Our member spotlight for December is on Susie and Kayla. Two very strong, amazing women! Susie shared the following about their journey. Kayla and I first came to “The Neighborhood” back in April 2013. I’m always a little apprehensive about starting Kayla in new programs because of her “different abilities” that come with Down’s syndrome, but I knew she needed to get some healthy habits going, as her size was only increasing, while her energy level was decreasing. Her visual and balance issues were keeping her from walking up and down stairs without assistance, among other things, and I could see her health beginning to become problematic and preventing her from fully enjoying many aspects of life. My worries about Kayla doing Crossfit quickly dissolved as Kayla was immediately welcomed and encouraged by Alyssa and the rest of the Crossfit family. Being comfortable in her environment is essential in any aspect of Kayla’s life, and having that feeling here has allowed Kayla to challenge herself in new and physically and mentally demanding activities. The immediate improvements in her balance, confidence and core strength were noticed right away by Kayla’s equestrian therapist who not only saw advancement in her stability, coordination and seat, but also saw fresh confidence in attempting new skills. Kayla’s tennis coaches saw a stronger, more accurate serve, quicker movement on the court, and the conditioning rotation that Kayla dreaded, wasn’t such a big deal for her anymore. She can climb stairs without assistance or even the rail, she loves showing people her “guns” and enjoys challenging me to the occasional boxing match. I was amazed the other day when I saw her finish up her WOD with box jumps on a 45 lb plate (she was never able to jump up onto something with both feet before), then bend down and deadlift the plate in good form, carry it over and stack it neatly. She is proof that Crossfit’s philosophy of constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements are for everyone and can be scaled for anyone. My commitment to Kayla was that we would do this together as I wasn’t going to make her do anything that I wasn’t willing to do myself. However, when I walked in the door of Neighborhood, I had already started my journey of a healthier lifestyle. I had lost about 40 lbs with diet and exercise, but was ready for a new challenge. I found it! I will never forget that first day and Lori asking me if I can do a pull up. I thought to myself, “Oh, I got this, I do P90x occasionally.” But, as I hung from the bar, looking up, not able to move, listening to the workout going on around me, grunts and groans and weights dropping to the ground, my thoughts quickly changed to “Oh, I’m in trouble!” Hanging there for ten or fifteen seconds felt like an eternity in which I wallowed in my weakness. I realized soon enough though, that like any of life’s journeys, whether it’s faith, family, or career, I had areas of weakness and areas of strength, things I instinctively knew, and many things I needed to and still need to learn. With the encouragement of my new found family I was able to set and meet goals, continue to set new ones and work on my inadequacies. Encouraging each other and pushing each other to step out of our comfort zones is one of my favorite aspects of Neighborhood Crossfit. Sometimes it’s on the weight were trying to lift, or getting through burpees, but it carries over outside the box, like challenging someone to enter a Tough Mudder or a Spartan race, or doing a quick little hike up Mt. Whitney. The amazing support I’ve received from my Neighborhood family, whether it’s raising money for a mission trip by doing cartwheels, encouraging me to enter a competition, or just by shouting “You got this!” and the growth in my physical, mental and spiritual well being as a result, is more than I could have ever imagined or hoped for on that day hanging from that bar only seeing my weakness.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 02:18:00 +0000
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