When I was 8 months pregnant with my first child, I found out I had a genetic heart condition that has been known to cause fainting and even death in athletes during sporting activities. Even though I had played sports all my life, I was paralyzed with the fear that if I exercised, I would leave my new baby boy without a mom. So I did absolutely nothing athletic for the next two years.
During the summer of 2009, my husband started CrossFitting and loved it. He was so excited each time he set a new PR or completed a really tough workout. He even lost 55 pounds in 5 months! I was pregnant again with our second child, but I thought I might want to give CrossFit a try after our baby was born.
The following summer, I had a 4 month old and 60 extra pounds from the pregnancy when my friend Brittani told me about a CrossFit boot camp that Leah was holding in our neighborhood. I called Leah the next day and talked to her about it. She probably thought I was a paranoid freak after telling her all about the heart condition and basically asking her if I would survive her boot camp. I went the next day to my first class, and although it had nothing to do with my heart, I thought I there was no way I would live through the hour-long workout. I couldn’t believe how out of shape I was when people 10-20 years older than me were finishing faster than me while lifting much heavier weights! I was so sore after that first week that I wasn’t sure how I would lift my new baby!
I worked out with Leah, Teresa, and the awesome boot camp ladies throughout the summer. Eventually at the end of August, I tried out the gym and joined CrossFit Katy. Everyone at the gym was so welcoming and so helpful even though I know I must have appeared hopeless! It was so encouraging to have people celebrating with you each time you lifted a heavier weight or finished a workout faster than you had the last time you did it. I loved being there to see people achieve goals that they had been working toward for months. The positive attitudes and ongoing support were so refreshing!
Now I’ve been at the gym for almost a year, and I can safely say that not only have I changed physically by losing all the baby weight (yes!!), but mentally I’m a different person. The heart condition, which doctors now think I may not even have, rarely crosses my mind anymore. I accomplished so many things in the past year that I NEVER thought I could do. In January, I ran my first half marathon even though I highly dislike running. I competed in MetroDash and a team CrossFit competition. Just recently, my husband and I finished our first Whole 30, and in all honesty, that may have been a bigger accomplishment for us than even the half marathon! We have drastically changed our eating habits to eating mostly Paleo (this also means I’m doing a lot less baking and a lot more cooking!). My mindset of thinking things are too hard for me has totally changed. If there is something I want to do, I make it a goal to do it. There are still a lot of skills and lifts that I want to be better at, but I’m determined to keep working at them until little by little I’m able to do even more.
Just a few weeks ago, I asked my husband, “Can you believe how different our lives are now than they were a year ago because of CrossFit?”. I am now a total CF addict, and I can’t imagine my life without CrossFit Katy. I know that the support of my CFK friends and trainers is what kept me coming back day after day even during times when I was sore and exhausted! I’m so thankful that I chose to push through my fears and give it a try. It’s so easy to come up with reasons not to try something new and challenging, but if you never push yourself, how will you ever know what you’re able to accomplish? I know if I can do it as an out-of-shape mom of a newborn running on only a couple of hours of sleep at night, anyone can do it!
Thank you Brittani for encouraging me to get started, and Leah for ignoring me when I tried to convince you that my abs didn’t work after having a baby! You guys were the very start of this life changing journey, and I can’t thank you enough! Neal, Lezlie, Adam, Chad, and Mike, thanks for being patient and encouraging and always pushing me to be better!