As a kid, since I learned to walk I was always running around, athletic and involved in sports. Right around my 30th birthday for some reason just I stopped being active. At that time I weighed about 170, worked out with SWAT officers and was in the best shape of my life. Fast forward to December 2010. I was weighing in at 236, it was hard to tie my shoes, I sweated just from going upstairs to my bedroom, I friggin waddled. In short, physically I just felt and looked horrible. I was wondering who that guy in the mirror was, because it … was .. not … me. My friend Jason Schuren was doing xfit at Bayou City Crossfit around that time and he looked fitter than I had ever seen him, and we’ve been friends for almost 25 years. Through BCC he had lost about 20 lbs., so I asked him about xfit and he said to do it, for sure. People say this all the time, but it really was one of the best decisions I ever made. Ten months into the program I’ve lost 35 pounds and people just keep telling me how good I’m looking. I’m going to see the south side of 200 again for the first time in over five years. My wife laughs at me because she can pants me with my jeans buttoned. I look forward to xfit every single session. No lie. The Bayou City Crossfit culture makes that easy. My coach and classmates are awesome. I still remember how self-conscious I was walking up for the first time, this fat P.O.S. wondering if xfit could really help. I’m a pretty shy dude at first. A big part of staying with it was the non-judgmental welcoming and acceptance of the coach and the class, and the continuing encouragement. Never underestimate how much that helps someone, never. They may not even visibly respond to it, but it sinks in deep and keeps you going. Kristian Montoya has been my coach since day one. I am sure all the coaches rock, but Kristian is a very high caliber instructor, and I never say things like that lightly. He pays attention, pushes, listens, recommends, encourages, works you to your ability (plus some) and he doesn’t give up on you. I think if I could give anyone any advice it would be to just get out there, get out of your envelope and try something new and meet some people. They’re all great people. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It’s going to hurt, but you won’t mind, not really. Also, always go, even if you’re injured. It keeps you in the game and the instructors can work around any injury you have. The only times I don’t go are when I’m bed ridden with some deathly illness, or if my family or friends really need me. If fear or “can’t” gets in your brain, go online and check out Team Hoyt. Those guys demonstrate how you can move mountains through sheer will (the mental battles are as hard or harder than the physical challenges). My favorite part though is my 2-year old Mari who likes to get down on the floor and roll with me on my foam roller as I work out the knots. No lie, it’s awesome. Thank you BCC, Vic, Kristian and my classmates, and always my wife for her support, thank you all so much. I can’t wait to hit 170 again.

Being an athlete my entire life and a gym rat in highschool, I thought I was “fit” already. I would run after every beach muscle session and eat the government’s recommended 11 servings of breads and grains a day.  That all changed when I began Crossfit.

I started Crossfit in September of 2009 because my baseball coach at the time, Charlie Johnson, wanted someone to go with him.  He told me that it was insane and said if it was as crazy as it sounded it would be a great way to get into better shape and take the “puff” off of me before going off to play college baseball.  When we first got to the box I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was nonstop.  I was used to lifting, take a ten minute break, lift some more, and then another break.  This was a whole new territory for me.  I immediately began getting intimidated, especially after seeing this huge dude with tattoos all over his back and shoulders working out, Charlie and I looked at each other all wide-eyed like what did we get into?  Then it was time for the workout.

That first workout was a “big jar of suck”.  After my first workout I realized this was better than any workout I had ever tried.  I continued Crossfit  for a couple more weeks until I fell victim to the temptations of the college-life.  While at college I went back to the classic globo gym ways of “back and biceps” and “chest and triceps” but it just never satisfied me enough.  After my freshman year, it was apparent that the freshman 15 was not a myth!  Then during the summer of 2010 Charlie started a Crossfit Hardball class and as soon as I heard about it I had to do it.  Within a week, I had way too much of the Crossfit kool-aid because I was hooked.  I was so hooked that I even asked for a job cleaning up the box just to be around it more and this is where Crossfit changed my life the most.

Now that I was at the box so much I became friends with all of Bayou City Crossfit’s awesome coaches.  Within weeks of me starting the cleaning job they had all taken me under their wing.  They went out of their way to teach me all they knew about the proper form for lifts, how to eat, and how to coach others in these ways.   This opened my eyes to the possibility of becoming a Crossfit coach in the future.

