Hello. It’s me. Liz.

01 — Where it started

Leaving college, I was following the path laid out by my hardwork in school. I had the job lined up and the apartment picked out. I was ready to go out on my own. I remember feeling excited, but like it was just a bit too predictable.

While some folks were leaving college with the weight of their parents expectations on their shoulders; I was leaving with the very real weight around my waist… and hips, butt, and anywhere else it could fit. I was an overachiever, as always, and had gained well over the ‘freshman 15’. Between day-time fast breaks to fast food and late-night alcohol washed down with pizza, I wasn’t feeling great going into my first job.

After one year and one promotion, company changes led to my being laid off. I was surrounded by really supportive boss, team, family and friends, yet I was still trying to find my footing as an adult.

Long story short, during a team-building holiday party, my boss took us to CrossFit. I vividly remember having to move a box under the rig to complete jumping pull-ups. It was in that moment, that I decided I wanted to come back to CrossFit, and I would keep coming back until I could do pull-ups without a box.

02 — Where it went

Over the course of the next ~5 years, I went through many phases.

My friend did keto with me and I quickly dropped over 30 pounds in about 3 months. I officially joined CrossFit with a weight advantage now to meet my pull-up goal.

I quickly found that keto was not fueling my days. There were times when I was light-headed and felt like I didn’t have the energy to really give it my all. At that point I reintroduced some carbs, learned about the Paleo diet, and ate sweet potatoes (not as fries).

I kept building muscle and loved being known as the strong badass woman. I would continuously achieve new PR’s and participate in competitions with friends. I really felt a strong connection with the CrossFit Community and will always be thankful for the lifelong friends I made.

There came a time, though, when I took a job across the country and unofficially left the CrossFit gym. It was way too expensive for my California budget, so I joined a small gym with lifting platforms and started to follow olympic lifting programming I could find for free online. I am forever grateful for companies willing to post their programming - it kept me achieving PR’s, feeling strong, and connected with the lifting community.

Through ebbs and flows and lots of customer travel, I managed to continue to regularly lift at the gym. To meet new people, I joined a hiking group that would regularly tackle over 1,000 elevation gain and over 6 miles of hiking. It was an all-day affair and I loved every minute of it. On Sundays it was beach volleyball, and Tuesday evenings were pick-up volleyball games. I was feeling active and more fit than ever.

Mentally, though, I was not in a great place. I felt alone, even with friends around. I missed my family, who were all 3 time zones and over 2,000 miles away. I ate pretty healthy most days, but I would frequently drink in excess and it fueled a spiral of work hard play hard. I started to realize that this city was not where I saw myself staying, so I decided to investigate where I would try next.

03 — Where I landed

After a brief weekend visit to the sunny state of Colorado, I was hooked. I had never lived anywhere like it - dry, sunny, and all the seasons. Halfway home, and halfway to work (since HQ was still in Cali). It was the perfect fit. So with a broken ankle and a lot of moving drama, I landed in Colorado.

At the time, I would drop-in at a CrossFit gym when I wanted a hard workout, and signed up for 24 Hour Fitness, which had locations in all of the cities I would frequently travel to for work. My network started to snowball during just a few months in Colorado. I had the most amazing boss, who referred me to my physical therapist (PT). My PT has continued to fix me time and time again as I’ve grown older and had my share of “oh no, that doesn’t feel right” moments. My physical therapist referred me to an amazing powerlifting coach. She coached me for a couple years as I regained my old strength, and broke all my PR’s.

I found a real love of accountability in those days. I would follow the programming (no matter where I was in the world), report back on my progress, and lift what I was told. I didn’t want to disappoint my coach, and she was always willing to take feedback. It always surprised me when the programming worked and I’d hit a new PR. I competed a few times locally and loved being a part of such a community.

Eventually, my coach moved away, and I went back to doing my own thing. I have been through phases of bodybuilding, powerlifting, CrossFit, yoga, Peloton, and love trying new gyms or new equipment. I have followed keto, Paleo, fasting and time-restricted eating; though never vegetarian or vegan. I’ve tracked steps, worn a Whoop - you get the point. I love trying new fitness activities. I am fascinated by the new capabilities with tech and health. And it was while on a walk that I decided the niche and my passion.

04 — Where I’m going

I want to have a long, healthy and happy life. I want to feel great and be as active and strong as possible as long as possible. And I don’t think that just happens on its own. I think we have to work at it. So what better way to work at it than to create a community of health nerds that will read, try new things (and hold each other accountable!), and then you decide what’s right for you. Keep the habit, ditch it for a new one. It’s really up to you what works for you (at a certain time in your life).