Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself or something that would surprise us.
I am a 41 year old Native Houstonian. I am a mother to Lance who is 14 and in the 8th grade (eek, scary!) and married for 17 years to my best friend, Daniel. I love to cook, travel and spend time with family and friends. I love watching sports and I LOVE my Astros! I work part-time from home which allows me to balance work/family/health. I can’t seem to say no to volunteering. I’m always helping in my community or at Lance’s school. I feel so fortunate for the life I have – I am blessed beyond measure in so many ways and I really try to remind myself each and every day just how lucky I am. Our family moto is “happiness is a place between too little and too much” and those are exactly the words we try to live by!
How and when were you introduced to Behemoth?
I first met Aja and Leah at another CrossFit gym, 8 or 9 years ago. Leah was a coach and I always looked forward to attending her classes. She and Aja were also training for the CrossFit Games and were pretty much CrossFit rockstars. I was so excited when they first started dating! A match made in heaven, for sure!
Fast forward several years later – I was pretty much putting everything and everyone before myself. I was no longer crossfitting and really not doing very much exercise at all. I wanted to get back into CrossFit but knew I was too out of shape to dive right back in. Leah posted on Facebook about a BIRTHFIT class she was starting and it sounded perfect for me, never mind that I was about 12 YEARS postpartum! Thankfully she let me join in alongside all the new mommas and babies. It was just what I needed at the time. I eased my way back into fitness and more importantly, with Leah’s instance and maybe for the first time in my life, I gradually started making my health and fitness a priority.
What are you most proud of, physically, mentally or both since beginning with us?
I have FINALLY learned how to put “me” first and not let anything get in the way of my health. I have been able to consistently attend GPP classes at least 3 times a week. I do all the workouts and come to the gym even when the workouts look hard or are not in my wheelhouse. On days where I’m not feeling it, I know it is ok to take it slow, scale back and just move. Little by little I have been able to increase weights, run a little longer, push a little harder and tell that doubting voice in my head, “I CAN DO THIS!” There has been a HUGE change in me both physically and mentally since I first started at Behemoth and I know there is still more to come!
What has been your biggest, yet most rewarding obstacle to overcome, whether in the gym or on your health journey to date?
I have been on a nutrition journey for many years: Atkins, The Zone, Paleo, Whole 30, Primal Blueprint, 21-Day Sugar Detox – I have toughed out the strictest diets. I have learned and retained bits and pieces from each, but through the Behemoth programs, I have been given the tools to make more permanent changes. With the most recent challenge, I was able to give up sugar in my coffee and I now drink it black - something I thought I would NEVER be able to do!
At first, I resisted joining the nutrition challenges, but now I realize it’s super important, much like coming to the gym regularly. You have the coaches to guide you, your teammates are all in it with you and in the end, you are able to achieve things you wouldn’t have been able to otherwise do on your own.
For me, the way I eat also trickles down to the way my family eats. When I eat REAL foods, they do too! So, my biggest reward is knowing that my family is healthy as well.
Why Behemoth?
The Coaches - They are incredibly wise. I am often amazed by the range of their knowledge. They are experts and they are constantly learning and teaching us more than just exercise. They know the perfect way to correct, pace, push and motivate us. They want us to be healthy, strong, resistant to disease, mentally acute, and able to live long and healthy lives. I trust them completely and hold each of them in the highest regard.
The Behemoth Fam – I started out just wanting to get in and out of the gym. I didn’t have time for chit-chat and making new friends. Well, little did I know, I had no choice! The Behemoth Fam is so welcoming and friendly and FUNNY and before you know it, you have 25 new friends you didn’t have before. We check on each other when we have been away from the gym for a few days, we share advice and encourage one another. We throw parties and do fun community outings. We buy the same cars, help each other with home repairs and some of us even share sports bras! LOL. We really are a family.
The Gym - It’s clean, spacious and well equipped. This is often-times overlooked but hugely important!
I can’t articulate how meaningful Behemoth is to me and how much of an impact it has on my life. Behemoth doesn’t just change your outward appearance; it rejuvenates the soul, relieves stress, gives you a sense of accomplishment and just makes you happy!
What next? What are you excited about pursuing here in the future?
I feel like now that I have mastered the fundamentals, the foundation is set for me to really start making big advances with my strength and endurance. I would love to be able to do unassisted pull ups – to me that is a sign of ultimate strength.
“3, 2, 1…Go” Mad Lib section
-My favorite lift (movement) is… Deadlift!
-My most frequent class I come to is… 9:30am - LOVE MY 9:30 PEEPS!
-I have always wanted to… live by the water. I would love to have a beach or lake house one day!
-When I’m not crushing weights, my favorite thing to do is… eat a good meal (usually Mexican) outside on a nice day with my family or good friends!
-If I could make ANY of the Behemoth coaches do 100 burpees it would be... Aja – I’ll be watching out for No Reps!!
-Favorite “application of fitness” outside of the gym is… Taking long hikes when traveling to different vacation destinations. I have hiked Yosemite, Banff, Sedona and many other beautiful places without any trouble.
-Favorite band/genre/Pandora station to workout to is… The Killers!
-Beast mode engaged when this song comes on… Party in the USA!