Around the same time I accepted the whole nine challenge from Charlie Johnson.  This challenge consists of eating no dairy, sugar, or starches for 30 days.  Let’s just say it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but because of the challenge my life has been changed forever!   I went from “puffy” to looking “fit” very quickly, lost about 15 pounds, and I now can say that I live a paleo lifestyle.  Well maybe not completely paleo, but about 95% of the time, I mean I am in college.

The summer of 2010 changed my life completely.  The help and support that I got from Vic, Charlie J, Charlie G, Shelby (Scooter), Katie, Kristian, Andrew, Vic Sr., Doug and many other people helped me become one of the strongest and the most fit players on the baseball team as a sophomore.  They also helped instill in me a healthy lifestyle that made me stay in shape throughout my second year of college and caused me to want to help others in their quest to become fit.  I took my Crossfit level 1 certification course in November 2010 and I am now the coach for the Crossfit Hardball class.  Bayou City Crossfit, You have changed my life. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

I am a professional hobbyist. I like to try new things, and go where the wind takes me.  When my Lady suggested I try Crossfit, I decided to give it a go.  I was already running half marathons and participating in endurance cycling events.  I was just looking for extra cross-training.  I wasn’t too sure how Crossfit worked, but Shelby said I could try a bootcamp class to see what it was all about.

When I arrived at the gym for the first time, it was intimidating to watch the previous class finish up their workout.  I saw people, in better shape than me, lifting huge weights and doing tons of pull-ups and pushups.  I was thinking that maybe I was in the wrong place.  I could run and cycle, but pushups and pull-ups I wasn’t so sure about.

The first day of Shelby’s bootcamp was definitely an intense workout.  I remember it involved a few rounds of box jumps and pushups.  It sounded easy enough, but I was wrong.  I did my box jumps like a champion, but then came the pushups.  I struggled through the first round of pushups and wasn’t able to complete the final rounds.  My arms had turned to rubber.  I knew I had given it my best shot and instead of feeling defeated, I was determined to improve.  I signed up to attend Shelby’s class three days a week and it was a great decision.

At first, I had to scale back the workouts and use smaller weights.  Within the first few weeks, I could already see improvements.  Eventually, I noticed the workouts got easier and easier.  Shelby also noticed and made me increase the weights and just pushed me harder.

Within the first three months, I was already seeing great results.  I lost about 12 pounds, my clothes were fitting better, and I was starting to see new muscles.   My food baby disappeared and my Lady started noticing and commenting on how I only had one remaining chin.  My cycling and running were also both improving.   Six months after starting Crossfit, I cut my half marathon time from 2h 04m to 1h 45m!

It is now nine months later and I am fitter, faster, and stronger.  I have lost over 35 pounds and feel great.  I look forward to going to bootcamp and really enjoy the classes.  Everyone is very supportive and  the coaches are fantastic.  They will get to know you and will even check up on you if you miss a class or two.  Anyone can do these exercises or a variation of them.  Every coach takes the time to modify the workout to meet everyone’s different needs. The vigorous cross training has been great for my overall fitness and fits well with my needs as a runner and an avid cyclist.

A series of health issues (irregular heart beat and potential thyroid issues) had me seeking the assistance of medical professionals.  One of these medical professionals seriously opened my eyes when she said, “If you continue to live your life life in the manner in which you’re currently living it, you will not live a very long and healthy life.  You’re overweight, you’re a smoker, and you’re cholesterol and glucose levels are well out of the normal range.”  While I was well aware of some of these things (the weight and the smoking) I never had anyone sum up my health in such a blunt and matter of fact manner.  This doctor wrote me a prescription for cholesterol medication, told me to change my diet, and suggested I make a follow up appointment with her in the near future.  When I left her office I felt as if I had been hit with a 2 x 4.  I was hell bent on not taking the medication she prescribed so I knew I had to get busy with some serious lifestyle changes.  First and foremost, I had to set goals.  These were my goals:

1.     Lose Weight

2.     Change My Diet

3.     Exercise

4.     Quit Smoking

5.     Be Medication Free

The very next week, I decided to tackle goals number one, two, and three.  I joined a gym and changed my eating habits.  Nine months later, with diet and exercise I lost 50 pounds.  After these goals were accomplished, I realized that goals one through three were almost pointless if I didn’t quit smoking.  That’s right; I exercised and changed my diet, and STILL smoked.  I knew there was no easy way to quit and medication was just not an option for me so, I made the decision to put them down.  In moving forward with goal number four, I did just that, I put the cigarettes down.  It’s been over a year now since I quit smoking.

