My First Year of Crossfit.

One year ago, I didn’t know what a snatch was.  One year ago, I didn’t know what a muscle up was, a kip was, or that people would do push-ups without their feet on the ground.  A year ago, this was me.

​210 pounds, unhealthy, and miserable with the way I looked and felt.  It was my 29th birthday, and I was the largest I had ever been, and decided to make a change.  Enough was enough.  The next day, on April 4th I started my 30for30 challenge.  Lose 30 pounds by the time I turned 30.  It had been years since I had a consistent workout regiment that lasted more than a month, and I knew I did some help.  I did a little research and decided to invest in myself and try crossfit and CrossFit District 5.  Today, 365 days later, this is me.

I have lost 40 pounds, and much more importantly, I am happier and healthier than I have ever been.  It took a year of hard work and dedication to reach this point and I am nowhere near "done" on my fitness journey.  I achieved these results from hard work in the gym, and hard work in the kitchen.  I because extremely conscious of everything I would eat and drink.  Cut out snacks after dinner, drank beer once a month, ate more fruits and veggies than the past 4 years combined.  Those are crucial to getting to where you want to go, its easier to skip eating a snickers bar and eat carrots instead than work off 600 calories at the gym. At the same time, I ate my fill of pizza, ice cream, and all the other delicious things through out the year just at much more moderation. They were treats, not staples.

At the gym, I showed up 5-6 days a week most weeks, found Crossfit Boxes to visit when I travel, and took my dog for a 1-2 mile most days it was nice out.  I wish I could go back and talk to my younger self, tell him that looking and feeling like this is possible, it just takes, hard work, dedication, and help.

This journey is nearly impossible to do alone.  Real talk, if you have gotten yourself to a point where I was, you cannot do it alone.  I tired hundreds of diets, and "THIS TIME I AM GOING TO MAKE IT STICK" gym reginmates only to give up.  This time, I invested in myself, both time and money.  Crossfit is not the cheapest way to get in shape, but it is incredibly effective.  The cost is also a motivator, your paying that much, you gotta use it regularly.  The coaches at D5 are amazing, and they will keep you on track and motivate your to come back day after day.

​By the time my 6 months of fitness arrived, I had reached my 30 for 30 goal and then some.  So I set a new set of goals for the following six months, half of which I did achieve!

The other half, I have made significant progress on and will track to try and achieve over the next six months of my journey.  One of the great parts of Crossfit to me is how trackable and measurable everything you do is.  Nothing else you do in your life will have the clarity of time in, vs reward out.  It's easy to see and track every single day, which is what makes it great.

Without a doubt, joining D5 was one of the best decisions of my life.  Not only for the results I see in my fitness, but the community within.  It is a place with incredible people who love and support you as you work to make yourself your best self. Whatever you started, and wherever you want to go, the community is there for you.  The coaches, their families, and all the members care about one another in a special way.  I am so proud to call Crossfit D5 my home.    I hope you will too!