Growing up the youngest of four, playing sports was not a part of my life. The last memory of organized sports was in fourth grade when I played softball and I am sure I was pretty bad, since I didn’t play again. But I do still have my glove 😉 I was a chubby baby, a chubby kid and a larger teen. I remember always being envious of the skinny kids and those who played sports. I just didn’t have an athletic body or come from an athletic family. Once I got my drivers license I joined a gym and started to lift weights but didn’t really know what I was doing, but I had hopes that I would get a jacked body. I have tried every diet under the sun and even diet pills. I went on Nutrisystem before I went to college in hopes that I wouldn’t be the ‘fat’ kid at college. But, of course, I never learned how to eat healthy and at college I enjoyed the all you could eat concept and gained the freshman 15 plus some. After college I was my heaviest – don’t even know how heavy because I didn’t want to admit it to myself – so I didn’t step on a scale. When I met my husband Jay, and told him I was a runner, he just laughed (well nicely laughed) at me when we went running, as I needed to walk up every hill. He helped me get better at running and I quickly got in better shape. Also, I started to eat healthy with his help and lost weight.
Jay and I joined a gym together and I tracked and measured everything I ate. About nine years later, I found CrossFit and it was life changing. I finally had a fitness routine that was always challenging and fun to do. When I first walked in the CrossFit Box, I was surprised to find out that I was not as fit as I thought. Every workout kicked my butt. But every workout is scalable and I kept going back and getting better. I loved the idea that at CrossFit you have people to keep you accountable and people to cheer you on. They celebrate your successes and they help you through your failures. They become your extended family; it is truly a community. I have done CrossFit Competitions. I have taken breaks. But I always come back. CrossFit gives me an adrenaline rush that makes me want to go back for more. It is the best workout you can get. It can be done by anyone in any shape. At almost 44, I am in the best shape of my life. The most important part is that my kids get to see the importance of exercise and eating healthy. Children mimic what their parents do and now they too participate in CrossFit, which always puts a smile on my face. My daughter believes strong is beautiful! My son believes that a woman can lift just as much as a man! No obstacle is too great to overcome.
