Had I known anything about CrossFit, I would never have walked through the door at CrossFit IF and met Sandra Large and that would have been a huge mistake! In 2008, I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and dysautonomia. Over the years, with changes in work, activities, and medications my health was up and down. In 2016, I was working full-time and barely making it through dinner. I was told to exercise as tolerated…..which meant not to expect much. But my mirror told me my body was atrophying and I needed to do something! Then I met with Sandra! She gave me hope. At that point, I couldn’t do a single sit-up or push-up and would show up at 5:00 after work feeling poorly. Had Sandra not been so positive and encouraging, I would have given up! My initial goal was simple, do one more of anything than I did the last time. Sandra was always kind and supportive. She seemed to always know what I could handle and when I could handle more. Orthostatic hypotension was one of my more problematic symptoms and I had trouble keeping my blood pressure up during workouts resulting in double vision, nausea, unsteadiness, inability to walk a straight line, and headaches. Fast forward 8 years and nearly 71 years of age, my neurologist told me quite firmly not to stop doing what I am doing! I’ve dropped medication and support hose to keep my blood pressure up. I am now strong and managing my disorder rather than letting it manage my life! CrossFit workouts with Sandra allowed me to build vascular and cardio strength and manage my dysautonomia symptoms. Stronger muscles support veins which increase blood flow as does a strong heart muscle. Challenging workouts sometimes cause my blood pressure to drop. With CrossFit and Sandra’s help, I’ve learned strategies to bring my BP back up that are much more effective than anything doctors told me and serve me well in keeping me going whenever and wherever symptoms arise. If I stopped here, it would be only half the story. As an educator, I always promoted a community of learners in a classroom. Anyone walking into a Cross Fit I.F. class would see a model community! A group of people with a wide range of abilities working toward the same goal, doing exactly what each needs to grow and get stronger. Everyone is accepted, respected, encouraged, and supported by the group ranging from young adults to seniors. Thank you, Sandra, for promoting and building such a community, and to everyone for all the incredible support and encouragement I’ve gotten on my journey. As a result of CrossFit IF, I have a wonderful community that I am a part of; I am stronger than I ever hoped to be; and I am the healthiest I’ve been since 2008! My quality of life has improved dramatically thanks to Sandra, CrossFit I.F., and everyone in the community. I am blessed!

Life is a journey with many twists and turns, and fitness is really no different. My one constant for at least the last 15 years has been this gym. Sure, like most, I joined for vanity reasons, but I knew deep down that I had to fight to stay strong and healthy if I was going to beat MS. This is truly functional fitness at its finest, which translates to strength, balance and coordination that I was told I only had a 50% chance of maintaining by the age of 50. There is no doubt in my mind that my gym has played a vital role in my outcome. My nutritional coaching has simply raised the bar in my overall health journey. It would be remiss of me to not mention the friendships here. We have such a diverse group with so many different back stories, but we all have the same goal: to support each other to be the best we can be in all aspects of life. We are truly family. Without this place, I don't know where I'd be; but with this place and this crew, I know I can handle whatever life throws my way.

After I had my second baby, I found myself feeling the lowest that I'd ever felt, emotionally, mentally and physically. It was time to carve out some time for myself, find a healthy outlet for my stresses and figure out who the heck I was. I had a few friends that were already a part of Sandra's gym and finally bit the bullet and reached out to her. The first thing that I said to Sandra was, "I don't do this stuff" and I am pretty sure her response was, "Well, you will!" Well, 9 years later, I am still here plugging away and I love it! It isn't always easy. I have days, weeks and months where I am struggling but there is always a team behind me cheering me on, encouraging me and believing in me. I have three daughters that I work hard to show how important it is to take care of your mind and body. That strong is beautiful. That we can do hard things. They have seen me struggle and fail. But they have witnessed me picking myself back up and pushing forward. I don't know that I would have found those tools and the strength to push on without Sandra and this community she had built. It is one of the greatest groups of individuals that I have ever been around and am fortunate enough to consider them all my bonus family! And, when my daughter looks at me with mischief in her eye and says "Race you to it!", I think "Girl, you'd better have your running shoes on because this Mama is not going down without a fight!"