- [Jason] One by one, the cars pull in.

- [Leigh] Hey guys, good morning.

- [Jason] Filling up the parking spots at St. Gabriel Catholic Church.

- [Leigh] It's 5:30.

- [Jason] The sun isn't up yet, but they are.

- [Leigh] Jumping jacks, ready, go.

One, two, three, one, two three.

- [Jason] From jumping jacks and toy soldiers.

- [Leigh] One, two, three, five.

- [Jason] Mountain climbers.

- [Leigh] One, two three.

- [Jason] And plenty of others.

- [Leigh] All right, 10.

Hot cross buns.

- [Jason] The Females in Action Morning Bootcamp is just getting started.

- [Leigh] We're not trained professionals.

- Yeah, we work out pretty early.

- For this next part, we were gonna be on the wall, but there are too many of us, which is fantastic.

- It's more than working out, you know.

- It's the community and fellowship.

It's as much about my mental health as it is physical health.

- But once you start going and you're a couple of weeks in, I don't wanna say it's an addiction, but it's just something that you do.

It becomes part of your day.

- Group two will stay.

Group one, you're gonna run up the stairs around down the ramp and back.

- [Jason] Leading this particular morning's workout, Leigh Bryant.

- The after-work workout was not working for me.

I always said, "I'll go on the way home," pack a bag, never go.

- [Jason] But if you told Leigh back then that she'd someday be leading a 5:15 AM workout group, she'd never believe you.

- I fought it really hard.

I had no interest in being anywhere at 5:15 in the morning.

Finally, I said, "Yes, I'll try it."

- So I got invited to go to a bootcamp in January and I did begrudgingly.

♪ I want you to be happier - [Jason] But there's plenty of reasons why each of the ladies kept coming back, morning after morning.

- You can always find a gym wherever you are.

You can't find a group of people to share things with quite as easily.

- It's boring to work out by yourself.

And FiA is so great because there are people with you that are sweating and complaining and encouraging all at the same time.

And that's the greatest part, is you're just going and seeing your friends, hanging out, getting a workout at the same time.

- It's for sure the community and connection.

And I cannot imagine my life now without these ladies.

- I've made connections with people all over Charlotte that I never would've met otherwise.

- [Jason] The Females in Action say it's not only about the fellowship and comradery, but also the accountability.

- There was no second guessing it or not showing up.

They would've been in the house at my bedroom window, throwing rocks.

- I mean, if you know that someone's gonna be out there in the gloom, in the dark, you don't want them to be by themselves.

- When you're asking a friend to come to a FiA workout and then they get there, you can't be like, "Oh man, I wish I didn't show up."

You know, you all of a sudden are feeling like, "Oh wow, I, you know what?

You should really push it harder and you can do it."

And I feel like it just all around has helped me become a more full person.

- It's like church.

You go to the same church all the time.

You sit in the same pew.

When you're not there, they check on you.

So we check on each other.

We're there for each other.

- [Jason] The women's workout group is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, originally forming as a sister program to the men's workout group, F3.

- When my husband, Edwin, would go to this new workout, this new F3 workout, he would come back so happy.

- As they started to see us change, they too, were wondering, well, what can we do?

- I'm like, there really should be one for females.

It doesn't need to be exactly like it, but I think that as a trainer, I knew that everybody needs fitness and community.

- [Jason] Amy Peacock took the lead, going to F3 organizers and asking if they'd consider starting a woman's version of the workout.

- I said, "Well then, if you're not gonna do it, would you mind if I gave it a shot?"

And they said, "Yeah, and I don't think it's gonna work.

But you can give it a try."

- [Jason] In some ways, FiA is very similar to F3, daily workouts are free, open to anyone and happen every day, rain or shine, hot or cold.

And like the guys, the ladies all have nicknames.

- Instead of counting off.

So Thumbelina to Captain Barbecue.

- I think we're a little nicer to each other.

We don't give each other quite the same nicknames that the men folk do.

- Well, men and women are different, so the workouts are different.

The guys are, it's just different.

They have more mumbo-jumbo.

They razz each other more.

I mean, we certainly do, but not nearly as much as the guys.

- [Jason] Over the course of the last decade.

FiA has not only thrived in Charlotte, but expanded considerably with areas of operation in 23 different states and recently launching in the United Kingdom.

- And so word spreads and people, we can't keep up with the amount of regions that want to launch.

- [Jason] All told, an estimated 6,000 women take part in FiA's daily workouts.

The ladies also get together outside of those workouts for coffee, book clubs, lunches, family discussions and workshops.

- Well, I'm in awe because you never think, I mean just starting and starting so small that it can grow and have such an impact.

- [Jason] The Females in Action, impacting the lives of women around Charlotte, the nation, and the world.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Jason Terzis reporting.