Since childhood I have always had a love for art and sports.
Throughout school art and sports were the only subjects that held my attention, but instead of going to college right after high school and pursuing art, I joined the Army.
Now I played a ton of sports up until that point but it was during bootcamp where I was first introduced to regimented running and calisthenics. Through eye-squinting heat waves in the day, blistering cold brisk air at night, or even (my favorite) spa days full of rain and slick mud. I pushed myself and loved minute of the physical challenges. All of this led to my search for more.
At first I would just go to the gym and walk from machine to machine, thinking that I was doing something effective. Boy was I clueless. Still, I enjoyed putting in the time and I felt good doing it. Then in 2008, I was introduced to this thing called CrossFit. “Whoa bro, WTF just happened?” T-Rex arms (a guaranteed side effect of your first week doing CrossFit) and all after my first WOD (workout of the day), I couldn’t resist coming back. There was something about the extreme physical exertion and shared pain with those around me, that made it worthwhile. In fact it made it great. As with many newbie CrossFitters who have no real weight training experience, you don’t question anything.
 |
| Fight Gone Bad... or well...? |
You just do. And "do", I did well. I even went through the CF Level 1 certification and started preaching CrossFit to whoever would listen. I wholeheartedly enjoyed doing it, and showing others how to use it to achieve their own fitness goals. I helped numerous soldiers succeed in the battle against obesity. This allowed them to return back to the workforce and become an effective part of the military again. The camaraderie that was built between each client and I is something that I hold dear to my heart till this day.
As my journey through fitness continued I wanted to try new things. Not that CrossFit didn’t change everyday but I wanted to see if I would enjoy something else. I tried bodybuilding and competed in my first figure competition in October 2010. For my contest prep I hired a trainer and it was during that time that my eyes were open to the intricacies of what it truly meant to be a bodybuilder. The amount of time someone puts into working towards a competition is ridiculous and I admire all those who compete regularly.
Lastly, for now, I tried powerlifting. Where have you been all my life? First off if you know me then you know that I love to lift heavy things and put them down. Lift, down, repeat. So it didn’t surprise me that I fell in love with the sport. I competed in my first competition in December 2014 in Pennsylvania and walked away with a state record! Woot Woot! The reason I haven’t competed again since then is because I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time! Yea pretty nuts. My son was born late June and I am now working my way to getting my strength back. As any mom knows, it is a daunting task but I’m loving every minute of the work, sweat, and exertion. I will be back in shape asap!
