Left Picture: 2009 @ an unhealthy 220 lbs Right Picture: 2018 @ a healthy 185 lbs
Crossfit has been life-changing for me. It’s taken some self pep talk to get the courage to post my story, but my hopes are it can help someone out there. I’m going to start with some important takeaways and then feel free to check out my story below.
I have realized a many important things throughout this journey, but here are the top 10:
1. Consistency is key! Find a routine that works and stick with it.
2. You have to find the correct mindset. If you aren’t doing it for yourself, then it’s not going to be sustainable.
3. There is no easy fix! It will take time, but chances are you’ve wasted a ton of time trying all the “quick and easy” fixes that never work.
4. I hate spending money…like HATE it, but I have realized that the best investment you can make is in yourself. YOU are worth it and you should treat yourself accordingly.
5. In Crossfit, you spend 1 hour in the gym and 23 hours outside of the gym. Those other 23 hours matter. Don’t treat gym as a reward system! It can’t be “I went to the gym today, so now I get to eat cheesecake.”
6. You will see results just by going consistently to the gym, but if you pair consistency in the gym with consistency in your nutrition, the results will blow you away.
7. Goal setting truly helps, but the goals have to be SMART goals. Set a few long-term goals, and then set weekly or even daily goals to help you attain those long term goals. Helps with accountability!!!
8. Don’t cherry pick. Hate running…I did and now I still hate it, but I’m definitely better at it. Show up on the days when you hate the workouts and watch your weakness turn into strengths.
9. Share your journey with someone! It is much more fun when you get to share your excitement about a new PR or share the soreness from the previous day’s workout.
10. Smile and celebrate the little victories.Everyone deserves happiness and it starts from within. Be proud that you are taking steps to lead a heal
”How Crossfit Changed My Life…And The Death of Taco Bell”
Crossfit changed my life…..sounds cliché, I know I know, but there is no telling where I would be if I hadn’t had found this whirlwind of a lifestyle. I grew up a year-round athlete, eating what I wanted and never gaining a pound (even when I was trying to). After my freshman year of college, sports were out of my life full time and all the focus went into being a full-time student and working 40 hours a week to pay my bills. In my mind, I would still be able to maintain my physique, because “hey, I’m an athlete.” It wasn’t long until half price meals at the Mexican restaurant I worked at and lack of physical exercise caught up to me. I gained the freshman 15, nearly three times. I jumped from 175 to a whooping 220 at my biggest. At this point in my life, I hated pictures of myself and struggled with the fact that I didn’t look like I previously had. I went through tons of what I thought were easy fixes, weight loss pills, pre-made frozen meals, fad diets (like all of them) nothing worked. I knew fitness was important, but the accountability just wasn’t there. I’d pay for a gym membership and go to the typical globo gym, always paranoid of people judging. I would find a spot without many people and do my thing, but I never seemed to get a quality workout in. I’d go for a week, then “get busy” for three weeks, then start the cycle over. It was vicious! In 2010, I stumbled across Crossfit while looking for yet another quick fix online. The free daily workouts, the daily leaderboard, encouraging people in the comments feed….this was something I could get on board with. I hoped this was the competitive outlet I was missing in my life since sports. I started off doing just the workouts I could do with my limited equipment, but after a few weeks I was hooked. It was easily the most consistent and committed I had been to fitness in my adult life. It definitely wasn’t the instant fix I was looking for, but it was sustainable, AND I actually enjoyed it. I looked forward to the anticipation of getting to see what workout would pop off for the following day. It wasn’t the boring go to the gym, do 5 sets of 5 bench press, sit around for twenty minutes watching people, do some squats, then jump on a treadmill for 10 minutes until I was bored and then go home (probably grabbing some crap food, like Taco Bell on the way home….because, “I deserved it for going to the gym”). Crossfit was a something I actually looked forward to doing every day. After a couple of years of doing the main site workouts on my own, I knew I needed more. My wife and mom talked me into trying out a local box with them. I was terrified. In my head, I knew it was going to be the same feeling, people staring at me and judging me because I wasn’t doing something correct or because I was doing less weight than them. I can remember walking in that first morning and instantly realizing that this was not what I expected. Everyone was supportive and I can remember them cheering me on as I was the last one to finish the workout. Humbling. Fast forward a year and a half and I was the newest coach at Shotgun Crossfit. I was so thankful and blessed to get the opportunity to help people change their lives. Two years later, and I am a proud owner of my own Crossfit affiliate. Closing in on ten years of Crossfit and I still get the same butterflies before workouts. I love the community and family feel of the Crossfit box. I’m getting older each year, but feeling healthier and stronger as life goes on. I am truly blessed to be getting to share this journey with my friends and family here at BattleWolf Crossfit. Here’s to many more years of health and happiness!
