Shelby Frakes
Shelby Frakes: “One of the best decisions of my life.”
“CrossFit has changed my life.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this statement and each time it is powerful, personal, and motivating. I can honestly say I can join the ranks of people who have had life-changing experiences due to CrossFit. I joined Bayou City CrossFit in March of this year; I maintain that this has been one of the best decisions of my life.
Like most people I have been involved in sports of some kind through high school and college and, like most people, my involvement in physical activity waned as each year went by. In 2005 I moved back to Houston and began the process of rebuilding my life after a series of events that can be described as “less than fun” in College Station. I was picking up the pieces of my life and fitness and health were not a top priority.
I started working in the restaurant industry in Kemah and quickly adapted to the “industry lifestyle.” This consisted of working 17 hour days in the heat, getting off work and heading straight to the local bar. Fatty, fried foods were the norm and served with as much alcohol as you could manage in the two hours prior to last call. I would like to say this was just a weekend ritual but in the industry this is actually a 5-6 times a week habit, although it was not out of the norm to drink 7 days a week. I was a heavy smoker. I would smoke a pack a day… if I was not drinking. In all reality, even though I did not want to admit it, I was smoking up to 2 packs a day.
This lifestyle went on for a couple of years, working hard and playing even harder. Nutrition didn’t matter to me, I was lucky if I would eat one full meal a day. Exercise? Well I walked for a living and carried trays that were 60 pounds, so why did I need to exercise? I was the heaviest I had ever been. I was lethargic and unhappy. I was miserable and tired of the way things were going for me, but lacked the motivation and energy to change my life. When I started bartending in a local bar it went downhill fast. Now along with unhealthy eating habits, smoking and drinking, I was no longer getting a full nights sleep. I would work until 3 AM and then hang out at the “after party” until 7 AM. I was sleeping until 3 PM and back at work by 4 to do it all over again.
Something had to change.
I quit the bar business, got back in school, and started working towards a goal of getting out of the restaurant industry. I knew I was heading down a path that was unhealthy. Thirty was only a year and a half away and I knew I wanted to be a healthy, fit person that would enjoy life, not waste it away in a bar.
During this time, my sister Whitney had joined CrossFit Central in Austin, TX. It was ALL she would talk about. I thought she was crazy. But 4 months later she came home and there was a big difference in her weight and size. And she was stronger than me. This was a first for me; I’ve always been stronger than her. I decided to try a local boot camp not affiliated with CrossFit. The coach was great but I quickly realized that this format was not for me. I was watching the clock for the full hour that we worked out, counting down, and not enjoying it. I also never saw the results I was looking for: weight loss and strength gains.
The moment it all started to change.
I was exiled to Austin when Ike came through Houston where I aggravated my sister by cleaning and reorganizing her house. She came home and told me to come try something with her. She took me to my first CrossFit class. WOW! That was the hardest 15 minutes of my life. And that was just the warm up! I wasn’t able to complete the WOD that day and thought I was going to throw up for 20 minutes after class. But my energy was up, I felt good, and I had not looked at the clock once during the hour.
6 months later I finally found the courage to find a box in Houston. I had changed jobs and was now sitting in front of a computer and my physical activity went from moderate to non-existent. Poor nutrition, smoking, and drinking were still the norm. Clearly, this was not going to work.
I emailed Vic at Bayou City CrossFit and set up my intro class with David. Tabata pushups and squats were the name of the game; 8 minutes later I was no longer able to feel my body. Round 2 with David consisted of oly lifts I’d never even heard of.
Within a month of consistently working out I saw a difference in my attitude and energy levels. Smoking went from a pack a day to maybe 4 cigarettes a day. I went to New York and had energy to spare even after walking close to 80 miles the first day.
6 weeks later we did a particularly long WOD that included quite a bit of running. That night I got home and threw out that pack of cigarettes I had been hiding in my car and have not picked one up since. I wanted to be healthier. I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to be able to run 400 meters without stopping. I wanted to be alive in ten years and really be living, not just surviving. I had found something that I knew would get me there.
Since joining Bayou City CrossFit
Since joining Bayou City CrossFit, I have seen amazing results. I started coming because I wanted to lose weight and maybe get a little stronger. It’s remarkable how your goals can change from wanting to “just lose a few pounds” to “I am going to be healthy and FIT.”
Here are some of the changes that have taken place in 2009:
- Lost 35 pounds in 8 months
- Lost 4 pants sizes
- I don’t have all the inches I’ve lost, but have lost several and 6 inches in my midsection alone
- March 2009: could barely do a thruster with a 45# bar. November 2009: completed multiple 95# thrusters!
- Conquered the kipping pull up
- Running a 5k without stopping
- My lifestyle has made a complete 180. I no longer smoke. I don’t drink and go out every night of the week.
- I eat (at least) six times a day, Zone/Paleo
- I am happy! I can breathe! I am healthy!
I have found something that is much better for me and I am dedicated to being healthy and fit. I am not only going to live to see my forties but I am going to kick ass doing it. My goals have changed, my life direction has changed. I am going to continue on this journey of staying healthy and fit; and I’m bringing everyone I can with me!
I drank the Kool-Aid…and let me tell you it tasted FANTASTIC.
