The photos say it all. At 39 years old, I am the healthiest I've ever been in my life. Adhering to a mostly Paleo diet (with some corn, soy, sugar, and booze sneaking in here and there) has rescued my body from a constant state of inflammation and fixed my sluggish thyroid. Although my weight has pretty much stabilized for several months now, my body composition continues to change with all the muscle CrossFit has been helping me grow. I've already reached my goal of Fittest by Forty, and I still have 9 months to go! I think back at the crash diets and hours and hours I spent on an elliptical getting no where, and I just wish I could have found Paleo and CrossFit years ago!
I've done 6 CrossFit competitions now, and have grown into more of a competitor each time, even taking 1st place in one and 3rd in another. I am amazing myself with how far I can dig deep into the suck and give it all I've got. And I love that I'm being the healthy role model for my kids that I want to be.
And I've found that I love to lift HEAVY!!! It's so empowering to lift a heavy bar over your head for a new PR and throw it back down with a crash! All of the Olympic lifts (snatch, clean, jerk) were brand new to me in September of 2013, but I loved learning the mechanics of executing them, and getting faster & stronger each time I did it again.
What I find most amazing is that I've finally stopped the yo-yo weight loss pattern that I've been stuck in since my teens. I've always battled with my weight (hitting the 240s in high school, topping out in the 260s in my 20s, and closing in on 280 during my second pregnancy 4 years ago - yikes!). I would always manage to lose a little weight by depriving myself on a low-cal/fat diet, and then gain it all back (and more) once I couldn't stand the deprivation any longer. Now, I've finally made the mental changes that have helped me maintain a 30+ pound weight loss for almost a year (so far) instead of gaining it all back again like I'd always done in the past. CrossFit has been a great driver to make me want to keep on fueling my body properly so that my performance can improve, and the CrossFit community is an amazing support system too. I'm finally realizing that I have to eat MORE healthy food to perform like an athlete, and that my body will continue strengthen and tone as I do so. And I'm realizing that I really need to throw away the scale - I've actually gained a few pounds since the summer, but have lost inches - THAT's progress!
Movement Dec 2013 Dec 2014 Back squat: 155 195 Deadlift: 235 285 Press (strict): 90 100 Bench Press: 110 135 Push Press: 115 135 Power Clean: 125 155 Jerk: 115 150 Front squat: 130 155 Power snatch: 65 110 Overhead squat: 85 120 Strict pull-up: heavily banded chin-up with the smallest band Mile run: 10:01 8:41 2K row: 8:12 7:48 "Grace" (30 clean & jerks) @65# - 3:00 @95 - 3:45
CrossFit + Paleo is a powerful combination. When I see people struggling with their weight and health, I want to yell from the rooftops about how CrossFit + Paleo can be the game changer for them, like it was for me. And this game is only getting started!
Strong is the new sexy!!!
