A little over a year ago, my friend wanted me to join CrossFit with her. I have always been involved in athletics (I mean, I do still have the shuttle run record at my elementary school from 1995 haha). On a serious note, my father and I would go running just about every day after school, which I believe instilled in me at a very young age how important fitness truly is to living a healthy lifestyle. As a girl, I participated in dancing, softball, cheerleading, soccer (for a hot minute), volleyball, basketball, and track. When I experienced bilateral ACL tears 10 years ago, it had a pretty profound effect on me: I never really got back in to anything, but cheerleading. Through high school and college, I continued to cheer, run, and take step and aerobic classes at a local gym. Fifteen months ago, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Pregnancy affects women differently; unfortunately, I suffered from some pretty severe baby blues and weight gain. After the pregnancy, I knew I was going to have to make a drastic change if I was going to lose all of the extra weight, which led me to consider joining CrossFit. I was extremely intimidated, and I could not have been less motivated when my friend asked me to join with her.
I can honestly say that joining CrossFit is one of the best decisions I have ever made! Although I have a wonderful support system around me (my wonderful husband, amazing family, and fabulous friends), CrossFit is the single factor that helped me, both physically and mentally in such a vulnerable time. CrossFit is a way of life, and I will forever be grateful for incorporating it in to my daily routine. When Neal asked me on day one what my goals were, I kind of
chuckled and said to lose 20 lbs, thinking it was impossible. I am proud to say I am down 25-30 lbs from that day and have never felt better. I am stronger than ever and able to do things with my body I never thought possible, like handstand push ups.
Another wonderful aspect is the camaraderie developed. It feels so good to have other people encouraging and cheering you on when the workout is getting pretty difficult. The coaches are extremely supportive, and I find they help push your pain threshold beyond what you think your body is capable of. Don’t get me wrong.. these workouts are HARD, but I am absolutely addicted! If you show up and give it your all, you WILL see results.. no doubt about it!
