Weight before: 195                                 Weight after: 175

My fitness routine in my twenties had been running 10-15 miles a week.   This regiment kept my weight at 170lbs until I reached my 30′s when my weight slowly started increasing despite the 10-15 miles/week.

So, what did I do?  I ran more, and more, and more.   Unfortunately, as my mileage increased so did my weight.   This pattern continued for 5 years until January 2012 when I was running 60+ miles per week at 200lbs with a 38″ waste.   Not majorly overweight, but at 5’8″ heavier than you would expect for someone running 65 miles a week. And I didn’t feel great about it.   In an attempt to break this 5 year pattern, I started my Crossfit Foundations Class at CFS as a 35th birthday gift to myself.

And Crossfit sure did break the pattern: not only did I start loosing weight, but I found that I really love doing CrossFit.

Each CrossFitter has their own reasons why they love it.  For some it’s fitting in pants long since retired, or it’s the random daily workout, or its the thrill of learning something new, or maybe its simply the pro-bacon paleo stance.   It’s all of this for me.  Yes, I am the fittest in my life  after 9 months of  CrossFit than I ever was with running alone.

Charlie taking 2nd place at the Garage Games

But, the real special sauce of Crossfit Synergistics (CFS) is the competitiveness combined with the community.  I consider it to be more of a sport than an exercise routine.  To me, CrossFit is more akin to a pickup basketball game than to P90X.   CFS workouts remind me of my high school and college athletic practices.    We compete hard against ourselves and each other.  The support and encouragement of fellow CrossFitters and coaches during our competitive workouts creates a welcoming TEAM environment despite the competition.   We give it our all during the workout and cheer each other on at the same time.   I know it sounds cheesy, but its actually FUN getting fit.  It’s amazing to see people from so many different backgrounds and ability levels coming together in this team environment.