This week’s transformation is my sister-in-law, Michelle! I am so proud of her and how far she has come in the last two years…when I first asked her and my brother to come to CFU, they were a little hesitant (as she explains below)…I remember doing their CF101 while one of the other classes was going on and was just saying a prayer to myself that they would take to it. So happy that Michelle was brave enough to show up for that first WOD and grateful for all of the support that all of the athletes gave her and continue to give her. She has amazing strength and it’s such a joy to hear her talk about how she will go out running with her daughter, Natalie! Michelle’s attitude and smile are contagious and CFU is lucky to have her! 🙂 Keep it up, Michelle…You’re definitely Better Than Yesterday!!
Here’s her story…
I started Crossfit in December 2012; I received a text from Coach Debbie, aka my sister-in-law. She was offering me a chance to try out Crossfit and wanted to schedule my Crossfit 101. She had been doing Crossfit for a little over a year and I thought to myself, I am not cut out for that. She was a PE teacher, a college athlete and me, I was cardio queen who loved to use the elliptical and then would walk around the weight machines attempting to get a workout in really not sure what I needed to do and not making any progress. I was still overweight, unhealthy and unfit. I was not cut out for Crossfit.
So I rounded up some courage and I showed up for my Crossfit 101, scared and nervous of what I had gotten myself into. I survived the 101, but now I had to show up for my first WOD. I remember sitting there all day at work a terrified mess and looking at the WOD and trying to figure out the movements and how I could scale them to work with my capabilities. I would watch YouTube videos to learn the movements and I would try to figure out the acronyms, this was testing me in more ways than just physically. Crossfit is so much more than a workout; it also pushes you both mentally and emotionally.
What I did notice my first WOD and every WOD since is the support the athletes give to one another. Even though I was the overweight newbie who was trying to blend into the corner, they introduced themselves to me, cheered for me as I was the last to finish, and did burpees with me as I tried to complete the WOD. This was definitely different then my global gym, this was a family where everyone is in different fitness levels but supporting each other. I have met so many wonderful people whom I may have never crossed paths, but I consider them all my friends.
In January 2013, I started my first Nutrition Challenge. It was during this challenge I learned the Paleo Clean-Eating approach and was able to start losing the weight. I had a wonderful support group with wonderful team members and all the other athletes participating in the challenge. With the challenge and along with continuing the Paleo Clean-Eating approach, I was able to lose over 50 pounds and maintain it. Of course, it is not easy. In order to keep it off, I sign up for every challenge available because it is so easy to fall off the wagon and start down the path of destruction. I love that CFU always is giving me options to try to make me better.
Crossfit pushes me to try things I never thought I could do. I did my first 5K in March 2013 along with some of the other CFU members. I still remember Debbie yelling at me to “Sprint” to the finish line. Then a year later in April 2014, I ran the Go St. Louis Half Marathon. I am now more fit and strong in my 40s then I had ever been. I am still amazed by what I have accomplished with the help of Coach Debbie and the support of all the CFU members. For the first time in my life I feel like an athlete. My journey does not stop here. I still have so much more I want to accomplish, I am still working on being “Better than Yesterday”.
