Overhead squat: 160
Clean and Jerk: 147
Snatch: 115
Back squat: 195
CrossFit Level 1 Certification
Growing up I was an avid horseback rider. I started out in middle school as a volunteer at Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding (on the West Side of Michigan where I grew up). Once a week the volunteers were allowed to take riding lessons--I was hooked. Throughout middle school and high school, I was a competitive horseback rider showing Hunter/Jumper around the state of Michigan. Most of my days were spent juggling school and my responsibilities at the barn, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but those are life lessons that will stay with me forever.
After college, I got married and we both started full-time jobs. I was never someone who worked out a lot, but being active took a backseat to jobs and starting a family. A huge turning point in my life was a year after the birth of my second child. I vividly remember getting his one-year photos back and thinking "there is no way that's me in that picture." I knew that my husband had gained weight over the years and that having two kids 15 months apart didn't help me, but seeing those photos really opened my eyes. I needed to change. What started as counting calories became an overhaul of our way of eating. In January of 2015, six months after starting on my weight loss journey, I walked into my first fitness class at Mitten Fitness. I didn't know at that time how much of a profound impact it was going to have on my life. I started attending classes twice a week. After about six months two classes a week became three and before I knew it I was a Mitten Fitness regular. I went from having never touched a barbell in my life to losing 50 pounds and doing things I never thought someone like me could do.
When I tell people "If I can do it, then anyone can" I really mean it. I want everyone to see and learn what they are truly capable of. I love it when someone works hard and achieves a goal they set for themselves and any part I can play in making that happen is icing on the cake! I understand what it's like to struggle with weight and to try to find time for yourself and your own fitness with a job and family responsibilities--I've been there. Heck, I'm still there! That's one of the reasons I love Mitten Fitness... everyone at our gym truly wants to see each other succeed and I'm so happy that I get to play a part in our members' journeys!
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