WellcommDC [10.06.25]

WellcommDC is the email newsletter bringing you the best of the DMV’s wellness community. Get On The List and get WellcommDC sent directly to your inbox. Have a friend who would love WellcommDC? Then please forward our email or tag them on one of our IG posts. Email [email protected] or slide into our DMs with your tips.

What do brands like Nike and The Black Tux have in common?

They’ve both partnered with WellcommDC to reach our community.

Now we’re lining up the next wave of brand partners — from local wellness startups to national brands looking to connect with the most engaged members of the DMV’s fitness community — for our Alpha Advertiser Program.

Spots are limited, so if you’d like to be considered for this select group, submit your info here, and we’ll share details before the program launches.

[HIGH FIVE] We gave a High Five to Isaiah Moon, an Instructor at CycleBar Ashburn in Ashburn, VA.

WellcommDC: Where do you work…out?

Isaiah Moon: I workout at The Shop in Ashburn, also known as the Virginia Mecca! I started going to The Shop in early 2024 after getting serious about weightlifting just a few years before that. What I appreciate most about The Shop is the expansive selection of strength equipment and open areas. Even at the peak 6 pm hour when the gym is full, you still have space and generally can still get the equipment you want. What also keeps me there as a member is the community. I only know a handful of names of the gym goers, but seeing familiar faces and regular head nods makes you feel like you belong. And even though it's a strength training, rugged-ish gym, it's a very clean gym.

WDC: What does wellness mean to you?

IM: Feeling good when you wake up until the time you go to bed. There is never a perfect day, but when you treat your body well with moderate, regular exercise and mostly healthy, whole foods with some room for treats, your body responds positively. Being able to wake up healthy and live life without hurdles is underrated, and it always starts with how you treat your body, physically and mentally.

WDC: What are your wellness goals over the next twelve months?

IM: Even though I embody wellness to lots of people, I actually really struggle with food and my diet. When I say struggle, I mean I just really love food. I grew up like many black individuals where food was the center of everything: weddings, funerals, birthdays, celebrations, occasions to cheer you up, and more. To help me lock in on my diet, I hired a nutrition coach, Michael Augustino, to help me clean up my diet by including more whole foods and shifting my mindset from food being for tasting to being for fueling my body. Over the next twelve months, I’m setting a loose goal to simply continue improving my diet.

WDC: Who are some people who inspire you, motivate you, or keep you accountable when it comes to your wellness?

IM: Michael Augustino, my nutritionist who created my meal plan and conducts weekly check-ins. Alex Pfost, a fellow gym goer I met at The Shop who produces Instagram content for the average individual trying to make a change to their body while living a "normal" life. I love that his content isn't about getting as big and muscular as possible or spending two hours in the gym, both of which I'm not opposed to, but it's about realistic advice for the average person. Tyler Dukes, also known as my cyclebro and the second half of the Cold Boys of Cyclebar. Tyler and I have different teaching styles, yet his classes are always a reminder that you can push for more. We exist in a place where comfort is celebrated and made to be enough, but it's actually the extra push that gets you to your goal. Lastly, Chris Layda, a cycle instructor on the West Coast who I've been following since the Pandemic. As a fellow cycle instructor, watching and riding his classes has similarly been a lesson in how there's alway more room to grow in my teaching and in my fitness. 

WDC: What advice would you share with someone looking to change their wellness routine?

IM: Start small! Even through the excitement of starting a new routine or finally being ready to take charge of your wellness, always start small. I had a psychology teacher in high school who used to constantly say "Love your future self." I finally took that to mean setting your future self up for success with today's actions. While diving head into a new routine, whether fitness, diet, or mental, might seem like a good idea and feel tempting, we are humans, meaning we are flawed and need room to adjust and acclimate. You want to feel like you are finding success even if it's just small wins at first. The best way to set yourself up for success is starting a new journey with realistic, attainable goals and adjusting from there.

Know a fitness instructor in the DMV who deserves a High Five? Click here to submit your nomination so we can consider them for a future WellcommDC High Five profile!

That’s this week’s edition of WellcommDC. Like what you read? Get On The List and get future editions sent directly to your inbox. Have a friend who needs to read WellcommDC? Forward our email to them. Drop us a line at [email protected] or slide in with tips. Until next time, take care of yourself, and take care of each other.

Go For It,

Your WellcommDC Team (@wellcommdc)

Transform Your Self. Transform Your Community. Transform Your World.