One year ago, my life changed forever…. A friend of mine had mentioned that she wasn’t seeing the results she wanted, and asked if I was up for trying something new. She had asked if I had ever heard of Quad City CrossFit? I said I hadn’t, so she proceeded to tell me a little bit about it, including how it took place in the basement of a church. My initial thought was “what kind of place is this?” When she told me the price, I remember being very reluctant to join… I told my then fiancé that I was going to try one class, and his response was “good luck – they expect you to do pull ups and all kinds of crazy stuff!” Still feeling indifferent about the whole thing, I agreed to at least give it a shot. I was hoping that Willie would consider joining with me, but knew working 10 hours a day his mind did not have room for such a huge commitment. As an avid runner, I had tried to convince him to join me in my healthy lifestyles in the past, but more often than not I was unsuccessful and had to go at it alone.
My first class consisted of rowing 250 meters, 21 kettlebells, 21 squats, 21 pushups…15 kettlebells, 15 squats, 15 pushups…9 kettlebells, 9 squats, 9 pushups, all the while finishing with a 250 meter row. Needless to say I loved it and I was hooked! I went home that night and told three of my best friends, as well as my fiancé about it. On Valentine’s Day 2011, there were 6 of us who made the commitment to join, including my fiancé Willie.
Willie and I started Paleo a week after joining Quad City CrossFit. In just over 4 months, I am proud to say that we lost a combined total of 110 pounds, just in time for our July 9th wedding! One year later, we both have a list of accomplishments that can only be contributed to following Quad City CrossFit and the Paleo lifestyle.
Willie competed in his 1st triathlon the summer of 2011, while I took 1st in the Athena Division for the Firecracker Run with a race time of 24:30 and a 7:55 pace. I also took 11 minutes off of my PR for the QC ½ Marathon where my time was 1:56:35 with an 8:54 pace. Together, we have grown so much and I believe Quad City CrossFit had a hand in that. I am truly blessed to walk into Quad City CrossFit every day with my Husband and kick butt!
Though we have veered off course a time or two (especially during the holidays), we have always tried to stay committed to following Paleo. The benefits are remarkable, and I never knew how good I could feel until I started eating “real food”.
To those people out there who think Quad City CrossFit is expensive, let me just say that I’m proud to be an addict. Other people have their addictions to smoking, drinking or eating, but my addiction is Crossfit! It’s worth every penny in my book!
Thank you to the trainers and my fellow Crossfitters for this past year. You all making working out fun, and I look forward to many more years with you!
