Success Stories

Bradi Redmon

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!

 

 

Kerrie Steger

 

My journey with CrossFit started last May when I began working out with Leah in a community boot camp.  Too put it bluntly, she kicked my butt!  I was super down on myself because I had been an athlete my entire life, but had let myself go after the birth of my 2 kids (who are now 7 and 5).  I was determined to get back in shape and had seen amazing results on my husband who had started a year prior.  It did not take me long to buy into the CrossFit mentality of working out, but the paleo mentality did not come as easily.  When Leah first told me about it I thought she was crazy!  Then when she told me about THE WHOLE 30, I thought she had completely lost her mind!  I knew there was no way in this world I would ever live without dairy, diet coke, or wine!  To even suggest I try such a thing was insane! 

I continued to work out with the boot camp through the next October, and I actually progressed very quickly.  However, in late October Leah decided to stop the boot camp, since attendance had dwindled, and informed me I would have to start working out at THE BOX.  I was extremely nervous and intimidated by the thought of actually GOING to CrossFit.  I had become comfortable (mistake number 1) in my workout routine.  However, once I had completed my first workout at CROSSFIT KATY, I was hooked and drawn in by one of the most positive groups of people I had ever met!  Everyone was so nice and supportive of one another, no matter what level (and I was once again at the bottom).  It was when I finally made it to the box that I realized how far behind I actually was.  It was not my workouts holding me back, it was my diet!  So, in November, I gave in and began experimenting with the paleo lifestyle.  It took a few months for me to figure out, but by January, I was seeing a difference in my body and my workouts.  Then a few months later, I again felt like I hit a wall.  I wanted to be stronger, faster, better!  I knew I had to tighten up my eating.  At this point I was 90% Paleo.  I would cheat, mostly on Sat., but also a little here and there during the week (a bite of cake here, a soda there).  So by late April I was ready to give this WHOLE 30 thing a try.  I had seen several others at the gym do it, and the results were remarkable!

I began my Whole 30 on April 25^th, the Monday after Easter.  The first few days were not all that tough, but the first weekend was HARD!  I was used to cheating on Saturday and for the first time I had to be accountable 7 days a week……and for 30 days!  I would say day 5, 6, and 7 were the worst.  I felt like I had so far to go and I did get discouraged.  And then, I started to see a difference in my workouts.  I was lifting a lot more weight!  Not just 5 pounds more, but 10, 15, even 20 pounds more on some lifts!  How in the word did I get stronger this fast??  It was amazing how much energy I had and how good I felt at the gym.  No longer did I look at a workout and groan “You want me to do what?”  I started looking at other people’s times on the board and setting a goal for myself.  99% of the time, I achieved my goal.  I am still amazed at how quickly I saw a difference in my workouts.  I was all of a sudden able to compete with people who usually beat me by MINUTES!!!

My Whole 30 ended on May 24^th.  I was so excited to weigh myself, because I knew there had to be a change.  I was wearing pants I had not put on since before my first child!!!  So, that morning I got on the scale and I had lost 5 pounds.  5 pounds does not seem like much, but I went down 2 pants sizes!!  2 whole sizes!!!  I would have thought I had to lose 20-30 pounds to do that!!!  I went back and looked at my workout journal, and in the last 30 days I PR’d every single lift!  Wow, now I was seeing what this program had done for me!  I am not worried about what I weigh, because I no longer look like I weigh anything close to it!  Most people have guessed I have lost 10-15 pounds at least!!

I thank Neal and Leah for introducing me to this lifestyle, and for helping me find the athlete that was buried underneath!  The Whole 30 allowed me to break through so many barriers, mentally and physically!  Most importantly, I will never say I can’t do something ever again………………because I know I CAN!!!

Jeanne Hall

I had never heard of Crossfit, until my friend Karen told me about it; she gently nudged me for over a year, but it wasn’t until I mentioned to my children that I was thinking about checking it out, and saw their chuckling reaction to the idea, that I took the next step.  At that point, I went back to her and asked her why I should give it a try; she told me that she had tried numerous exercise programs, but this was the only one that she had stayed committed to for so long.  Part of what motivated me to do it was that I want to live long enough to see my great-grandchildren, something my mother was unable to do.  I can only imagine what went through Neal’s mind the day I walked in, but I have to give him (and all of my wonderful “Crossfit Buddies and Instructors”) credit for being so supportive; Neal has been so patient in teaching me the right way to get fit.  I already feel so much better (physically and mentally) ; it’s been a wonderful experience and the kids are amazed that I’ve done it!

Here's a few pics of Jeanne to show how much amazing progress she's made! The first pic is from March 2006, and the next two are from September 2010! Jeanne, you are a rockstar and an inspiration to all of us!