I was always an athlete growing up. I spent hours a day training six days a week, not to mention competing. I continued to compete through college but it was an entirely different environment, it didn't push me nearly as hard. With the change in athletics and then the addition of heavy amounts of school work . . . and then typical college drinking to counter the work . . . I ended up being a more sluggish person with low energy and without any tools or support for a healthy lifestyle. Going to college in a small town didn't really help because there weren't many activities other than drinking, so that really affected my physical and mental state.

Upon graduation, I felt more in control of my surroundings. I was able to cook for myself and was away from the group drinking activities. Still, my friends and I went to west 6th multiple times a week and I would wake up with a hangover that would sometimes last the entire day. I think the reality of it all was that my body has never been able to process alcohol well, and I didn't have any tools or goals to step out of cultural social norms and realize that those habits had a bigger impact on my body than they might have had on other people. Through it all I was still a really driven person, waking up during the week before work to go to the gym with my trainer, but I wasn't committed to a healthy lifestyle, physically or mentally.

About a year after graduation, I felt tired of being out of control and really needed to set some goals for myself. I ended up training for a half marathon because it was a tangible goal and something that was an easily measurable accomplishment. I also wanted to turn my life around to something that was guided by my own interests rather than my friend’s interests. I've always been super competitive, especially when it comes to athletics because I was consistently involved in at least one sport at a time. Even outside of athletics, I've held myself to pretty high standards, so my college years were out of the ordinary for a typical attitude towards life. When I finally decided to go back to CrossFit, I wanted to elevate my physical and emotional state to be the best version of myself.

Prior to CrossFit Central, I had been doing some personal training and classes in Austin but I wasn't really seeing results or feeling fulfilled. I was sluggish to go to the gym because it was boring and didn't seem worth it to me. I had done CrossFit in high school and although I felt out of shape and wanted to "get back into shape" before I went back to CrossFit, I decided to stop having doubts about my abilities and just jump back into it. I joined CrossFit Central about a year and a half after graduating college.

Lost 4% Body Fat, Gained Muscle, PR’d all lifts

Since joining CrossFit Central I have become an entirely different person than the last four years of my life. I've regained so much of what I love about myself, and I know the people around me have seen a stark difference in my habits and my presence. I've lost over 4% body fat, gained muscle, PR'd all of my lifts and accomplished movements like handstand pushups, toes to bar, and pull ups that I couldn't do before. More so than physical accomplishments, I feel very in control of my life and everything that I do. As someone with extremely high expectations for myself, this is incredibly satisfying and fulfilling.

As a young woman these days, there are so many structures working against us to make us feel small and less confident. CrossFit Central and this community has deeply helped me push outside of exterior pressures and allowed me to really excel in everything I'm involved in. I love being able to throw around heavy things. That confidence and physical strength in the gym translates to mental strength in my everyday life. It has always been a part of my personality, but it shines more since joining CrossFit Central. Pushing through a hard workout surrounded by a community helps me push myself in my work and my relationships. I think it all comes back to confidence. Confidence that even when things are uncomfortable or difficult, I can still get through them no matter how grueling things might be. Being a part of this CrossFit community makes me expect way more from myself and those around me, and has had such a huge impact on my life.