Meet Dana...Our November Spotlight. Note...Besides be crazy strong she is an Organic Poultry Farmer:) Hi! I’m Dana. I’m normally a member of the 7:00 o’clock club, which means there are some of you I’ve not yet met. Let me introduce myself… In a nutshell, I’m a 44 year old homeschooling mom, plus I’m an organic poultry farmer. I have a terrifically supportive husband, Glenn, and two incredible sons: DJ (age 21) and Alex (age 7). We live on the west end of town with our dog, our cat, two horses, 20 ducks and about 125 chickens. I grew up in Redondo Beach, CA, and was quite active; I rode horses competitively, played three sports and generally was up for anything you tossed my way. After I met Glenn while working at Hughes Aircraft, we got married and started our family. We welcomed our first son in 1993, and shortly after that is when my weight problem started. As the years passed, I got bigger and bigger. Thyroid problems, insulin resistance and more all started cropping up, and none of the deprivation diets I tried seemed to help drop any pounds. I was depressed and miserable about being unable to change my situation, and began to stop participating in the the activities I had previously enjoyed so much. Fast forward many more years, many more doctors and (sadly) many more pounds. In early 2013, Alex’s naturopath gently pulled me aside and told me she was concerned about my weight. She asked permission to run “just a few” blood tests, and I agreed. I knew the results couldn’t be pretty, but even I was unprepared for what a mess my poor body had become. She basically gave me an ultimatum: radically change the way I was eating, or lose your thyroid entirely. That was an amazing wake-up call, and just the kick in the pants that I needed. On her advice, I started eating strict Paleo the very next day, and have never looked back. Not only did I start feeling better almost immediately, the weight started melting away, too. After the first 25 pounds came off, I let myself be talked into joining Amanda Truesdale’s exercise class. How bad could it be? As it turns out, it could be (and was) REALLY bad. I was so terribly out of shape I nearly died that first class. I had no muscle tone or physical stamina to speak of, but I did have a huge desire to change. I was lucky enough to fall in with an amazing group of people who have become like family to me; they have done so much to motivate and push me to become stronger, faster and better. This arrangement went on happily until last December, when the Truesdales informed us they’d be moving out of the area. The news practically sent me into a panic… where else would I ever find such a supportive environment? I was still pretty new to this whole fitness thing, and I was worried about lapsing back into old habits. Luckily enough for me, while I was in the middle of my personal crisis, Leah DePaola drug our whole group into NHCF. How did I get fortunate enough to find another incredible bunch of people? I’ve come farther than I’d ever imagined possible... Here I am: a middle-aged, previously fat housewife with a wonky hand and missing elbow, and I’m deadlifting, power cleaning, strict pressing, etc., and loving it! I’m doing WODs and not dying. I can go all night long at GORUCK events. I’m even running (okay, jogging) on occasion without whining (too much). Who knew? I’m so happy to be a part of the NHCF family, and couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to be here. In my time away from our box, you can find me riding, rucking for various veteran’s charities or attending GORUCK events. (I must be a bit of a masochist to enjoy these, but I find them hugely physically challenging and mentally satisfying. The “team > teammate > self” ideology really resonates with me, and I appreciate the brief glimpse into what our military endures on a daily basis.) If you’d ever like to try a GORUCK, join in one of our veteran’s events or even just go for a hike, I’d be glad to do that with you. ☺ So that’s my story: 282 pounds - 116 pounds + CrossFit + GORUCK = a much happier, healthier Dana. I am looking forward to seeing what 2015 has in store for me, and to sharing the journey with all of you.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 23:05:51 +0000
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