The Fitzpatrick's

THE CROSSFIT FAMILY

My husband, Scott and I have always been a little nuts about health. We ate fairly decent, and we went to the gym. I have been teaching Pilates for 8 years and Yoga for 3. That’s all I did. There were very little weights involved and barely any cardio. Scott did weights on his own and runs…a lot. Good friends of ours had been doing Crossfit and we’d listen to them tell us about their “WODs”. I’d think to myself, why the hell would anyone put themselves through that torture? They are crazy! I didn’t get it and I always told myself and them “never”. We’re thin, and we’re in pretty good shape, why would I do something like that? In February of 2012, I was trying to find something for our 7 year old son, Kyle, to do as an extra activity. Something to help him with coordination and something to make him feel more confident in himself. I came across Crossfit Kids and thought we ‘d give it a try. Yes, I signed him up even though I said I’d never do it myself. Kyle loved it and wanted to go every day. Then our 8 year old daughter, Emma, wanted to go. And she loved it. Every week they would get excited about the things they would accomplish. Whether it be a skin the cat or a rope climb. And every week, Brandon would ask when I was coming. I was a bit jealous of the kids, I must admit. At the beginning I kept telling myself no, but deep down, I itched for a challenge. I realized I was ready to add something new to my routine. Then, a Paleo Challenge was starting. I had been eating Paleo, but not 100%, for a while and most people I know thought I was crazy. Now this was very exciting. Being able to share my Paleo lifestyle and my love for food with people that won’t think I’m nuts? I was sold. So, both Scott and I gave it a try. And yes….we were hooked right away. We both wanted more and became members of the Crossfit Free family in May. Just like our kids, each week that we go, we accomplish things we never thought possible. I went from barely being able to do a pullup with a band to three months later stringing a bunch together with no band. I went from barely lifting 10 lb weights to dead lifting 185lbs. And the list goes on. Scott and I are now both in the best shape we’ve been in for as long as we can remember. Justin and Brandon are two of the most amazing people we know and the best coaches out there. Not only are they there to make sure you have good form and to help you and push you through a WOD, but they actually care about each and every person that walks through those doors. They want everyone to succeed and feel amazing about themselves. And that’s how we feel now. We feel amazing. Yes, we were in “good” shape before, but not close to the shape we are in now. We feel like we can do anything. We’re energetic, strong, and do happy. And as an added bonus, we’ve made some amazing friends along the way. When we walk through those doors, we know it’ll be tough, but we know each and every person there will be cheering each other on and high-fiving and fist pumping at the end. We’ll all sweat together, barely able to breath as we lie on the floor, and it never fails…we’ll always say “Wow…that was a really tough workout!!”. And after a few minutes of huffing and puffing we’ll get up and feel fabulous. And the next day or day after, we’ll all come back for more. Yes, I guess it’s a bit of an addiction, but what better addiction to have? It’s always been important to us to teach our children about health, fitness and wellness. We love that we can share this as a family. Brandon and Justin, we can not thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us. You guys rock. You’ve changed us in so many ways…our bodies look younger, and we feel younger. You’ve made this mom of 2 feel badass….so, thank you, thank you for that alone! And thank you for making our kids feel confident in themselves and teaching them that being fit and healthy is fun! We love being a Crossfit Family.