In short, my life prior to joining CrossFit Central was completely different. For those in the community who do not know, I struggled with the disease of addiction and alcoholism during my senior year of high school. It then carried over to my freshman year of college where it ultimately took a turn for the worst. For about a year I was unable to go a day without using a substance foreign to my body to try to change the way that I felt. I was in a longterm relationship in high school that did not end well and for some reason or another, I looked to drugs to be a solution for all of my problems. After pledging a fraternity in college I quickly exchanged my addiction for alcoholism due to the fact that it was a “drug-free” fraternity.

Even after going to treatment for my addiction in September of 2015, I still felt like there was something missing in my life. I still felt like there was a piece of the puzzle that was missing. Emotionally I felt that I was not fully connected with myself and I felt as if my life had become stagnant. There was a mental aspect that played a part too — I knew had potential, but I was not sure what it really looked like.

Prior to joining CrossFit Central, when it came to working out on my own, I felt stuck in my routine. I first tried CrossFit when I was a freshman in college at the University of Oklahoma. I only went for about two or three months until the priority of going fell by the wayside.

I moved to Austin over two years ago and felt that I needed to push myself more than just my occasional gym workout routine. At first it was hard for me to come up with the funding to join the gym, but this time I did not let the goal of joining become unreachable. After being in Austin for a year and a half I was finally able to accomplish one of my goals of joining CrossFit Central. The second determining factor was that I knew how amazing the CrossFit community was and I knew that I needed to get back to a place in my life where I had support outside of my personal life.

I cannot explain the amount of gratitude that I have for the beautiful CrossFit Central community. This is the one reason that I have been able to remain consistent coming to class. It is the reason that I am able to wake up almost every morning to attend the 5:30am classes. Without having the blessing of all of the other dedicated members I would not be able to stay motivated in my CrossFit journey. Throughout my life, I have always felt that I have been decent at things that I partake in, but I have never felt that I have been great at one single thing. CrossFit has given me the opportunity to feel that I have a purpose, from breaking mental barriers to seeing physical results over time. They all play a huge part in helping me become an overall better human being.

I have seen amazing results since joining the community. When I joined, I only weighed 149 lbs. I have always struggled to gain weight except for when I was in my addiction. I came in with goals to gain muscle and strength while maintaining a lean physique. After about three months of working with Coach Davis, he was able to help me dial in my nutrition, gain five pounds of muscle, as well as surpass my snatch and power clean goals. It was one of the best feelings when I was able to step on the scale and see the results. The best feeling was hitting personal records on all of the lifts during the last testing sessions by ten pounds on each lift. I was in complete awe when I was able to push past my old expectations and strive for new ones. I owe it all to Davis and the rest of the CrossFit Central coaches, without having the best coaches to teach me and push me I would have lost sight of my goals a long time ago.

CrossFit Central has helped me break through and conquer many of my mental barriers. I am able to take the experiences that I gain through the gym and use them in real life situations. One of the things that has helped me do this the most is the Fire and Ice Recovery Program. Through Jeremy leading these sessions each week, I have been able to be in tune with my body and myself more than I ever have been in my entire life. The breathing sessions have empowered me to have less stress and anxiety in my life.

I work for a residential drug and alcohol treatment center which can be very draining and stressful at times. I have learned to not react to things as fast as I might usually react, I am able to think more consciously in stressful and important situations. The sauna and ice have also helped me out tremendously by allowing me to push my mind past its normal limits. At first, it was very difficult for me to sit in a sauna for twenty minutes and sit in an ice bath for three minutes. Now I am able to use it as a form of meditation to relieve a lot of my daily stress and utilize it as a vital component of my physical recovery. Without CrossFit Central, I feel that I would never even be close to reaching my full potential and I love that I am able to learn something new every day through the outstanding coaches.

Pushing myself in my daily workouts at CrossFit Central has helped me become a better person. I am now able to be present to help others out, share my experience of what CrossFit does for me, and explain why it is such a priority in my life. It has also allowed me to grow closer to my mother and father even though they are in different states. I am now able to show them through my actions that I am constantly trying to better myself with every breath that I take.

Life is not always a breeze for me and I have daily struggles, but I am now able to stay focused and maintain consistency in my life which is very important for me to live a successful life.  I know that without challenging myself to try new things at the gym that I would not be where I am at right now. I have a job that I truly love and I am able to push myself at work through the support that I receive through the CrossFit Central community. It is such an honor to be a part of a unique organization, with even better people. I am a strong believer that it is the people that keep me coming back and I would not trade the experience that I have gained for the world. CrossFit Central and its members have helped shape my life and I am excited to continue my journey and see what the future holds.