For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Stacey and I attend the PM WODs. Any given weeknight, you can find me working on skill progressions, running around bootcamp and lifting heavy with our amazing community of athletes. But this wasn’t always the case. My CrossFit journey started in 2017 when I joined BCF and I haven’t looked back. I am so thankful that I found BCF!

Growing up, I played every sport imaginable (baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, gymnastics, surfing, and bikram yoga) without ever being a master at one, except maybe karate, which I trained for 15+ years. I was always active then, life took over. My career had me traveling all over the country for years on various campaign initiatives, so I wasn’t able to be consistent with working out and my nutrition turned to garbage. For those who don’t know, a campaign diet and lifestyle consists of whatever cheap, easy volunteer food you can find to stuff your face (Little Caesar’s $5 pizzas, anyone???) during long, 16+ hour workdays. The thought of staying healthy and committing to exercise was laughable. There were hardly enough hours in the day to sleep! My weight fluctuated. There were times I was underweight due to lack of eating (usually around election days) then, there were times I was overweight (typically after election season when I would actually start eating again!). I would try to work out when I could, going to a Gold’s gym or yoga class, but I was never healthy.

Then, in 2015, I moved to D.C. and started working normal hours and developing a routine. After ten years on the campaign trail, this was quite refreshing! I had so much more time on my hands and, for the first few months, I battled with the rush hour traffic every night before realizing I could spend that time in traffic at a gym. So, I did some research and joined Orangetheory Fitness. At first, this was great – it helped me develop an after-work routine and get back into just being active, in general. I even ran my first couple Spartan races and a full marathon during this time, both significant achievements and bucket list items for me!

However, I quickly plateaued with OTF and never really got any help/advice from the coaching staff, even though I was craving it. I asked the coaches multiple times what I could do to get better results. Their advice – come to class more, even though I was already going 4-6 days per week. I asked for help with nutrition. Their advice – try the latest fad diet, Whole 30. I even asked for heavier weights when the 10-12 pound dumbbells felt light. Their advice – stay light and increase reps. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed. I wanted better results, to dial in my nutrition, to become healthy after years of unhealthy habits. OTF just didn’t fit the bill, so I started looking around again.

That’s when I found BCF’s New You program and thought, why not? The day I came in to interview with the coaches, the class was working on rope climbs. Rope climbs had always alluded me and I wanted to run a Spartan race where I actually completed the rope climb rather than the 30-burpee penalty. I was sold. I signed up for the 6-week New You program on the spot. It was the best decision I’ve made for my health and well-being in years!

During the initial 6 weeks, I was overwhelmed, yet excited. I saw strong women repping out pull-ups, lifting heavy weights and crushing the workouts. I wanted to be like them and to train at the same level they were. They were an inspiration and my motivation. During that initial 6 weeks, I felt sorer than I had in years and knew I had found the place I was looking for. The coaches not only cared about my goals, but also actually coached! They provided scaling options for everything and focused on form and technique over heavy lifting in order to prevent injury. I started feeling like an actual athlete again and I completely bought into the CrossFit hype. Coach Alex even provided excellent advice and resources for dialing in my nutrition. She talked to me about macro counting and referred me to different nutrition coaching programs, like Renaissance Periodization. Coupled with the BCF New Year Nutrition Challenge, I gained a new understanding of food and performance eating.

Fast forward to present day. I’ve lost 20 pounds of fat while increasing my lean muscle mass. My body fat percentage has dropped 10% and I’ve gone from zero pull-ups to repping out pull-ups like the ladies who motivated me when I started. I even got bar muscle-ups! I’m running a sub 8-minute mile again and heavy lifting is now part of my routine where it was never a thought. All my gymnastic skills – from HSPU to handstand holds and walks – have come back, and I feel stronger and faster than ever. I’m healthier and fitter than I’ve ever been in my adult life. People say its harder to get in shape as you get older. I say those people just haven’t found their BCF.

Don’t get me wrong, this journey has been long and hard and completely dependent on my own determination and motivation. I’ve had ups and downs. I work two crazy jobs, travel a lot (for both business and pleasure), try to maintain a social life, and spend time with family. The excuses to slack off are everywhere, but I’ve committed to myself, to creating the best version of me I can, and I thank BCF and the coaches for giving me the tools, encouragement, and environment to do just that.

