To say that I had no idea what to expect from CrossFit would be an understatement. Being 58 years old and never having any kind of exercise routine, I decided it was time for me to do something that would make me feel better about myself. Becoming a part of the 302 Athletics community was the best choice I could have made! 

The support and encouragement that I receive from coaches and members has made me feel like I can do this and I have! I have noticed an increase in my energy level (I can actually stay awake past 9 PM now, haha), increase in my physical strength, and since starting this journey, I have lost 30 lbs! I am definitely a work in progress, but that's ok, because I get all the encouragement I need from the awesome 302 Athletics community.

Before I started CrossFit, I thought, "I could never do that." Then I decided to try the free week trial, and I'm so glad I did! I was nervous walking in, but everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The coaches are amazing - they help you every step of the way, give you options that fit your level and are always there to cheer you on. Now I'm doing things I never thought I could ever do! I love how everyone supports each other, and the friendships that are formed. I love going to CrossFit.

When I walked through the doors here at the beginning of 2023, it had been five years of putting health and fitness on the back burner. Over that period of time, I struggled with weight, health, sleep and unhealthy habits with food and drinks. I was up to 287 lbs and my A1C was in the diabetic range, ready to be placed on medication. After only 90 days of committing to fitness and lifestyle changes, my weight dropped and my A1C went from 6.5 to 5.6. Consistency in workouts over nearly three years, has led to continued improvements in weight, sleep, ability, stamina and strength. The Coaches and members alike will motivate and encourage you to be YOUR best daily – meeting you wherever that may be.

I started CrossFit 2 years ago. I am currently 66 years young and I have not felt this good in a long time.

I love coming in everyday and working out. I am encouraged to try new things. I am now able to do sit-ups, jump rope, and lift weights, just to name a few things I couldn't do when I started. I love the family atmosphere of the gym. The people who are there encourage you every time you go in. They want you to succeed. My mobility and range of motion has greatly increased. My attitude has changed from "maybe I can do that" to "I CAN do that!"

After a long discussion with a friend (who happens to be Coach Katie from the gym), I decided to try CrossFit almost 6 months ago at the age of 58. When I first started, I was feeling terrible about myself - no confidence, no self esteem and just tired all the time. Walking through that door was one of the best decisions I have ever made. After just 3 months of consistency, I was able to go off all of my blood pressure medicine (that I had been on for 9 years) and my cholesterol dropped 59 points. I have become so much stronger and am so proud of myself. Once I got in the mindset that it was me against me and started focusing on the weight on the bar, not the scale, I started letting myself celebrate my small victories. Everyday I am better than the day before. I am a better wife, Nana, employee, and friend because I am energized and so happy! I love 302 Athletics and appreciate all the support from my gym community. I can’t wait to see what I can conquer in the next six months!

I was very hesitant or maybe a little intimidated when I started CrossFit. At 47 I thought it might be too late to start on this journey.  I had spent the past 5 years working out in my basement either on the Peloton or running on the treadmill.  I had never really done anything that required lifting heavy weight. But I knew that I needed to change things us, so my 14-year-old son and I decided to take the fundamentals class in January 2025.  We learned the basics of the moves and got a general sense of how each class would be structured.  I decided to start with 2 classes a week to see if I could even keep up.  Well 2 classes quickly turned to 3 and then 4 and now I go 6 days a week most weeks. The coaches have been incredible at motivating me to try a different version of a move when they notice what I am doing has become easier for me.  Even through injury, (or maybe my own klutziness) I am still able to be successful through all of the workouts.  All the coaches have been great at modifying the exercises. So maybe 47 wasn’t too old to start something new. 

I started this journey by listening to my wife telling me I can do this after watching my 2 sons doing the teen athlete class. I sat there watching their class at over 300lbs, 1 knee that had been surgically repaired 3 times, and the other knee semi recovered from a meniscus tear. I had many of the coaches always telling me that I can scale things to my needs and that I could do it, but I was still very cautious. I decided to give it a go because I believe in leading by example. If I was going to make my teenage sons do it, I should do it too. I started with one mindset - just “survive the workout”. At first, I did exactly that - I survived. But as the months passed, the weight fell off. Now I don’t just survive the workouts, I DO them. Some are still challenging, but I just scale things for my knees and putting anything over my head when I need to. I’m now down almost 60lbs and I make time during my week to work out. The coaches are great. They push you just enough. They don’t let you struggle and find news ways for you to thrive.