SISSETON, S.D. — For many, the beginning of the pandemic was an anxiety-filled time. The world was entering uncharted territory and life as many knew it changed. For Amanda Nigg and her family, their entire world was turned upside down one day prior to the pandemic outbreak.
“In 2020, we lost our house the day before the national pandemic. It was just that humbling moment, and I say humbling because there was a lot of unknowns that we as a nation we’re going through, but as a family, we’re homeless,” Nigg said.
The Niggs lost their home to a fire on their family farm in Sisseton, South Dakota, on March 19, 2020. According to Nigg, her mental health plummeted and she turned to fitness as an escape. Having just lost her home, she had to get creative out on the farm. She used equipment such as tires, cinder blocks, bags of seed or anything she could use to work up a sweat out on the farm.
Throughout this process, she began sharing her fitness journey to social media, and garnered quite the following and curiosity from her followers on Instagram.
“A lot of individuals reached out to me and asked, 'Well where are you getting your weights?’ 'cause I am using tires, I was using weights that I found on the farm, because everyone was buying gym equipment. So me at that time, it was just me using that creativity. I always say a farmyard is like a CrossFit haven — you can really get a good workout in, it just takes a little creativity,” she said.
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It became clear to Nigg that there was a need for on-farm workout guidance, or just a fitness community for those who are in the ag industry. And so from the ashes, Farm Fit Training was born. Nigg adopted the name Farm Fit Momma . She found her passion helping others achieve their goals and bringing awareness to mental health in the ag industry. Nigg went back to college to become a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. She officially launched her business in February 2021.
Her programs can be done anywhere, at any time, allowing for freedom and flexibility, something that is often needed when working on the farm. Her clients are able to access an app to track their workouts and meals and to connect with other individuals who are also enrolled in Farm Fit Training. She also shares her personal workouts, meals and life on the farm with her 40,000 Instagram followers.
“One of my very first clients did my twelve week program using buckets of oats. And it was the coolest thing because she was a true testament that you didn’t need a lot of equipment. And how we adjusted her weight is she would add water to the oats and then feed it to her chickens three days later. She had amazing results,” Nigg said.
Bridgette Readel has been in the ag industry for over 25 years and has worn many hats as a technical agronomist, ag broadcaster, and an ag business owner, to name a few. She first found Nigg on Instagram and decided to enroll in farm fit training about two years ago. She loves the flexibility the program offers.
“We speak the same language, we understand why workouts don’t happen because of planting, harvesting, kids activities, and why it’s so important to do our things from home,” Readel said. “I could use things around me. Now I may have the Warbell that’s part of her program, but there’s a lot of other folks that we’re simply using suitcase weights from their tractors, tires, cement blocks.”
Farm Fit Training is geared towards anybody in the ag industry and focuses heavily on that demographic. Farm Fit Training has partnered up with John Deere in the past and is currently partnering with Titan International.
“My clientele is 100% ag, which I'm really proud of,” Nigg said
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