In June of 2009, Nathan was newly out of school and stuck in a job he was not happy about, Nathan started looking for something to challenge him, to make his life better.  A friend, CrossFit Central Success Story, Jacob Lieberman, finally convinced Nathan to give it a try.  Living on the same street as the gym, gave him even fewer excuses to avoid it.  Beginning CrossFit Central provided Nathan with a much-needed physical and emotional release.

“I tend to mull over stressful problems in my life, and when it is a work problem that’s fine, as I can ‘solve the problem’ but when it is a people problem, or a life problem… well those just cannot be “solved.” I was getting pretty heavy I was up to about 245 pounds at this point, having problems fitting into my 42″ pants. You can only eat pizza, wine and ice cream so many Friday’s in a row before it starts to catch up with you.”

I am a very competitive person.  I love competing in every WOD I can complete RX, and there are a couple people in my class that really hold my toes to the fire.  Every Tuesday and Thursday I get a mental break from the cycle of stress in my life.  When I am in that 5-10 minute workout I barely have the mental energy to face the WOD let alone worry about life.  In those few moments I am free from stress and anxiety.  In fact I couldn’t even tell you if there was one other person in the room during a WOD.  There is me, and there is a bar, it is very freeing.  CrossFit Central is also an opportunity for me to teach.  I have been CrossFitting for almost 4 years, I have watched countless videos, and read many many articles about CrossFit.  So when my classmates are open for it I will make my suggestions as to how they can better their form, which I really enjoy.”

NATHAN

Lost 40 pounds
Lost 6″ in waist
Lost 10% body fat 

Getting in shape…

Turning 40 catapulted Beth into making a change.  A classically thin coach potato, who openly rejected exercising, Beth was not excited about weighing 160 pounds and beginning to bulge out of her ‘fat jeans’.  In fact, she felt pretty lousy about life in general. After seeing changes in Nathan, she asked him to buy Elements as a birthday gift.  In January of 2010 she began classes and embraced becoming an athlete for the first time in her life.

“For me, joining CrossFit Central was not about getting BACK in shape but really about getting in shape for the first time in my life.  Before joining CrossFit Central, I was exhausted after doing the warm-up exercises with Nathan at home.

The first thing Nathan noticed was my attitude changed, I was less easily frustrated. I had more energy.  My clothes started getting loose and pretty soon I needed a whole new wardrobe.  I feel confident in my body; sleep better, am excited to face new challenges both in my personal life and in my professional life.   I have also stopped comparing myself to other people. I have found my own personal best and challenge myself to improve everyday.  

I remember when I was a kid always being the last kid picked for any team or making jokes and using humor to get out of any physical challenge.  I was also the type of person who didn’t do anything new if I didn’t feel confident about my ability to be successful – one of my greatest breakthroughs has been embracing effort without worrying about failure or what anyone else is doing. I have gone from being a committed couch potato to being a confident athlete.

It has also been amazing to see Jack, our 8 year old son, learn to take on new challenges without fear – it makes me so happy to think that he won’t be held back by negative attitudes in the same way that I was for so long.   I am also proud to set an example for him of life long fitness and always doing your best no matter what anyone else is doing. 

BETH

Lost 30 pounds
Lost 6 pant sizes
Below 20% body fat

“It has changed our family in a fundamental way now.  It is a priority in our life.  I have a membership to one of those big box gyms so I can work on my slow lifts on off days.  Beth regularly trains with Jeff McKinney and Jack is a member of CrossFit Kids.  We try to make it a priority to workout as a family on the weekends.  We try to do a workout where we all stay together the whole time.  So if there is a run, we all run the same pace, and if there is a set of pushups, when someone finishes, everyone gets up and we move onto the next thing.  Programming for a family is a delicate affair.”