How Did CrossFit And I Meet?

Let me start off with saying I'm NOT an athlete.

I have never been part of any kind of team, whether it be a soccer team or a baseball team - hell, even a chess team - but all I know is the day I discovered CrossFit, my entire lifestyle changed.

In December 2007, I made my way to my local gym to embark on yet another 30 monotonous minute workout on the elliptical. After completing this portion of my workout, I began to scan around the gym to look for my weight training buddy Mathew, but could not seem to find him anywhere. Peering down a hallway on one end of the gym, I saw a light on and thought he could be lurking back there. Sure enough, there he was in the room with a bunch of dudes: Eric Vandermeersch, owner of CrossFit Mississauga, being one of them.

The exact words translated between Eric and me:
Melissa: "What the %*#$ is this?"
Eric: "This is CrossFit."
Melissa: "Well what the %*#$ is that?"
Eric: "Do a workout and you'll see."
Melissa: "Well, I already worked out."
Eric: "No you didn't, that was just a warm-up."

I had no idea what was about to happen, no idea that I was about to endure the most pain in a workout - good pain, of course - that I have ever experienced. I had been tested to my absolute limit, and all the training I had been doing for the past seven months had all of a sudden felt inferior to the 10 minutes I had just endured.

In April of 2007, I had reached a critical point in my health where I knew that the only way to feel good about myself again was to start exercising and get back to the 'old' Melissa. In May of 2007 I had weighed in at 167 pounds - the most I had ever weighed - and I had fallen into a deep depression. Friends and family were beginning to notice a change in me, wondering where the 'old' Melissa went, and that's when I realized it was time to change and time to get out of the rut I was in.

That very month of May I gave myself a good old slap in the face and told myself to smarten up and get my %*#$ together, and that's exactly what I did. I began running everyday, and had managed to work my endurance up to running as much as 10k three times a week, including 5k runs in between; I changed my diet completely by cutting out alcohol, which was a huge culprit in my weight gain, as well as all starches and grains. The pounds were coming off and I was feeling great about myself again.

All summer I had focused a lot on cardio, with minimal use of free weights; and though I was a lot smaller, weighing in at 130 pounds, I was beginning to feel like my routine was too repetitive. I feared that I would lose interest and consequently gain all the weight back. That's when I discovered CrossFit.

Though my first workout, Cindy, only lasted half the amount of time it is required to, I was gassed beyond belief; but even though I felt like absolute crap after the workout, it made me feel like I accomplished something big. It was enough to get me back in the very next day to take on another workout and see what new limits I could push myself to next, and to this day that aspect of it hasn’t changed.

From my own experience, what has changed the most personally is my confidence. As I previously mentioned, I had gone into a deep depression, but CrossFit helped me regain my confidence and helped me push myself to get back the 'old' Melissa; and most of all, it helped me harden the %*#$ up!

I know that confidence is the foundation of one’s personality, and I hope to help those out there who have lost their confidence regain it in exponential form. I know what it’s like to lose it, and I know that CrossFit will help others just as much as it helped me, if not more.

I’d like to thank the two people who have been there as trainers and as friends for me from the very beginning: Eric and Mark Vandermeersch. They are the most compassionate people I have ever met, and are examples of true outstanding dedication. You guys ROCK. Thank you for continuing to not give up on any of us and for continuing to be amazing role models to our community.