This may seem a little harsh but my fitness journey started when I was sitting on the couch enjoying my fourth Reese’s Cup. My husband looked at me and very nicely said, “Babe you’re gonna get fat.” My mouth fell open! As you can imagine I was shocked and very hurt. Truth is he was being nice, I was already heavier that I had been in my entire life. My mother passed away at 44 from her one and only heart attack in her sleep. You see, he just wanted me to be healthy. I’ve always been a smaller girl. Could eat whatever I wanted and not gain an ounce. At 37, enchiladas and cake had caught up with me. I found myself at my highest weight ever, 199. I went to a local gym in Feb of 2012 and lost 15 pounds. Needless to say I got bored with that quickly and by September had gained it back. A friend of mine was taking a kickboxing class at a local fighting/CrossFit gym. I did some research online and found that in comparison with other local CrossFit gyms that this one might be within my budget. So , I walked into the gym in mid-October 2012 thinking, ” I’m not ready for CrossFit and kickboxing really isn’t my thing but I have to do something so keep an open mind.” I spent an hour with the owner and fighting coach before the Women’s Kickboxing class started to get a feel for the basics and technique. I thought, “This is okay, I guess.” I stayed that day for the class. It was the hardest workout I’ve ever done in my life, especially since I was so out of shape. I left that day exhausted and pushed to my max but completely and totally in love with kickboxing! I started out only taking the Women’s Kickboxing twice a week and eventually added CrossFit twice per week. Since then I have moved on to doing only CrossFit and I attend classes 5 days per week. I practice The Paleo Diet Lifestyle. Basically I eat real, non processed foods such as lean meats, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. I am never hungry and I don’t have to count calories! Do I cheat, of course!! Everything in moderation! I’ll never give up Reese’s Cups forever. In March 2014 I obtained my Level 1 CrossFit Trainer Certificate and am an assistant coach at my gym! The workouts are challenging, ever changing and believe it or not, FUN! It is very rare that a miss a class and am disappointed when I do. I am in the best shape I’ve been in since my early twenties and just getting stronger. If you listen and commit, there is no way you can fail! Since I started my journey on October 23, 2012 ( 2 weeks after I started my career at ALPLA) I have lost a total of 60 pounds. I now weigh 135 pounds, my body fat percentage went from 39.28% to 24.30% (my goal was 25%, now it’s 20%). I went from a size 14 to a size 4!! Thinking back on where I was and seeing where I am today I am completely overwhelmed. Some days I can hardly share my results without tears running down face. I’m so proud of the hard work I’ve put in. I feel healthy, happy, confident, empowered and strong. I have the best coaches in the world and I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t decided to walk through those doors! ~ Melanie Smith
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:28:39 +0000