Crossfit Success – Jane’s Story

When did you join FitCity Crossfit?

I started crossfit in Oct of 2012. My son Zachary encouraged and invited me to try it out. The day I walked into the first class, I had never even heard of CrossFit. I didn’t know enough to be scared! I honestly don’t remember my first WOD, aka workout of the day. (I hardly remember the WOD from this morning!) However, I do recall that the last part was rowing. I had never been on a rower in my life… but I started rowing.

Crossfit pushes and challenges FitCity memberEveryone in my class finished before me but they were all standing near the rower­ once in a while encouraging me. I looked up and said “You guys can go” and someone said “No, nobody gets left behind”. I have been going to gyms for years­ but there has never been anyone who cared if I finished a work out or if I even showed up at all! That amazed me about this new group of people who I had just met an hour earlier. The CrossFit community is the magic that makes it work.

As soon as I heard Sarah and Javi were opening a box, I decided to join FitCity. I used to sometimes attend Sarah’s classes and liked how she pushed me. She set the standards high, expected I would do the work and then encouraged me to try.

When I joined FitCity, my goals were to increase my overall fitness­ strength, flexibility and overall health. I want to be the grandma that takes the grandkids camping and biking and canoeing and hiking….. As I age, being fit becomes a bit more of a challenge… and as a female of a certain age­ the struggle is real! I know that exercise, and specifically CrossFit has helped me tremendously. Many women I know at my particular age, gain weight, start taking medications with unintended consequences and struggle with their emotions. Exercise certainly helps with weight, fitness and emotional well­being. Crossfit is exercise with the added benefits of community and fun­­­it is the anti­ pharma. Since starting, I have lost weight (25­-30 pounds depending on the day). I had never lifted a weight in my life­ and learning how to lift weights has helped me to feel much stronger and more confident. FitCity CrossFit has helped me to be mentally ready for challenges in my work. Finishing a WOD, lifting a heavier weight, and doing something I have never done before (standing on my head, wall walking, pulling a weighted sled, etc.) all give me confidence that spills over into my role at work. The strategies that are embedded in every WOD of accepting everyone where they are, encouraging one another and maintaining the expectation that we will get to the finish line are excellent strategies that I strive to use at work.

I am proud of every “first” thing that I have done….because I tried something new. Here is my advice to someone new who might be considering personal training or classes. Just try…it doesn’t get easier but you feel more comfortable. And you get better at everything – but it takes time. One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Your favorite FitCity Crossfit moment

There are too many….but two that come to mind are in my 6:30 am class… Javi playing Rocky theme song while we were all trying to squat heavy weights. Then we were all cheering for Wojo squatting some ridiculous weight… singing “Eye of the Tiger.” Another really funny morning was when Tom was trying to read Javi’s writing on the whiteboard and said “If God is fat” ??? Written on the board was “if goal is fat burning….” and then we spent most of the morning figuring out what would happen if God is fat…I think you had to be there but those are just two examples of us having fun in between working out hard. Oh, and watching people come in for the first time and experience a WOD is fantastic.

Tell us something we don’t know about you

I just started taking golf lessons… (maybe inspired by my Top Golf experience with FitCity?)

Want to be pushed and challenged by a positive and motivating community? Come try one of our classes. Call us today at 813-966-0930!