100 Pound PR

before CrossFit

after CrossFit

It's time to celebrate with Steph V- she hit a new 100 # PR!

If you come to CF KoP you have probably, without question, met Steph. Her vibrant energy and enthusiasm is hard to miss. She recently shared some exciting new with me - since her start at CFKoP she has lost over 100 pounds! Yep, that's like losing an entire person - this is an amazing accomplishment and I told her we should celebrate it on the blog. She wrote this little message to accommodate our celebration.

This month I hit a 100# PR. Not by adding bumpers to a barbell but by losing weight off of my body. I have the healthiest and fittest body of my life. I weigh less than I did in middle school. I am no longer limited in what clothes I can wear, what chairs I can sit in or what activities I can physically do. There are many factors that have contributed to this PR, including major internal shifts and a dramatic change in what I eat. However this PR would not have been possible without Crossfit and the community at CrossFit King of Prussia.

I am happy to celebrate this accomplishment with each and every one of you. But I have one request that you celebrate with me, not for pounds that I have lost but instead celebrate the many things I have gained.

I have gained the knowledge that I am strong. Not only in what I can dead lift but in my ability to accept the suck, to survive what is difficult, and to get through the hard stuff one step (or rep) at a time.

I have gained amazing people into my life. The CrossFit deck is stacked with some of the most intelligent, compassionate & wise people I have ever known. I would have never thought I’d find those people in a gym, but I did.

I have gained a laundry list of physical skills I could not previously do. 21 inch Box jumps, pushups, strung double unders, full depth squats, running without walking, kipping pull ups with the mental floss…to name a few.

I have gained the confidence to enter into competitions. In the past I made every effort to avoid people paying attention to my body. I would have never put it on display. The competitions I have taken part in have been the scariest things I have ever done, but the most rewarding. I love that fear now and what it feels like to move through it. I never played a sport, until now. Crossfit is my sport.

I have gained a love for intensity. I didn’t realize until my first week of CrossFit but I thrive on intensity. To those who know me well, that probably comes to no surprise. I just never realized that part of my personality applied to my body. I could never, ever go back to working out without it.

I have gained a spiritual practice. MetCons are moving meditations for me. In the middle of the WOD, there is nowhere to be but where I am. I can no longer think, my mind is blank, I am completely and totally where I am. It practices in being present. Practice for the rest of my life.

I have gained joy in movement. When I started Crossfit I was looking for a place to workout that could help me embrace movement for its own sake rather as something I “had to do” to be healthy. I wanted to experience being present to my body as I moved. I wanted to experience joy in movement. I got what I wanted, in ways I never could have imagined.

I have gained a life’s purpose. I have always known that I wanted to help people. However I didn’t always know exactly how. CrossFit has connected me with my body, which was a missing link through the rest of my life. When that connection was established it was like a puzzle piece fitting into place that opened up my world. I now know I want to help other people bridge the gaps between their mind, body and spirits.

I have gained a community. I am a part of a community that believes in me, that supports me in my challenges and my victories. I am part of a community that welcomes all people and works extra hard to support those with the greatest challenges. I am part of a community with knowledgeable, talented and caring leaders (all of our coaches) at its helm.

So you can see; I have gained much more than I have lost. Each and every one of you are a part of that. For that I am forever grateful.

P.S. A special thanks to the first person I ever looked up to. She knows my story better than anyone else, about what I have overcome, about how different my life is now than it used to be. She told me about CrossFit and assured me that I could do it. I believed her and I’m glad that I did. Love you Jesher (aka Granny).

October 2009

October 2010