Everyone’s fitness and health journey is personal but, by maintaining commitment and surrounding yourself with a supportive network, like BCF, there is no doubt that you will reach your personal goals. After the hard work I have put in so far, I’m proud of where I’m at, but more excited for where this journey can take me!

Andrea’s CrossFit Journey:
I started Foundations at BCF about in September of 2018 after having a year of hospitalizations due to several heart conditions I have had since birth. Exercise had always been a struggle and source of fear for me, because I never knew what was normal and what wasn’t. At 42, I found myself having 3 surgeries within 2 months and being in intensive care needing a pacemaker.
So when I finally recovered from all of that, I decided to get serious about doing something to get fit.  Honestly, I chose CrossFit because it was close to work. Everyone thought I was crazy for going from never exercising to CrossFit.  I admit, I was completely intimidated when I walked in and all of these strong people were finishing their WOD, doing pull ups with sweat pouring off of them and music pumping.  I felt like an alien. I started to cry before anyone could even say hello. But I was tired of feeling bad about myself and being scared, so I committed for 6 weeks. I fully intended to quit after that.  I thought I just needed to jump-start my metabolism and knock a few pounds off to get some momentum. CrossFit is not at all what I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be super competitive with people yelling in your face like a drill sergeant.  I could not have been more wrong.
It was difficult.  Honestly, the difference between success and failure is to just keep showing up.  Without exception the coaches at BCF are very sweet and supportive and their top priority is making sure you are safe, but you will work hard every time.  I could barely do the exercises with my own body weight and I really was the worst one in the foundations class. (You can read about how terrible I was here.).  Luckily, I had nowhere to go but up…and I did, really pretty fast.  Once I learned the basics, I found that each class I could do a little more and had to mod a little less.  Now I am still not doing pull ups or muscle ups or anything close to that…but I am getting stronger each week.
Even though I felt like a train wreck and embarrassed and quite frankly sometimes scared to do things, I knew the only way to fail was to quit.  I had quit so many times before and I had been unhappy with myself for too long. After the 1st 6 weeks, I signed a 3 month contract…still intending to quit after that.  In that time I have gotten so much stronger, leaner, healthier and more confident.  The confidence I have gained in CrossFit has affected other parts of my life as well.  I can’t even count the amount of people on social media and those I see in different parts of the country for work who are fascinated that I am doing this.  My co-workers see me come and go from the office in my gym clothes and ask what the WOD was that day or how much I lifted. These same people sent me flowers and gift cards a year ago because I was in intensive care and now they say my fitness journey is inspiring them to get to the gym themselves.
I still have so far to go!  I am humbled that Tucker and the coaches have asked me to write this story, because I think I am only in the first part of my journey.  I can tell you that if I can do CrossFit ANYONE can do CrossFit. If you are on the fence about the cost, I will say that the cost keeps me accountable.  It is more than many other gyms out there, but the quality of the coaching and the results are so worth it. Also, I am always making sure I use every single class, because the cost is a sacrifice for my family.  I owe it to them to give it my full effort.
I have signed on for another contract but I no longer intend to quit.  I am less anxious, stronger and more confident than ever before. I don’t watch the scale every week like I used to, but somehow whenever I do get on it, I’ve dropped a couple more pounds.  I’ve lost 26 pounds since I walked in the door at BCF 6 months ago. I no longer crop my body out of pictures for social media. Many of my clothes fit better or I have had to just get rid of a lot of them because they are just too big.  Once something doesn’t fit, I donate it because I never want to go backwards again. I spent my whole adult life losing and gaining the same 20 pounds. I feel like I have broken that cycle.
I am still the sweaty mess in the back of the class struggling to keep up most of the time, but I am very thankful to the whole BCF team, who has truly changed my life for the better and inspire me to be my best.  I also want to thank the many members who are so nice and supportive, especially during partner workouts when I clearly am going to slow them down. For the first time in my life, I had an normal EKG. So I am only considering this to be part one of my CrossFit success story.  I think the best is yet to come!

