Ellie Hamel

What first brought you in the doors of CrossFit King of Prussia? 
I had signed up to do a Tough Mudder with some friends and wanted to prepare for it properly. I asked my brother for advice on how to train for it. He told me I should look into CrossFit. Aside from training for this specific event, he thought I would probably like it. That was 2010, and back then, CrossFit KOP was the closest CrossFit to me. (Thanks for welcoming me in, Aimee)

What has kept you consistant?
Truth be told, I haven’t always been consistent. I took a couple of breaks. What keeps me consistent now though is 1) fear of not being “in shape” and having to work back into it all over again. When you’ve fallen off the wagon enough times though, you get tired of falling off. 2) morning classes. I like having some time before work or before I start the day to do something for myself. Plus it is one thing I can check off my “to do” list straight away. It’s not easy to get up early but I always look forward to seeing the morning crew. If I need little extra motivation, I always think of the saying “I have often regretted a day when I did not workout, but I have never regretted a day when I have.” That usually gets me up. 3) I am striving to live to be a healthy and happy 115 years old and CrossFit is one way I hope to do that. Besides that, I’m still learning and growing more and more each day. I’m definitely not where I want to be, but I am enjoying the process and seeing improvements.

 What advice do you have to newer athletes?
Embrace the experience. There are inevitably going to be times where you don’t want to do a workout - it’s too hard, you don’t like the movements, you’re tired, you have other things going on. I have had all of those feelings at one time or another. It is usually in those moments where I showed up anyway despite those feelings that I either learned something new about myself or had a breakthrough with one the movements. And truth be told, some days, it’s just about showing up and knowing you made it through the workout.

What would you tell someone thinking about joining our community? 
For me, I can honestly say without a doubt that CrossFit has changed my life (and I would never have expected myself to say that when I first started). I have learned so much about exercise and nutrition and about myself. I can’t thank the coaches (past, present, and future) enough for their insights, coaching, and even just their willingness to show up for us at 5:15 in the morning. I’ve found equipment here that you don’t always see in other gyms - walls to climb, odd objects to pick up, things to drag and push, etc. The community and people here are so supportive and overall just great people to be around. There was only one reason why I joined initially, but there are so many reasons why I keep coming back.