping people in their fitness journey.
Meeting all of the members and getting healthy together has been the best part of the job, Keenan says. The people in this community want to support one another. I think thats where people find success – through support of others.
Keenan says the type of workout offered at Eat the Frog can benefit anyone, regardless of age, gender or fitness level.
We just had a man join whos 82 years old, says Keenan, noting that anyone aged 16 or older is welcome to join.
Murray says that prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the company was already incorporating technology into their concept. This helped when the pandemic hit, because the Eat the Frog corporate team was able to provide at-home workouts via a smartphone application, which members can use at their convenience.
Thats so important both for physical and mental health, Murray says. Weve been doing boot camps during the pre-opening process, and the people who have joined are so much fun. I look forward to going out for a drink or a meal after a workout. They want to be healthy but are fun to be around.
Eat the Frog Fitness is locatd at 10895 N. Michigan Rd., Suite 150 in Zionsville, IN. For more information, give them a call at 317-932-3764 or visit them online at EatTheFrogFitness.com.
