JASON SCHROEDER AND CAROLYN DEMIRO

Ability Through Stability

story by ROBIN COKER            photos by JENNY PHILLIPS

Imagine entering a safe space that combines physical, mental, and emotional health into intentional movement. An inclusive community in which you can exist and connect to feel less alone in your health journey, no matter what your current season of fitness may be or your health goals. New to the Lowcountry but certainly not new to fitness, Jason Schroeder and Carolyn DeMiro have brought to our hometown an approachable and holistic technique to wellness that is much needed. This Jersey strong couple has nestled into Beaufort as home and is bringing to life their passion for integrating mental and physical well-being with the establishment of Sweet Grass Fitness. Bringing over twenty years of experience in the fitness industry, Jason, alongside his partner, Carolyn, are the perfect balancing act to mirror what total wellness should encompass. Focusing heavily on a holistic approach as the platform for physical fitness, this team has chosen to step away from aggressive movements and come alongside their clients with a gentle process of coaching to teach us all to strengthen and listen to our bodies for longevity.

Carolyn’s passage into the wellness space started like so many, a client walking into a gym and being completely shut down and intimidated. She fell in love with strength training to aid in her transition in life, balancing her mental health with movement. After a decade in the fitness industry and a battle with thyroid cancer, Carolyn felt pulled to wade deeper into the waters of transformation coaching and went back to school to become a psychotherapist. Connecting physical and mental well-being became so pivotal in her journey that she wanted to pair the two to come alongside her clients and aid them in doing the same. The gym she walked into many years ago happened to belong to Jason, and the rest is history.

Jason shares the following illustration of strength training for longevity, “If health is defined as your ability to move your body a long distance for the rest of your life, you want to be able to move on your own. Our goal and want is for people to be functional as human beings, how we started out, not to train to just look a certain way. For example, when people say, ‘Your grandma shouldn’t deadlift,’ well, she should be deadlifting. It should just be a light load. If that is how she will pick up her 30-pound bag of cat litter when she’s 75, she has to be strong enough to lift correctly not to injure herself, so we train her for that. My needs and wants are the same as my grandmother’s. It’s just load and intensity. This approach to functional fitness is important.”

So, what was the catalyst for such a holistic approach to fitness? Jason grew up utilizing overtraining to escape the realities of a life he didn’t want to deal with, something to numb out and push down any uncertainties of his mind space or the world around him. Coming from a home where he would often feel lost, he would swim for hours on end daily, using physical fitness to avoid dealing with the underlying anxiety. Moving your body can be a beautiful outlet for stress management. However, there can often be a tipping point in which this otherwise “healthy” coping mechanism can lead us down the road to unhealthy. We can allow ourselves to be so absorbed in the physical that we neglect our mental and emotional well-being so much that we lose ourselves in the process. Both Jason and Carolyn agree that the buildup of this undealt with and underlying neglect for mental health can result in physical sickness and loss of the potential to thrive, no matter your fitness goals. Ability through stability is the core mission and thought process behind Sweet Grass Fitness being born. Jason feels very strongly about this mantra; it is the foundation for their vision to serve our local Beaufort community.

“If your mind is stable, your body can be strong and vice versa, and it can be hard to balance. If we can achieve this, we will be closer to overall health.” Their goal with Sweet Grass Fitness is to create an environment that supports that exact outcome — a place where people can come in and feel good about themselves, not being shamed or judged. Gyms can be intimidating spaces to walk into if you have no idea where to start. Jason and Carolyn are turning this familiar fitness paradigm on its head, providing an opportunity and outlet for individuals to walk in exactly as they are, feeling supported and confident to become their best selves by merging their mind and body. Balance is the core philosophy. They explain that the additional guilt that comes with eating something “bad” or missing a session due to unforeseen life circumstances can often be even worse for the outcome of your physical health. Mind and body are one. You cannot “fix” one without the other, a concept often missed by a traditional fitness mindset.

“We want a place where people can feel not stressed out by the need to show up, but to find joy in the community and want to be there. Starting a new routine will always be scary. We are here to help each client look forward to their workout — to make it the best hour of their day. Life is hard. Showing up for yourself physically and mentally, along with the additional work stress, can be heavy. Sweet Grass is here to be that safe place with a gentle approach in which we can support each client’s fitness goals. It is more than a workout for us. We are in it for the long haul and really care about each member. Moving your body in a shared environment is a collective struggle and has the power to bring us together.”

This pair goes to great lengths to touch base on an individual level every day. In every class, they look to see if there are any obstacles that could impact a particular member, whether it be an injury that needs a modification or someone who did not get a good night’s sleep and needs to vary the intensity of his or her workout.

Sweet Grass Fitness is located at 1000 Hamar Street in Beaufort, and clients are welcome to come and experience a full week of training at no cost before committing. Small coach-led group workout classes with the community are also available on Saturdays. You can find all contact information and learn more on their website, sweetgrassfitness.com, or email carolyndemirolpc@gmail.com.

This “gym” really is all about connection. Connecting mind and body as well as connecting to each other through community!