I went back to my doctor with my before and after picture and gave her an update on my progress.  She was extremely impressed with my progress.  She did a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and told me that some of my blood levels were still not where they should be.  This was highly disappointing considering all of the hard work and determination I had dedicated to making changes in my life.  She again suggested I take medication.  I asked her if there was something else I could do instead of taking the medication.  She said I could increase my exercise and make a few more changes to my diet.  The suggestion about the increase in exercise was NOT something I wanted to hear and certainly not something I wanted to do.  However, what it really meant was my current exercise program was just not quite cutting it.  Although it was not something I was thrilled about, I was going to have to make a change to my current exercise program in order to accomplish my very last goal of being medication free.

Shelby Frakes had talked to me a few times about trying out her boot camp at Bayou City Crossfit so; I decided to take her up on the offer.  My first “try out” session with Shelby took all of about eight minutes and completely kicked my butt.  She said she had “taken it easy on me” because she wanted me to come back.  That statement alone gave me a reason to be apprehensive about what was in store for me.  Regardless of the painful aftermath of Shelby’s “try out” session, I purposed that I would go through the boot camp for at least three months.  Shelby tweaked my diet and kicked my butt in every single boot camp session three days a week.  I continued with her program for a total of six months before I made a follow up appointment with my doctors.  Collectively, I received REALLY great news.  The news was that my heart was now beating like a finely tuned watch with no skipped beats at all, and my blood levels were well within the normal ranges.

I’d like to say thank you to Shelby for pushing me, encouraging me, and helping me to achieve my fifth and final goal of being medication free.  I still can’t believe I pay someone to inflict pain upon my body on a regular basis but it has certainly made an enormous impact on my health and is completely necessary for me to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Because of Shelby and Bayou City Crossfit, I have increased energy, endurance, strength, agility, flexibility, and a much better immune system.

Playing sports all my life, division I softball in college and eventually running marathons, I always considered myself a healthy person.  I was never the type of person to lift weights or eat any strict diet, but would definitely think of myself as someone who was in great shape.  I soon realized after beginning Crossfit, I didn’t have a clue what being in “great shape” was like, but Katie would soon show me.

I reluctantly joined Crossfit after a bit of encouragement from my friend Rhonda.  I had really begun to plateau with my distance run training and looking for new ways to train my body and become a better runner.  I heard Rhonda enthusiastically talk about this “Crossfit thing” and began to ask questions.  Upon hearing the workouts (which would soon be affectionately referred to as W.O.D.S.) my initial ideas of Crossfit were laced with a bunch of buff guys and girls running around grunting and yelling, throwing up unrealistic weights in nonfunctional ways. I just knew it wasn’t going to be for me.  I hated gyms (still do) and couldn’t imagine liking something like that, but I decided to check it out anyway.

My first session w/ Katie was… well… unexpected.  Despite the session merely being introductory, my ass was officially “kicked”.  (The actual workout was only 12 minutes.)  I could run 20 miles and never feel nauseous, but 12 minutes and I was trying my best not to throw up all over my coach.   My initial impressions about Crossfit were completely wrong.  The Box felt nothing like a gym, and instead of the egotistical meatheads I thought I would encounter I found an incredibly fit group of men and women, not only dedicated to furthering their fitness, but helping me (and others) achieve my fitness goals as well.  Don’t get me wrong, competition is the name of the game, but from when the first person yells “time”, till the last person drops their weights, everyone is yelling and encouraging them to complete the W.O.D.  Within 2-3 weeks I felt the community aspect of Crossfit that my friend Rhonda raved about constantly.  Crossfit completely changed my mind not only about weight lifting, but about my own body.  I always thought lifting weighs was not something girls needed to do, it was also something I didn’t think I could be good at doing.I will admit Katie often has to encourage me to try heavy weights and push harder, but I know she only does that because she knows I can do it.

