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Holly Rains 

All my life I have thought of myself as a non-athlete. I couldn’t climb the rope in elementary school, I was told I wasn’t good enough to run track in middle school, and I didn’t even consider going out for sports in high school. People planted seeds in my head, and I listened to them. I believed them. I let them dictate what I could and could not do. Well, I am 40 now and I can tell you, without one tiny shred of a doubt, I AM AN ATHLETE…and I owe it all to CrossFit Manvel!

Not too long ago, I was a typical busy, stressed-out mom, going through the motions of daily life taking care of my husband and two children, always making sure everyone else had everything they needed to succeed and never worrying about me. I wasn’t really living life…I was just kind of present, you know? I was overweight and riddled with joint pain. I would look in the mirror and be disgusted, but I felt completely powerless to change it. Until one day, I did just that.

I was introduced to the Paleo diet last February, after a conversation with a man in which he told me that he had lost 70lbs in 3 months eating this way. At the time, my only thought was, “wow, I could be skinny by summer!” and, somehow, I did it. I started eating Paleo the very next day, and I have never looked back. I lost 30 pounds from February to April but, more importantly, I gained the knowledge that it is not just about being skinny, it is about being fit and healthy. Through my research of Paleo, I discovered crossfit. Eating this way is about getting back to putting healthy, whole food into our bodies to allow them to function optimally. To that end, crossfit is here to fine tune the machine, if you will. I began to think about CrossFit. A lot. I dreamed about joining a box, but they were all too far away from my home, and I didn’t see how I could get there and still maintain all my duties at home. (In hindsight, I realize this was an excuse.) If only we had a crossfit box in Manvel, I would think and, as if in direct answer to my prayer, CrossFit Manvel opened it’s doors in April of 2012! I was one of the first ones there. I knew this was where I was supposed to be, and I couldn’t wait to get started. I no longer had any excuses, either.

Nowadays, I am no longer just going through the motions of my life, I am living my life. My marriage is better, my relationships with my kids are better, my overall outlook is better. All because I am taking an active role in making it better. I make time for me everyday. THIS (CrossFit) is what I need to succeed. You have probably heard people say, “oh, people don’t change” or “you are who you are”. Well, walk into a crossfit box on any given day, and you will see people of every shape and size changing right before your eyes. I am here to tell you that you CAN change, if you put your mind to it. It isn’t easy, and it takes a lot of really hard work, but it can be done. I am living proof. I am a completely different person than I was just 6 short months ago. When I walked into the box that first day, I had a basic knowledge of what I was getting into, but I had no idea how much it would change me…not only physically, but mentally, too. I am stronger, more courageous, more confident and more compassionate. When I walk into the box, I know that it is me against me. I am responsible for my WOD, be it good or bad. Not my coach, not the equipment. If I have a bad WOD, it is my fault and if I kill it, it is all my doing! This knowledge bleeds over into EVERY aspect of my everyday life. The power that lies behind taking responsibility for your own life is awesome. CrossFit has taught me this, and my life has done a 180 because of it.