My name is Brianna Ortega. I am 24 years old and I’m a teacher. My husband, Victor, and I have a two-year-old daughter named Rosie. Over the years, I’ve played soccer in high school and for multiple club teams. I thought I was in pretty good shape, but I had never lifted any weights. After high school, I stopped exercising and playing soccer, and pretty much just went to school and worked. This, coupled with unhealthy eating habits, led to me quickly gaining “freshman” weight, and I kept it on. In December 2014, I had a professor who invited me to try Crossfit at the community class on Saturday mornings. I went a couple of times, but told myself that Crossfit wasn’t for me, mostly because I was just being lazy and didn’t feel like putting in the work, so I stopped going. After having my daughter in May of 2015, I tried to get back in shape by cutting back on the junk food and walking/running with a friend. During early 2016, my brother-in-law invited me to Crossfit. I was reluctant to go, but eventually tried it again. This time, I was ready to make a change. I attended the on-ramp classes beginning in July of 2016 and have been going ever since. The other day, I was talking to my high school soccer coach and he asked me, “Do you feel like you are in better shape now, or your senior year?” I could honestly say that I am in much better shape now. I can do movements that I never thought I would be able to do- like climbing a rope, and push-ups! Crossfit, along with a change in my eating habits, has helped me to lose 35 pounds, gain muscle, and all around feel better and stronger.