Upon joining Crossfit, I have lost 10 lbs, increased my strength exponentially (@ least 25lbs on all lifts), decreased my marathon pace (8:50min/mile) and generally become a healthier person.  I not only feel stronger on the outside, but Crossfit has made me a stronger person inside as well and everyday that I push myself further than the day before I am reminded of that.  I recently completed the Chicago Marathon in less than 4 hours, and felt better than I ever had when I crossed the finished line. I don’t think anyone finishes a marathon feeling great, but a runner can definitely tell the difference between feeling broken and feeling strong. My legs, back and shoulders felt strong, this is the first marathon I didn’t feel broken.  I owe that new found strength to Crossfit.  Crossfit has made a huge difference in my running and my life, in a way I could have never predicated.   I can’t thank everyone @ Bayou City Crossfit enough for what you have done for me.  Although I am moving and Crossfit Central will be my new community, Bayou City will always be my home and Katie will always be my coach!!!   I love you guys and will miss everyone!!! 4:00 O’clock!!!!

Andrew Oliver: “Anything is possible”

This is my story about setting goals and achieving them. Everybody’s goals are different but mine was to ultimately do the Ironman triathlon.

I got into triathlon a couple of years ago (about the same time as I got into Crossfit) and  right after my first sprint race in August 2008 I  got fascinated by the Ironman Distance: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. One after the other in under 17 hours. Madness.

This fascination really kicked up a notch after moving to Houston. My starting point – Feb 2009, the Houston Rodeo Run and my first 10km “race”. It took me an hour which is not quick at all and I was a broken man afterwards!

I had already started at Bayou City Crossfit and it was there that I started to notice the difference that focus and dedication made to people’s performance. The Spring Challenge in March 2009 was a real eye opener to see what can be achieved by ordinary people when you set your mind to it.

The next stage on my journey was the ¼ Ironman distance triathlon in Galveston, April 2009. My Crossfit training as well as my triathlon training was starting to really improve my fitness and I started to believe that I could be capable of the longer distances. So rather than think about it too much and risk changing my mind I went for it – and signed up for the New Zealand Ironman (March 2010).

Then I was looking for my next goal for 2009 – and found it. The Half Ironman triathlon. July, Buffalo Springs Lake, Lubbock, Texas. 70.3 miles. Despite the rain, the wind, the hills and having to run my first ever half marathon I did it. Goal achieved and one more step closer to the big one.

I did one more Half Ironman in Austin in October and then set about some long winter training hours. I kept up my Crossfit training as much as possible, using the WOD’s as my strength workouts to supplement my endurance training. The high intensity, quick recovery WOD’s really helped my endurance – as long as I could still walk the next day! The mental game you have to play against yourself at CF was also great preparation for the long hours of training I was doing outside on the road.

The next thing I know Christmas has been and gone. 2010 is here, it’s race day and I’m up to my neck in New Zealand lake water at 7am with 1200 other people. To say I was nervous doesn’t even come close. A million things go through your head, first “How did I end up here?” then “What am I thinking?” then “No seriously how did I get myself into this?”

The adrenaline is pumping but before I can think much else a cannon goes off and 1200 stationary swim caps turn into 4800 flailing arms and legs. I get kicked in the face, a stray elbow hits me in the ribs. It’s every man and woman for themselves. I manage to find some clear water and get my rhythm. All the time in my head “Can I do this? Can I actually do this?”

I swallowed a lot of lake water on that swim but finished feeling good. Then I was onto the bike. A bit too much hype and adrenaline coming out of T1 (Transition 1 – swim to bike) meant that I overcooked it on the 1st loop of the 2 loop bike course. A nasty crosswind on the 2nd loop coupled with my fatigue made things pretty unpleasant for the last 10-15 miles. By the time I reached T2 (Transition 2 – bike to run) I was so sick of my bike I would have run back to Texas if they’d asked me to. My legs felt surprisingly good though and I set about finding a rhythm for the next few hours on the 2 loop run course.

This is where my support crew really did their thing. Having people up close and cheering you on is priceless. Never underestimate how much difference it makes every time you encourage someone, at the box or when you are spectating at a race. My support crew made all the difference for me on my Ironman run. More than any energy gel, cup of gatorade or tasty paleo snack !

Most of the run course is a blur for me when I think back – except for the last few miles – the point in the race when you know you’re actually going to finish. You know you’re going to achieve that long awaited goal. I remember thinking about  every early morning at the pool before work, every lonely hour training on my bike in the cold, every lap of Memorial Park I ran (and believe me there were plenty of those), sore feet, ice baths, shin splints, Airrosti, bleeding toes, more ice baths, all those beers I’d said “No” to. It’s all there at the end with you as you come round the last few corners… and then what a rush to finally come down the finish chute, to see the finish line, to hear your supporters and hear the man call out your name… “Andrew Oliver. YOU are an Ironman”.

