Erika (my mom) is about as reliable as it gets, it would be surprising to not see her name registered for the 7am slot. She is actually the one who turned me towards Brendan and the whole crazy world of CrossFit. So, essentially you have her to thank for this gym I guess? Anyway, here is her story!
I think I have been on a “fitness journey” for most of my life. As with most journeys, mine has taken a few detours, dead ends and U-turns. As a teenager I had a terrible body image and was always trying to lose 10 pounds – not sure why 10 seems to be the magic number! I probably weighed 120 lbs. then and thought I was horribly fat. Like most teenage girls, I tried every fad diet there was and every New Year made the resolution that this year I would finally do it.
After getting married and having children, I decided to lose weight the smart way – joining Weight Watchers. I will admit you can lose weight with Weight Watchers; it’s keeping it off that seems to be the issue! After years and years of yo-yoing and re-joining WW for the 6th time and hearing the lecturer talk about eating salad with your dressing on the side and choosing between having the mashed potatoes or the stuffing at Thanksgiving I thought “there has got to be a better way”.
That same week, the church I belong to announced it was hosting a course called “Healthy Living” which boasted that it would cut through the information and mis-information that is rampant and give some answers as to what exactly healthy is. I signed up. The course covered every aspect of life, diet, exercise, stress management, etc. and was very informative. But it was during the exercise portion of the class that I was introduced to a personal coach named Brendan. Unfortunately, one of the first workouts he had us do en mass was 50 burpees for time! He almost killed us all! You have to realize he was leading a group of people who probably had not exercised in any way, shape or form for years. I think that is where my love/hate relationship with burpees began!
After the conclusion of the course, which was 6 weeks long, Brendan issued an invitation to us that if we were interested in this kind of training to contact him. That was 5 years ago and although the 50 burpees almost scared me off, I called him and I have never looked back.
I joined Brendan’s gym with fear and trembling. I was 45 years old and wondering just what I had gotten myself into. I had joined other gyms, I was a regular at Curves; I had a treadmill and weights at home; I even had a Bowflex. I worked out using video tapes. I was far from being a couch potato but nothing I had tried produced any results. I wanted to see the work I was doing. Still none of that prepared me for Crossfit. After doing the fundamentals I was scared to death but knew this was what I was looking for. After the first few months I had lost 17 pounds and gained a ton of confidence. Somewhere along the line my goal shifted from losing weight and looking better to being stronger. I went from considering the weight on the scale to considering the weight on the bar. My goal became less about my pants size and more about what I could accomplish. I used to look at the WOD with a little bit of trepidation (ok, I still fear Baseline!), but it has become about what I can do and not about what I can’t. How far I have come compared to where I was, not compared to whoever is working out beside me.
What I love about Sublime is that I am not treated as an (almost) 50 year old female athlete. I am an athlete, period. I am not treated any differently because my goals are to just be healthier rather than be an elite competitive athlete – my training is given the same amount of attention as the elite athlete. The community in our little box is awesome. Every accomplishment is celebrated whether it is getting that all illusive pull-up or getting your first double under. And because each accomplishment is celebrated it encourages us, as members, to celebrate each other’s achievements. If there is something I can’t do yet, the coaches will figure out the steps I need to get me there. I never thought I would be able to do most of what we do; yet, it is the confidence of the coaches that gives me the courage to try and by trying I have surprised myself by succeeding.
After 5 years, I still love going to the gym and that is the first time in my life – ever – that I can claim that. My weight on the scale is higher than it was when I was at my heaviest going to Weight Watchers but I have gone from a size 10 to a size 4 and have done that without starving myself! I can deadlift over 200 pounds, I can do pull-ups, double unders, I can backsquat my bodyweight; I can run 5k without having to stop and walk – ok, so box jumps are never going to be my thing – we all have our goats! The bottom line is that I am in the best shape I have ever been in.
Most of you know that I am related to one of the owners ;), some may think that is why I workout here. The truth is that I work out here because I believe in the philosophy of Sublime, I love the members and the community but mostly I have faith in Brad, Brendan and Kyle that they truly have our best interests at heart.
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