I joined Paradiso Crossfit in August 2011, 4 months after giving birth to twin boys. I was 42 years old, and weighed 145 lbs, the heaviest I had ever been. I am only 5’ tall and I was so uncomfortable and completely out of shape. Prior to getting pregnant, I had usually weighed about 120 lbs. I was always into trying to stay in shape and running was my favorite thing to do. I enjoyed distance running and ran 10Ks, half marathons and 3 full marathons. Here is my CrossFit Success Story:
Fast forward almost 3 years later after CrossFit—I am back to my 120 lb weight but the clothes sizes I wear are at least 2 sizes smaller. I feel like I am in the best shape of my life—even better than when I was training to run a marathon. I feel great and have lots of energy—which I need to chase around my 3 yr old toddlers. ????
What I like about CrossFit:
- It’s Constantly Varied: I like that the workouts change from day to day and that I am using all sorts of different muscle groups. With running, I was working the same muscles over and over.
- I’m Always Learning: With CrossFit being a combination of so many things (olympic lifting, gymnastics, cardio…) there are so many different exercises and movements. Performing well at any of them takes time and persistence.
- I’m Always Improving: Sometimes they are little and sometimes they are big and sometimes many months go by before you see an improvement—but eventually they happen—and when they do, you feel GREAT!
What I like about Paradiso CrossFit:
- The Paradiso Community: David and Martina, all of the coaches and the members. There are so many really great people at Paradiso and I’ve made a ton of new friends. We are all in it together, encouraging each other and cheering each other on.
- Always Improving: This gym doesn’t sit still very long! The Paradisos are always looking for ways to improve the gym, from the type of programming they provide, to new class times and locations, to new class offerings, the list goes on…
- The Emphasis on Scaling and Performing Movements Correctly: You hear a lot about people getting injured doing CrossFit but a lot of the injuries could have been avoided if people learned the proper way to do a movement or how to scale the movement appropriately. I have only been to a few other CrossFit gyms across the country, but none of them come close to Paradiso when it comes to learning about mobility, scaling and proper form.
- Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition: Before joining CrossFit, a typical day for me might have been cereal for breakfast, a sandwich and fruit for lunch and pasta and a salad for dinner. Wow! I was one big bloated mess. I have learned so much about nutrition since then. The nutrition resources that Paradiso offers are excellent and can help anyone. I don’t always adhere to a strict paleo diet, but the more I do, the better I feel and the better I perform at the gym.