REBORN Athlete of the Month -Wolf

I was never really an active person, quite the opposite really. I didn’t play any sports as a child, and consistently spent my time lounging around and eating whatever junk I had. I was known for being someone who would try to get out of gym classes or had a difficult time with them in general. I didn’t really work out in any real capacity until my freshman year gym class, where I had the option to take a weightlifting class. This was an experience that planted the initial seed of my love of heavy lifting, and where I met my best friend.

My best friend, Madison, kept trying to convince me to join a gym. They noticed how much I loved that class, and knew it would help me, physically and mentally, to be active. I never believed them, and tried my best to ignore their claims. I eventually agreed, very reluctantly, to meet with Sam and see just what Madison kept doing in all of these cool CrossFit classes. I ended up signing up for Fundamentals the same day. I haven’t looked back since. Every day, I’m so grateful they made me join this gym because it’s exactly what I’ve always wanted and needed.

Within a few months, I started coming out of my shell. Working out was really helping me, both physically and mentally. I never knew I liked being active, and now I only want to be active. I wish I had the opportunity to be active as a child or a teen, but I’m glad I’ve been trying to change my habits. I had no idea how to eat in a way that would be helpful towards my physical progress, which was setting me back in my mind.

I started nutrition coaching with Adrien, through a program called The Wellness Way. I was scared! This was a group program to hold multiple people accountable with nutrition with the intention to begin to build healthy habits. I didn’t even know what a healthy habit WAS! The program ran for a month, and it was strangely supportive. After the initial month, I decided to take the leap and do individual nutrition coaching. I’m so glad I did. Something that always scared me was that I didn’t have a “good-looking” kitchen or plates, and I never tried to make my food LOOK good. Adrien didn’t care. She didn’t want me to count calories. My biggest barrier was actually eating, and I learned by actually eating 2 or even 3 meals a day I was losing weight and feeling better than ever.

Nutrition coaching with Adrien has been incredible for me, even as someone who personally doesn’t care about my appearance, weight, or a number on a scale. I feel like I have energy, and my chronic pain is much more manageable. I’ve now worked with Adrien since October of 2021, and in that time we only started finding habits that really worked for me within the past few months. It may be slow to some, but it’s the right pace for me. Everything Adrien does is incredibly personalized, and she knows I struggle intensely with my mental health, but she never saw that as a barrier or an obstacle. Over a year, she set small goals for me and helped me adjust them reasonably to work with the overwhelm within my brain.

Although these goals are just for nutrition, the encouragement of her and Sam genuinely help me feel as if I am above the feeling of drowning. This gym gives real support and treats everyone who walks through their doors as a genuine, flawlessly flawed, perfectly imperfect human. More than that, they treat you as something that matters most: an unwaveringly supportive friend.

Everything I need, I can find within myself through this community and the fact I am an accepted part of it all, exactly as I am. An added perk is that I can lift all of my heavy things and work hard at a different workout every day!