August 2010
I suppose my story is similar to many stories you may have heard. I’ve worked out off and on my whole life, inside gyms and outside running the streets – diets too. I work a job I love and take great pride in but it involves lots of sitting around and easy access to cheap, extremely unhealthy food. Evening or night shifts, days off in the middle of the week, and mandatory overtime all come together such a way to make eating right, working out and staying healthy a great challenge. Even slugging away in the gym on my own and running endless miles around the neighborhood every week I was only able to maintain a facade of good health. Throw in a couple of get-togethers with a beer or two or three or…well, you get the idea….your body just can’t keep up.
That aside, in January of this year I hit a landmark - 200 lbs on the scale. I know that weight itself is no great thing but for me it was - I had gained about 15 pounds in 10 months and was clearly on a downhill skid. Determined to change and knowing I had to abandon my current methods, I researched a workout “fad” some guys at work participated in. Some of you may have heard of it - CrossFit!
Living in Rockwall made the choice of “where” quite easy. I did not know how I would feel working out in a group setting as I had always gone to the gym and quietly done my own thing. I signed up for the Elements class in February. Any skepticism I had regarding CrossFit was dispelled immediately by Mary who, with her cheerful way and easy encouragement, beat me into a pulp during the “scaled down” workouts we did in the Elements class. I have never been one to follow my own workout routine very well…its much easier to read the board, groan a little at the workout, and then get to it. Couple that with a trainer standing over your shoulder and other CrossFitters to motivate you and you have one outstanding workout – every day.
I’ve lost my 15 pounds I gained before joining CrossFit Rockwall and so far I’ve managed to shave off about 10 more with the Paleo diet challenge we are doing. I feel better, stronger, better looking (no mean feat if I do say so…) and more energetic. The crazy part is I spend less than half of the time working out with CrossFit as I did in the gym on my own!It is the first time I’ve ever been in a fitness environment that combines exercise, diet and mindset so well. Though the road is by no means an easy one, the rewards are well worth it, faster to reach and far easier to maintain than anything I’ve participated in before. Thanks for reading my story and if I can keep waking up that early I’ll see you in the 5:30am class!
