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All the years of training with free weights, kettlebells, and martial arts has led me to this…

I found “Cindy.” She isn’t a person. She’s a CrossFit benchmark workout.

Surely, a 20 minute workout is no big deal, right? Especially one that includes JUST pullups, JUST pushups, and JUST bodyweight squats.

Well, live and learn…

I learned I can struggle and after lying on the floor for a while, I decided I needed to embrace this struggle and improve. This was after I decided I wasn’t going to pass out, by the way.

Growth is important in all things and that’s what I’m here for: to make each and every person better when they leave than when they got here. I have been teaching and coaching for over 23 years and I’m ready to help.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s of Science in Education.  Concentration: Exercise Science
• Functional Movement Specialist (FMS Level 2)
• USAW Level 2 Sports Performance Coach & Club Coach
• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
• CrossFit Gymnastics
• NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist
• TaeKwonDo Instructor
• Formerly HKC Certified (Hardstyle Kettlebell)

Qualifications:

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

My friend would not stop asking me to come to this new gym she found…

In 2009 I was stationed at Elgin AFB in Florida.  I used to do early morning runs before work (typically anywhere between 3 to 7 miles).  It was my go-to workout plan though occasionally I would throw in some push-ups and sit-ups.

I felt like this was fine and what I would soon find out was I was missing a whole world of things I never knew I would love so much

After about a month of my friend asking me to come with her to a new gym she found [called CrossFit], and me telling her I would go and then not show up, I finally walked into the doors.  My first trial workout, at CrossFit Fort Walton Beach, was a 4 movement Tabata-style workout:  pull-ups, squats, pushups, and situps.  “Ok,” I thought, “16 minutes isn’t a bit deal.  I can run for well over an hour and feel fine.”

Well, I was smacked with a big dose of CrossFit reality.

I wasn’t as good as I thought, the workout was hard, I had to scale, and I was in a  puddle of sweat on the floor wondering what just happened to me.  The weird thing was, I loved it!  The next thing I knew, I was setting up my membership and scheduling On-Ramp classes for the next day.  Needless to say, my long morning runs took a big back seat to barbells, weights, chalk, and a family I didn’t know I needed so much.

Why is it so important to me?

There are probably a hundred good reasons why CrossFit is important to me so I will just stick with the top 3:

1. Confidence
   • By far, the very first thing I noticed about myself going through CrossFit, was this.  “If I could do everything IN the gym, why can’t I do those other things OUTSIDE the gym?”  Turns out I can.  I continue to use this as motivation when something is a little scary for me.
2. Nutrition
   • I did my first nutrition challenge in 2011.  It was a paleo challenge and it was hard.  What kept me going was the changes my body was making.  It was a huge eye-opening experience for me.
3. Helping Others
   • Everything CrossFit has done for me I want to give to others, no matter what the goal is (seeing someone get their first pull-up, a PR on a lift, or helping them with nutrition.  Nothing replaces the feeling of seeing happiness on someone’s  face because they did something they couldn’t do before!

Qualifications:

• Precision Nutrition Level 1
• Two-Brain Coaching First Degree
• NASM Personal Trainer
• NASM Group Trainer
• NASM Sports Nutrition Specialist
• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
• CrossFit Weightlifting

Future Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science (2021)
• CrossFit Gymnastics

Qualifications:

• Brand X Professional Youth Coach Certified
• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer (Soon)

People often assume that because I am a fitness coach with an educational background in health and nutrition, that I have always been passionate about health and fitness.

However, that could not be further from the truth.

Growing up, my father was a U.S. Marine, which meant when he would run, I would run.  I quickly grew to despise running and all things fitness.  Being forced to do something certainly does not foster passion.  After high school, I joined the military, where my disdain for fitness continued.  In fact, I can say with absolute certainty that the few times I ever exercised were during the physical fitness tests required once each year or mandated group fitness training.

As time passed, my family grew and in the process, we decided it best to separate from the military.  I spent two years as a stay-at-home mother, devoting all of my time and energy to my family.  Many women, mothers especially, give themselves so much grief, and completely deny themselves and their interests for the benefit of others.  For me, the turning point was simply the ability to step back and see that I had lost my passion, my drive, and my motivation for anything aside from my family.  Sometimes simply gaining awareness will initiate the spark of change, as it did for me.

Such a simple thing, exercise, completely transformed my life.  I began with short, bodyweight, interval workouts and progressed to resistance training.  Two years into my fitness journey, I found CrossFit and can no longer imagine my life without it.  It was through these revelations that my passion for fitness and nutrition began.  No one is born with passion – it develops over time through changes in habits and behavior, and the acquisition of knowledge.  Passion must be cultivated through experiences that force you out of comfort zones.  For me, it was through the challenges CrossFit posed that I learned what I was truly capable of, and through these capabilities, came the passion to challenge existing limits.  It is my hope to share my passion and help others lead happier, healthier lives in the process.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s of Science in Healthy Lifestyles Coaching
• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
• ISSA Certified Nutritionist
• ISSA Specialist in Sports Nutrition
• ISSA Certified Fitness Training
• ISSA Elite Trainer

Qualifications:

• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

The road to finding CrossFit was a long and interesting journey!

I came from a long distance running, yoga, and physical therapy background.  After completing several ultra-marathons in 12 months, my body needed something different.  I had tried  CrossFit class here and there, but was honestly intimidated.  Being tired of long endurance and low intensity, I decided to change it up with short endurance and high intensity.

CrossFit did the trick and I began my journey the summer of 2016.  Being in ministry school in norther California, I was able to slowly grow in the area of CrossFit and the workouts and community hooked me.  I also taught Yoga for CrossFitters classes while in California at Jefferson State CrossFit.

After completing my ministry schooling, I decided that I wanted to coach others in CrossFit as it had positively impacted my life.  I wanted to do that for others.

CrossFit has made me strong both mentally and physically.  The summer of 2018, I completed the Level 1 CrossFit course in Omaha, NE and began and internship at Iron Hero CrossFit.  I then started coaching and personal training after its’ completion.

I have a strong desire to see others succeed and develop them into the best versions of themselves.  CrossFit is accessible to everyone and I love bringing my physical therapy/Yoga background into classes.  Positivity is one of my strengths and you will be sure to find it in my classes!

Come check out what a positive and encouraging CrossFit family can look like!

Qualifications:

• Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, NE
• Certified Yoga Instructor, 200 Hour
• CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
• CrossFit Weightlifting