What brought me to CrossFit was the desire to feel strong and in control. My back was constantly aching from neglect brought on by 3 pregnancies back to back and years of breastfeeding. My day-to-day life was hectic trying to keep up with the kiddos… I had tried another CrossFit gym close by a handful of times but didn’t quite feel at home there and wasn’t motivated to go.
Then I saw the “coming soon” sign at CrossFit Empower’s new location on Alma Street.  I was so excited at how close it was to home! It took me a few months to try CrossFit again and convince myself that I could take the time to slip away from my family. One evening, I decided to drop in for a class. I loved it but I felt so guilty about missing dinner time with my family. It took me another 3 weeks and many conversations with my partner to finally commit to exercising on a regular basis. When I started, it was for me, my physical well-being and my sanity. (To all the new moms out there, the guilt is strong and it will take time and hard work but you must learn to let that sh*t go!)
As the time passed and I started feeling more comfortable with the routine, my kids started noticing how happy it made me and that’s when my eldest decided to do KidFit. I was psyched that she wanted to join too!
My first impression…  I loved the people there and I was amazed and inspired by their abilities. Not so much those who could lift heavy but moms like me, whose kids are a little (or a lot) older than mine, had obviously been able to stick to the whole “working out” thing because they were strong and incredibly fit!
How was my impression changed? I love the people even more!
As I started bringing my kids to classes, Corey, Leon and everyone were so friendly, kind, caring, engaging and respectful. Being a military family and living in new places, without family near us, it’s such a comforting feeling to know that my kids are welcome and appreciated in this community.
My first bright spot was a common one: my first unassisted pull-up. I felt like there was something empowering about achieving that.
My most recent win/positive experience was being able to convince my husband to join me at the gym! I love spending time with him and sharing something that I’ve come to enjoy so much. It’s taken a couple months but he says he really enjoys it too! That is great news because it’ll give us a better chance of sticking with it once we move.
At the moment I’m working on being kind and patient with myself and I’m filled with gratitude that others at the gym remind me of that too. A year ago I got a taste of what it can feel like to be physically strong. I felt like I was finally starting to tap into my potential. But, after delivering our 4th child November 2019, as with the other postpartum periods I’ve experienced, I’m feeling tired and achy again. It’s a struggle to get to classes and at times I’m discouraged at the losses, even though I know they’re temporary. I want to thank  everyone for being supportive and encouraging. It’s been a real treat to be surrounded by this community. Thank you to  Shades for the pep talk, to Hard Rock for saying it to me straight, for Fe Prof for reminding me why I’m feeling this way and to the coaches for being patient with me while I whine and complain about my body “not working properly” for the time being.
My favorite memory so far… I really have so many but from a family perspective, it would have to be participating in the community WODs with my husband and then 2, 4 & 6 year olds. They made for super fun Saturday mornings!
With that said though, the cherry on the cake goes to participating in the Open along side my 7 year old daughter.
I’m grateful that my kids are as much a part of this community as I am and that they are growing up knowing that they are strong and that their strength is effectively limitless and timeless.