TAmily Tales: Loretta Urban
Welcome back to TAmily Tales, a series dedicated to the voices, experiences, and personal journeys within our global community. We are thrilled to share Loretta's story, with many more to come.
MEET LORETTA URBAN
How long have you been practicing Tracy Anderson?
I've been practicing Tracy Anderson since 2008. I started with the Mat DVD, moved through Metamorphosis and Continuity, did the Pregnancy Project, and then joined the Online Studio as soon as it launched in 2014. I've never looked back.
What made you decide to try Tracy Anderson for the first time?
Honestly? Vanity. I was already a runner and a regular gym-goer, and I used to devour fitness magazines. One day I picked a magazine up and Tracy was on the cover. She looked amazing, with those "Tracy lines" only she can create. I ripped the cover off and put it on my fridge for inspiration. When I read in the magazine that her approach was dance-inspired and available on DVD, I was immediately hooked. I started with the original Mat DVD. My apartment was tiny, so I couldn't do the full workout. I'd just do arms, then head out for a run. To this day, that Mat DVD arm series is still my favorite and one of her toughest. That's how it all began.
What has the online community meant to you? How has it impacted your life?
When Tracy announced she was going to start live streaming, I was so excited. The timing felt perfect. I was a new mom and finally in a place where I could pour some energy into self-care.
My discovery of Instagram happened at the exact same time as my discovery of the TA community. I actually joined Instagram because of the community. I'm a pretty private person, so posting my workouts online felt wild, but then I found all of these women who were just like me. Excited to be on this journey. It immediately felt like home and it still does, all these years later.
It truly feels like many of us grew up together. There's a bond that exists because of this practice. Seeing so many "originals" at TracyFest was incredibly special, and meeting newer members is just as meaningful. I joke that I feel like a mom or big sister to many of them. And when I finally meet people in person, I almost always feel like I already know them. It's incredible that something that started as a workout has turned into that.
What has practicing Tracy Anderson meant to you on your life’s journey?
Tracy has felt like a best friend alongside me through every high and low of adulthood, giving me the tools to move through all of it. Our pregnancies with our daughters overlapped, we're the same age, and with all those parallels it has often felt strangely meant to be.
From the Mat DVD to Metamorphosis and Continuity to the Pregnancy Project, I did it all. At this point, it feels like she has always been there cheering me on. I can barely remember my life before this practice.
Now entering menopause, I'm redefining what healthy and strong means to me. And once again, Tracy is right there with me, helping me adapt to this next chapter.
How have you seen your body evolve since you started using Tracy's tools and strategies?
I have all the tools, and each one challenges me in its own unique way. After 10 years of mat work, MYMODE brought so much joy. Being able to move in new planes felt incredibly freeing. Mat work will always be my foundation though.
MYMODE helped me realize how much I physically tend to "close up" and hold tension in my center. Learning to open my shoulders, neck, and back felt liberating. The HeartStones took that evolution even further. ProStaff was my introduction to heavier weight, and the timing couldn't have been better. And NextGen Growth Rings, those are my favorite cherry on top.
Mixing and matching them all is genuinely fun. I feel strong, balanced, challenged, and deeply at home in my body. And the best part is having so many tools I trust to keep me supported and aligned.
How have you seen your mental or emotional self evolve since you started using them?
Just like I physically tend to hold tension inward, I do the same emotionally. For me, there's no real separation between physical and mental evolution. That's why this practice feels so right. It acknowledges that it's all connected. Moving my body this way helps me process everything else.
If you could choose one person in your life to try Tracy Anderson, who would it be and why?
I would choose my colleagues. Corporate life can be demanding, and stress builds up so easily. I'd love to introduce them to this practice as a way to find balance and reconnect with themselves.
Who from the TAmily inspires you to stick with Tracy Anderson?
So many people inspire me, but especially the ones who simply show up: the consistent members who balance real life with this practice, who share the sweaty, gritty, unfiltered truth of it. That realness is rare online, and this community delivers it over and over. I'm also endlessly inspired by people who make it work in hotel rooms, on work trips, and in tiny spaces, anyone who fits it in however they can.
What about accessing Tracy Anderson through the Online Studio makes you most grateful?
Even after 12 years of streaming, I often find myself reflecting on how pivotal it's been in my life. #TARealTime was, and still is, so innovative. From my home gym, I feel connected to Tracy, the trainers, and everyone doing the same class week after week. I'm so grateful I picked up that fitness magazine all those years ago. It changed everything.
FOLLOW LORETTA
Find Loretta on Instagram @lorettasfitnesslife and to hear more about her journey.
WANT TO SHARE YOUR STORY, TOO?
Get in touch at community@tracyandersonmethod.com for the chance to be featured in TAmily Tales.