Swift Fit Events Offers a Motivational Mix of Health, Wellness, and Connection in Austin

This is it, y’all. Time to get up off of our duffs, get the blood pumping, meet new people, and have fun while doing so. We all know that working out doesn’t have to be a drag, and Austin’s own Swift Fit Events has pulled together an action-packed calendar of events designed to get you moving your body and connecting with others.

A dynamic group of movers and shakers, Swift Fit Events’ instructors infuse their health and fitness classes with joy with a true dedication to getting you moving. Swift Fit has created an inclusive, creative version of fitness classes meant to inspire not only the short-term endorphin release you get from being active but also the long-term connections formed when getting to know others in the Austin community.

What sets Swift Fit apart?

Founder Lee Ackerley admits that it’s “a bit of putting sugar in the medicine, a little hand-wavey, a little woo.” And that’s what makes it fun! Focusing on connection, health, and wellness allows Swift Fit to add a little sparkle to your workout routines and to transform otherwise ordinary business trips and corporate meetings into lively, memorable, more inclusive, and healthier events. Even better, if you are participating in dry January or simply trying to find more cool things to do that don’t involve drinking, they have weekly social popups at their downtown HQ with Sans Bar.

Mark your social calendar with healthy fun

The Swift Fit Events’ calendar is jam-packed with offerings such as dance cardio, yoga, running clubs, strength training, and weekly social pop-ups. They also arrange themed walking or running tours of Austin, noting historic sites and other notable spots in and around downtown. Swift Fit also customizes fitness activations for corporate groups and at conferences. There are a number of weekly exercise classes and more to create “ a wellness ecosystem,” as Ackerley describes it.

Attend a yoga session in the park with one of several yoga instructors or sweat it out to the oldies with the fabulous Erica Nix or attend a Friday night social at Swift Fit HQ downtown. Or check out their new wellness speaker series, Inspired, on Fridays. You can book a space at their offices in downtown Austin or get outdoors (weather permitting) and throw a little sunshine into the mix.

Bucking the corporate grind

Flipping the script on the corporate system of boozy, carb-fest work trips where heavy meals and heavy drinking are focal points was the impetus for Ackerley to go for it and launch Swift Fit. Corporate, private group, and conference-based events comprise around 90% of their business, an intentional path Founder Lee Ackerley traversed when starting the company. Having had a taste of the standard issue business trips in his early–and brief–career at tech startups and a bank, Ackerley realized there had to be a better way.

He noticed that these trips are “like Groundhog Day, where coworkers are holed up in one location with an agenda largely centered around food and drink.” Then, afterward, the employees return to work afterward tired, dehydrated, and maybe a bloated or hungover. The resulting lack of productivity is not ideal for the employees, and is even less so for the company. However, he couldn’t help but notice the deep pockets of those hosting these trips.

Ackerley founded Swift Fit Events to fill that gap in the market. He was simultaneously hoping to attract the attention of the people calling the shots on those generous tech startup budgets while tapping into the trend of being more mindful about health and wellness. A significant fraction of the workforce finally seemed to grow weary of the Mad Men-esque, old school business trips. Of course, this was in early 2020, meaning things changed dramatically and fast.

Hotels to the rescue

With lockdown happening and the need for widespread social distancing became a reality, corporate events suddenly ceased to be a thing. It could have been a rocky start for Swift Fit if something didn’t happen and soon.

Luckily for Ackerley and his fledgling company, hotels started to reach out—people still needed a place to stay, after all. Hotels needed some way to offer exercise and enrichment to their guests in the lockdown era and beyond. Ackerley put together some yoga and dance cardio classes outdoors on the grounds of some Austin-area hotels. The classes quickly became popular, as people were eager to be active and somewhat social again. Ackerley noticed that people could connect well “once the dopamine gets flowing.”

Then came the community classes, public events, usually sponsored, promoting fitness and exercise across the cities in parks or on beautiful lawns at corporate venues, sponsored by the property owners. These community events are usually free to the public and take place at Faregound, Republic Square Park, or at Swift Fit HQ downtown. They have held succulent making classes combined with yoga at Boggy Creek Farm. They have a running club with the Downs Syndrome Association of Central Texas.

Is Swift Fit a good fit for you?

If you have made more health-related promises to the Universe or yourself, then you should definitely check out Swift Fit. Their goal is to meet people where they are. So come as you are, get into the groove, soak up the wellness and healthy vibes. If you are a corporate event planner, imagine a team-building or conference activity that leaves your attendees energized and get Swift Fit to create an event tailored to your needs.

Do something kind to your body and don’t be afraid to embrace the woo along the way.

Learn more and view the calendar of events at www.swiftfitevents.com.