“Doing the Damn Thing”
Since I started working behind a desk, my activity level bottomed out and I started packing on the pounds. Hooray beer! In my head, I was arrogant enough to think that I could change my habits at the drop of a hat. At the time, I was living the coach potato life and the most I could muster up was enough energy to complain about it. I tried some boot camps, running, and eating well but nothing would stick. Boot camps are not sustainable and running just destroyed my shins. Every round of trying to get in better shape just resulted in frustration. Turns out, most habits are really hard to change!
It came to a head when I realized how hard I was being on myself. Mandy did her best to get me to join yoga but I was too self-conscious to do it. Through her membership at CorePower, she started checking out MBS and came back telling me how great the CF1 classes were. That combined with some recommendations from friends convinced me to give MBS a try on January 2nd. The workout was 3 rounds for time: 400m run, 20 wall balls, 20 box jumps. Let’s just say my legs were Jell-o after that workout. I almost hit the deck from taking the step down from CF1 room and I couldn’t move the whole following weekend. After that, something just clicked in my head that I needed to just keep coming back or live the DNB life. I chose the former and definitely don’t regret it!
Now, you can find me almost every morning with the 6am’ers trying to wake up! Mandy and I do Cardio Flex whenever we can. It is nice to share the accomplishment with each other and great to have Andrea kick our butts. We enjoy the fact that “we did the damn thing”: this is our favorite saying during and after a tough class because sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re actually doing these crazy workouts!.
Mandy and I loved doing workouts, but still wanted to get to know our fellow MBSers a bit better. When we heard about the Spartan Race training, we knew this was our chance. We loved waking up every Tuesday at 6am rain or shine (and there was a LOT of “moist” mornings) and trudging through mud, climbing ropes, and doing burpees with Pat and all the other Spartans. Completing the Spartan Race was one of the best experiences I’ve had with MBS so far: there is no way we could have done the race with the amount of confidence and excitement that we had without our 6am Tuesday classes. We’re already talking about upgrading to the Beast for next year! Best of all, we got what we wanted out of Spartan Training: to get to know other MBS members a lot better.
One of the best perks of MBS is the amazing community. All of the coaches have been unbelievably supportive, and getting to know members better through the Spartan race training has only contributed to our overall fitness because we love working out with our friends. There are few things more motivating than to hear Andrew M say that I’m killing it on some movement or another (thanks, man!). Probably the best part of the MBS members and coaches are their unwavering positivity. CrossFit is an incredibly intimidating sport but I have found that, as long as I get out of the parking lot and into the hangar, I’m going to get support and encouragement from everyone. I have not mastered all of the movements by any means, and Mandy is not an every day WOD’er, and yet all of our efforts are unconditionally accepted and encouraged. That means a lot, a LOT! Even when coaches challenge me to put a bit more weight on the bar or drop my hips a bit lower, it FEELS like encouragement rather than a drill sergeant yelling commands. This kind of positive challenge has entered my subconscious in other areas of life knowing I can push myself harder at work and at home too, and that it can be fun. I can’t say thank you enough to all of the awesome coaches and other MBS’ers who have helped me to change my life. Meriah always says that I’m the one doing the work but I could not have improved this much without her and the rest of the community cheering me on.
A word from Mandy:
Um, thanks MBS! I have a new hottie tottie husband! Upgrade alert! Seriously though, Erik has shed some pounds, but his outlook on all of life is radically different than it was 9 months ago. My husband was a bit of a mopey bummer who was not always easy to be around mostly because he just didn’t feel good about himself. Since starting MBS, I cannot believe the transformation. There have been several mornings when his alarm has gone off and I’ve thought “this is it. This is the morning he sleeps in and never goes back” and that has never happened. I’ve never seen Erik so determined with such a “no excuses” attitude. As some of you know, we spent several months working on our yard this summer. Yes, he was able to haul rock, sod, and mulch – for which I would have doubted his ability previously - but more than that, he was motivated and we had some fun with it! We liked to joke as we were hauling tons of rock that “Pat would be so proud!”, and we would shout “FUNCTIONAL FITNESS!” to each other across the yard, laughing. Overall, Erik has so much more energy and zest for life: he is willing to pick up extra chores around the house, he is happy to walk the dog, he plays fewer video games, and he eats better. I think that MBS has helped Erik have a longer life and a higher quality life, which immeasurably contributes to my quality of life. As for me, Andrea has especially inspired me to become stronger and more fit, while remaining positive and encouraging any little gain that I have made. While I like to balance out my crossfit with yoga and running rather than the every day WODing that Erik does, I feel like a welcomed member of the MBS family. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the staff and coaches for all your encouragement of both Erik and myself. Erik, you are “doing the damn thing” every day and I could not be more proud of you
