Michelle has been one of the hardest and most dedicated members at the box since the first day she stepped foot in the gym. We can’t even express how lucky we are to have her as a member at Firewall always bringing such positive energy to class with her. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Here are a few questions we asked Michelle:
- How did you first start CrossFit?
I was a dancer growing up, and as an adult, I have always enjoyed working out at local gyms and taking various workout classes. However, I have always done this in short spurts, either because I lost interest or because I was way too busy… I never really found anything as an adult that I enjoyed as much as dance, and I never really found a connection anywhere. I had a milestone birthday this year, and I firmly decided to make exercise a top priority in my life. I was doing bootcamp classes fairly consistently, and I initially came to Firewall to try their bootcamp classes. I was considering the CrossFit classes, but I was a little (okay, a lot!) intimidated. One day I decided to try a CrossFit class, thinking that I could leave and never see anyone again if I made a fool of myself. 🙂 I loved the class, and I have been consistently coming about five days a week ever since!
- How many people in your family come to CrossFit Firewall?
I have five kids, ranging from 9 to 21 years old. At this point, four out of five of my kids go to CrossFit consistently. I am still working on getting my 19 year old son (who tried one class), and my husband to come. My kids all wanted to try CrossFit when they heard how much I loved it, and now they love it as much as I do!
- What is your favorite part about CrossFit?
First, I love the physical challenge and the feeling of getting stronger every day. I think CrossFit is one of the hardest things I have ever challenged myself with. Even though I am not a “top athlete”, I leave every day feeling very proud of myself – many times because I just completed a workout that I initially thought was going to be impossible. Second, I love the community. Since day one, I have been encouraged by Dave and Bucky and by others in the class, and I meet new people and make new friends every time I go. I really feel that this is the athletic community I was looking for! Finally, I love the accountability – Bucky and Dave always notice when I’m there and when I’ve missed, they know what goals I am working towards, and they believe in my potential as an athlete.
- What would be the best piece of advice you could give to someone looking to join a CrossFit box?
I would tell them that CrossFit is for everyone! I would also want them to know about the amazing community at CrossFit. Everyone is supportive and non-judgemental. I think people hesitate to try it because they think that others will be critical… No one is judging you in here – you are only competing against yourself.
- What are some of your long-term and short-term CrossFit/fitness goals?
I would like to improve my running ability because many of the workouts would be so much easier if I were a better runner! I look forward to seeing myself improve physically and get stronger. I keep thinking about what I will be able to do a year from now if I keep persevering. And very long term, I want to be able to do every work out without scaling or modifying.
- Since you’ve started CrossFit, what is your biggest accomplishment thus far whether inside or outside of the gym?
I think my biggest CrossFit accomplishment is the fact that I go to CrossFit every day I can, no matter what the workout is. I even showed up last week when I knew the whole workout was going to be running and burpees – two of my least favorite things! I’m not intimidated anymore – I know that it will be hard, but I will complete it to the best of my ability… and I will be happy that I went.
- If you could choose any person to ever walk the planet to have dinner with, who would it be and why?
I would definitely love to have one more dinner with my dad who passed away about six years ago. I would love to tell him all about my family’s accomplishments (lots has happened in the past six years), since he loved us all so much. I think he would be proud!