Ironman was my goal and I went from a 60 minute 10km to an 11:46:34 Ironman in 53 weeks. Anything really is possible. What’s your goal?

Spencer Chase: “You will get huge results doing CrossFit and eating healthy”

Matt Steinheider “Everyone in class expects me to do my best and push myself”

Matthew Smolen: “CrossFit has changed my life.”

Seven months ago I was a 41 year old accountant who had moved to Houston 2 years prior. I had never been in great shape, but had always participated in multiple team activities each week, consisting primarily of softball and volleyball. I had joined various gyms religiously for 10 out of the previous 20 years on January 1^st and religiously stopped going by the end of February. My general level of activity however kept me pretty healthy, although I ate a diet that did not help me in the least.

Upon my arrival in Houston, work responsibilities coupled with a lack of affiliations with any sporting groups effectively eliminated any exercise from my life for 2 years. I have always had high cholesterol levels, but they were mitigated by very high HDL cholesterol, keeping my risk factor low. My blood pressure was constantly in the “normal” range. That had changed.

By December of 2008, I weighed nearly 170 lbs, quite a lot for a traditionally skinny guy topping out at 5’7”. My cholesterol was just as high, but my HDL levels had plummeted, putting me in the “at risk” category. I was nearly booted from a dentist’s chair because my blood pressure was too high. Only after I explained that I had consumed too much coffee (a fabrication), forgetting about the appointment, did they continue. Worse still, I felt like crap, every day, for a very long time.

Something had to change.

I bought a mountain bike and began riding. I started to eat better, however my idea of better has subsequently been debunked. I wasn’t feeling it! I got that feeling I get about 2 weeks before I stop going to the gym. My weight had come down to un-embarrassing levels but I could feel my motivation slipping away. While discussing exercise routines with a work-mate of mine, another guy overheard our conversation and forwarded Bayou City CrossFit’s web address. I looked at it off and on for a week or two and finally emailed Vic. My chief concern, and I’m not kidding, was “will this kill me”? Vic said no, but I was convinced he did not know who he was dealing with.

In late March I showed up on a Saturday for the open workout. I can’t remember the workout, but it was 4 rounds. I tapped out after 2! I sat and heaved for 30 minutes after the workout and still needed to pull over at the Wendy’s on Sheppard because I was dizzy.

Something had to change.

By the grace of God, this motivated me…somehow. If I could feel this bad after half a workout that most people were finishing in 15 minutes, I wasn’t going to see 60 years. I went to my two intro classes and started a 2 day a week program. For 2 months I would dread going to the morning classes. I would lay in bed an hour before I had to get up to make the class and ruminate in sheer terror at the prospect of doing another WOD. I rarely finished WODS in the early months, but I was getting closer.

Sometime around June, I was finishing all the WODS and had begun attending 5 times a week. I didn’t lie in bed dreading the WODS, I was jumping out of bed and scurrying to them. Shortly thereafter came the unassisted kipping pull ups. Just when I was starting to feel good about myself, it was time to “man up” and scale my weights up. The times are still slow, but the strength is increasing beyond my wildest expectations.

Today, I am at requisite weight about half the time, and inching closer on the lifts that I am not quite there yet. I have never felt better.

The learning and improvement never stops, nor should it. I can get stronger, I can get faster, I can get mentally tougher, I can breathe better, I can learn muscle ups and I can learn ring dips. Unlike 6 months ago, it’s now simply a matter of when, not if.

CrossFit isn’t just exercise! CrossFit is diet! CrossFit is sleep! CrossFit is mental toughness! Certainly not least, CrossFit is community! I’ve never before felt more motivated by my peers than I do here at Bayou City. Furthermore, I’m learning that the CrossFit community extends well beyond our Box. FGBIV and Oktoberfest Obliteration screamed with brother/sisterhood. When I visit Dallas, I go to an affiliate there. I feel the same sense of community.

For the record, I’m now less than 150 lbs, HDL levels are back to normal and blood pressure has been consistently good. With the exception of the “good” pain that I have felt continuously since roughly the day I met Vic, I feel like I did 10 years ago. Thank you Vic, David, Charlie, Vic Sr., Katie and Doug. Your coaching and encouragement are the reason I made it this far. Thanks to all the athletes at Bayou City. If I felt embarrassed about my abilities early on, who knows if I would have stuck with it. I appreciate you all.

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.