Meet Your New Neighbor: Hive Fusion Fitness Opens in Lemont Downtown
Lemont Downtown is where people come to live well – whether that means joining in all of the fun of our downtown parties and celebrations, dining at award-winning restaurants and bars, or joining in the community to dedicate time to their fitness and wellbeing.
Danyelle Andrews, PT, DPT, DipACLM, founder of Bee Well Collective, Lemont Walking Club, and their newest sister brand, Hive Fusion Fitness, has been helping people live well in Lemont for years. Through her work, Danyelle has engaged a new community of women, ages 35-70, and approaches wellness from all angles.
In an honored tradition in Lemont Downtown, we sat down with Danyelle to learn more about Hive Fusion Fitness and the future of wellness. Lemont, meet your new neighbor! '
KG: Hello! I believe our last formal chat was about Lemont Blue Zones and you mentioned that you had an idea for Hive Fusion Fitness. How are things going?
DA: They’re going well! We’re even taking on our first group of members. Once we pass inspections, we’ll be focused on our soft opening at the end of the month and then a grand opening on April 12.
KG: I love that! Tell me more about Hive Fusion Fitness. What’s the vision?
DA: Hive Fusion Fitness is the sister company of Bee Well Collective. At Bee Well, we’ve always been focused on becoming a multi-disciplinary wellness spot. It’s where we're based – my physical therapy, personal training, and education – but the core of Hive Fusion Fitness is to be a women’s fitness center focused on building positive social connections for women ages 35-70+ years old.
As a physical therapist, I’ve learned how important it is to incorporate movement at every age and how important building community for women 35+ is. In our society, there is a lot of talk about menstrual cycles, pregnancy, motherhood, and then you’re just supposed to deal with menopause. We don’t talk enough about peri-menopause, menopause, the physical, mental, and emotional needs associated with getting older. Hive Fusion Fitness aims to have an inclusive environment that allows for movement and community that help us as we age.
KG: That’s so important! I’m 35 and feel very unprepared for what is to come later in life. I’ve also found that being a mother – my physical needs are much different than when I was 20 years old. It requires an immense amount of strength and endurance.
DA: That’s right! Through Hive Fitness, we see people who have never worked out before and those whose lives are different now. You may not be 20 years old and training for a marathon. You’re 35 and chasing a toddler.
You’re juggling life, lifting kids, running from errand to errand, and women sometimes simply need the dedicated time to devote to their wellbeing. We also know that as women age, our bodies need everything things: our sleep changes, stress changes, and we have to build a wellness practice that allows us to find alignment.
You’ll find a really understanding and well-trained group of instructors and a variety of classes that meet all of your needs.
KG: How do you mix fitness and wellness?
DA: We have Katie, our amazing manager, who comes from a strong exercise science background. She really understands how our bodies work and how to adjust each workout to the needs of every member. Whether you’ve been an athlete before or you’ve never touched a gym, she’s ready to help you learn how to use equipment, how to maintain proper form, and how to build endurance.
My background is in physical therapy. I often see people who may have been using a part of their body wrong for years and need to learn how to move properly. A lot of knees, hips, and shoulders, or simply being able to protect yourself from falls or stand properly. We want you to move in a way that feels good for your body and is good for your body.
With those collective backgrounds and the expertise of each of our instructors, we’re here to help people move in a way that feels good and build up their strength and endurance over time. This is an approachable take on wellness. You don’t have to fit into a box to be part of our community. We have a class, a workout, or a modification that you’re going to feel good in.
KG: What types of classes do you offer?
DA: We offer classes from 5:30AM - 8:30PM. The good thing with that is that you could come for a cardio class at 5:30AM to start your day and then come back for a 7:30PM deep stretch. You could come for a 5:30PM yoga after work and then have time to catch dinner at any of the great places in Lemont Downtown. We’re really excited about that.
We have dance, yoga (vinyasa, power, core sculpt, chair, and yin), sound healing, moderate to high-intensity strength training, elevated barre, deep stretch, and Xi Gong. We’ll have kickboxing coming soon!
In addition to that, we’ll have personal training, 1:1 ergonomic assessments, and an alternative space that can be used for massages, physical therapy, and more.
KG: You mentioned an education space?
DA: Yes! We’ll have:
Hive and Thrive: A weekly coffee hour in the studio or shared patio space where you can come to connect and learn with other people.
Fusion Socials: An evening event open to all members, with conversations all based around different topics in health, wellness, and lifestyle medicine.
Niche Classes - We want to offer specific classes catered to our community. Like, Stretch and Mobility Class (working on things like getting up off the floor)
Workshop Blocks + Private Events – We’re excited to host private events and host programming for Girl Scouts, pre-teens, Mom & Me, or others which classes on self-care, empowerment, food neutrality + nutrition.
Treatment Room – We’ll have a dedicated space for massages, deep stretch, and more!
KG: What do memberships look like?
DA: We have our Founders Rate with limited memberships at this level left for $125/month for unlimited. That would include access to all of the group fitness classes, programming, discounts on personal training, and our speaker series.
Our regular membership for unlimited will be $165 and then we’ll have class packs ranging in 5, 10, and 20.
KG: That’s amazing! When can people check it out?
DA: Come to our open house on April 12! You’ll be able to get a feel for the space, meet members of our community, and register for classes.
If you can’t make it to the open house, schedule a time to come in and meet with the team or schedule a 1:1 ergonomic assessment. We’re really looking forward to making Hive Fusion Fitness a hub for all people and this exciting space in our community.
Hive Fusion Fitness is open at 228 Main Street in Lemont Downtown. For more information, visit https://thebeewellcollective.com/
