IN MY VOBYOS CELEBRATES WOMEN WHO EMBRACE OUR MOTTO, OWN YOUR FIGHT
Dana VanPamelen
"Fight for what you believe and fight for what you want to build, with passion and patience."
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
"My name is Dana VanPamelen. I own Hit House Muay Thai Kickboxing studio with my husband, Tyler. I'm a native New Yorker and have a Masters in Marketing."
WHAT DOES YOUR DAILY LIFE LOOK LIKE?
"Before COVID, I would wake up and open to the studio for the morning classes, as well as working the front desk for the afternoon and evening classes, planning classes and events with our instructors, staff and brand partners, as well as collaborating with local small businesses. Now, Hit House is offering live, virtual workouts that require no equipment - it's important to keep our instructors connected to their students, and for our community to stay active, strong and sane. I miss everyone so much, but Zoom has made social distancing a little easier. I join all of our virtual workouts (and my cat loves to annoy me during them)."
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUAY THAI?
"I was introduced to the sport in a strange way - I am a round card girl for Friday Night Fights, the longest-running Muay Thai fight series. The very first time I saw the action back in 2011, I knew I had to try it and get involved."
HOW HAS MUAY THAI CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
"Muay Thai has greatly improved my life. For starters, it's the most satisfying, entertaining and challenging full-body workout there is. The Muay Thai community is eclectic, diverse and welcoming - it doesn't matter if you are male, female, white, black, Asian, gay, straight, alien, if you put in the time and discipline to train, you will be supported. Muay Thai teaches you responsibility, self-confidence, and humility."
TELL US ABOUT HIT HOUSE, FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR
"Hit House is the very first boutique Muay Thai kickboxing studio, located in Nolita, NYC. My husband created and designed our patented hybrid heavy bag (called Bishop), which allows you to strike without getting hurt or bruised. Hit House is a welcoming, un-intimidating, zen atmosphere. Our class teaches you a skill while providing a fun, challenging full-body workout. Hit House instructors are fighters and trainers with years of Muay Thai experience."
"Our motto has always been, Be a lover and a fighter."
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE HIT HOUSE COMMUNITY?
"The Hit House community is *the best.* We welcome all levels and ages, from total beginners to professional fighters. Our motto has always been, "Be a lover and a fighter." This means encouraging self-confidence over self-importance, ambition over arrogance, and being a gentleman in the streets and total bad*ss in the ring."
HIT HOUSE HAS BEEN RUNNING ZOOM WORKOUTS DURING THIS PERIOD OF LOCKDOWN. HOW IS IT GOING?
"At first, Hit House was hesitant to offer at-home virtual workouts, since our class format typically relies on our heavy bag. We decided to design classes that would work with zero equipment that strengthen all of the muscles you use in Muay Thai. We were able to offer a bunch of different programming in addition to cardio kickboxing, like shadowboxing, HIIT, barre and yoga."
TELL US ABOUT 'COFFEE AND A JOKE'
"At Hit House, we don't take ourselves too seriously. Tyler will always crack "dad jokes" while teaching his class, and we thought our community could benefit from a moment of humor on social media. We love punching and kicking, but we also love being silly."
WHAT DOES THE VOBYO MOTTO #OWNYOURFIGHT MEAN TO YOU?
"To me, #OwnYourFight means taking responsibility and action to create what you want. Fight for what you believe and fight for what you want to build, with passion and patience. Accept the challenges and keep fighting."
This article originally appeared on Vobyo's blog at: https://vobyo.com/blogs/in-my-vobyos/in-my-vobyos-dana-vanpamelen