Tracee

I was very skeptical of CrossFit at first, because my husband would come home from a workout and tell me how brutal it was. Nothing sounded inviting about that at all.

Having let myself “go” after having Landon, it was very intimidating to think that I could just jump in and keep up with everyone else. Then, on June 10th 2008, I finally bit the bullet and I haven’t been the same since. Now, I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life and am waiting to conquer child number two with ease.

The beauty about CrossFit is ANYONE can do it. You make the workout what you want it to be, no matter what your goal in life is and no matter where you are coming from, be it the couch, the running track or a mountain bike.

EmerFit’s slogan is “Train here, succeed out there,” and I think this is something to be reckoned with. How can you go wrong with accomplishing movements at the gym that can only make your life easier in the real world?

My number one goal in life is to be a strong, healthy and spiritually-motivated mom and wife. With a husband in the military I feel I need to be extra fit both physically and mentally to hold down the fort back here at home, and EmerFit has proven true to this testament.

My lower back pain has vanished, I have more energy and I have more self-confidence as a result of losing the baby fat I inherited from carrying a child. I even lifted Landon, who weighs 27 pounds now, from the ground, over my head and onto my shoulders (aka a Thruster in CrossFit) the other day, without injuring myself.

For 31 years I have said, “I can’t do a pull up.” Well, not anymore. Not to toot my own horn, but I even accomplished my first dead-hang pull up just last week (not to mention I can do kipping pull ups as well!). I’m also proud to boast that I think my son is the youngest child to ever do burpees, at 19 months, and I’ve got the video to prove it!

Chris Brown is such a viable asset to the CrossFit community. His ability to determine everyone’s threshold and push you just enough to make the right amount of progress without sacrificing form is impeccable. When I think of Chris Brown, the words patience, approachable and hard working come to mind. The other two coaches at EmerFit, Jeff Guthrie and Crystal Nelson, do just as good of a job at making sure we are pushing ourselves to the fullest, yet not overdoing it.

EmerFit has truly been a blessing to me. The relationships I have built with other CrossFitters, including the coaches, has completely surpassed my expectations of meeting great people after moving here in March. So go ahead, bite the bullet. Your only regret will be that you didn’t do it sooner and that you might need counseling because you have formed an addiction to hardcore exercise!

Tracee. Fort Collins, Colorado. December 2008.