I was one of those late bloomers to working out.  Although I participated in cross country running while in high school (always coming in the last scoring position for my team – mainly because we only had five people on my team), the next decade of my life was spent on getting my educational degrees.  After turning 30 and not being able to do more than 2 pushups, I realized that I had been neglecting my physical health and that it was time to start getting serious at a gym. Unfortunately, I’m the type of person who lacks the self-discipline necessary to carry out a personal fitness regime.  Almost anything distracted me from my workouts. Most days were spent forming excuses for why I didn’t have to go to the gym. With no coach or workout partner to push me through those lackluster days, my physical fitness failed to improve.

At 35, I decided to try something entirely different – yoga.  Because yoga was held in a class environment, which is something I found that I enjoyed more, I stuck with it longer.  I was actually pretty good at yoga, but a severe spinal injury caused by improperly lifting a weight on one of my few gym outings set me back for years and, eventually, a whole decade.  My health had deteriorated to the point where I had to crawl up the steps in my own house to move from floor to floor because of the severe and crippling spinal pain I was enduring. I couldn’t sit down at restaurants for dinner longer than 10 minutes.  I couldn’t see a movie in a movie theater because of the pain from sitting still. In an effort to find help, I cycled through pain management clinics in the area, until I finally found one that worked for me.

Because the epidurals given to me by the doctors at the pain clinic allowed me to work out again, I started to read up on how to combat severe spinal pain and saw that people who did exercises that strengthened their core complained less about back and radiating leg pain.  Four months prior to having major surgery scheduled to fuse my spine, I decided to take fitness a mixture of yoga and pilates classes to focus on strengthening my core. In just three months, I had gotten myself to the point where surgery was no longer necessary. Now I could subsist on epidurals every few months.

But I was still in pain.

It was then that I thought about CrossFit.  If I really wanted to strengthen my core, why not go all the way and do the most challenging fitness routine I could find.  I signed up for Foundations at Ballston CrossFit in September 2017, after receiving my last bilateral epidural. The classes were fun, and very challenging, but not impossible – and I began to notice changes in my core as well as the rest of my body almost immediately.  Not only was my stomach getting flatter and my back getting stronger, but my arms and legs were more muscular. Everything was coming together to ease my chronic pain.

I am now five months into CrossFit at BCF, and I haven’t had one epidural.  I no longer suffer from crippling lumbar and radiating leg pain. I can now do a rope climb, something I had never been able to do (I was always the kid in gym class who jumped up onto the rope and counted it as an actual climb).  I can now eat dinner at a restaurant without standing up every five minutes. I watched the entirety of The Last Jedi in a movie theater without so much as a twinge of pain.

Soon I expect I’ll be able to do a double under…and then maybe even two of them in a row.  It’s very rewarding to be at peak form in the middle of your life and to continue to make breakthroughs almost every month.  Sure, I’ll never be the guy who hits the real heavy weights or who completes a working in just a few minutes. But training at Ballston CrossFit, with its high emphasis on completing exercises using correct form, and its high-caliber teachers who genuinely inspire you, is making me a better athlete.  And, in doing, so it’s making me enjoy a pain-free life – something that 10 years ago, I never would have thought possible.

Waddle + WOD = Happy Mommas
Meet 3 BCF first-time moms who didn’t put the barbell down while pregnant, they just modified!
Heather Swietlik

• Kiddo: Max (15mo)
• Years cross fitting prior to pregnancy: 3.5 years, Fx most WODs, some Rx
• Things to note:  
  • Had a smooth pregnancy and delivery
  • Throughout my pregnancy I was able to continue CrossFit, making modifications when necessary
  • I was cleared to come back to CrossFit 4 weeks after having Max, which surprised me! My doctor said listen to your body and ease back into things.
  • I was amazed at my muscle memory!

EB Srygley

• Kiddo: Jackson (9mo)
• Years or CrossFit prior to pregnancy: 3 years, Fx most WODs, some Rx
• Things to note:
  • I had major pelvic bone movement during pregnancy
  • Had a Murph Birth (went labor the evening of Memorial Day, after doing pregnant lady modified version of a CrossFit “hero” workout named Murph)
  • Experienced contractions/Braxton hicks starting 4 days before birth. had a very fast hospital labor – 2.5hrs!
  • Had an emergency C-section due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around baby
  • Felt post-partum optimism and excitement
  • Did not return to BCF for over 10 weeks
  • Did a beginner level competition 5 months post-partum (very slowly!) and looking to do an Rx competition in May 2018!

 
Calli Stoll

• Kiddo: Harper (7mo)
• Years cross fitting prior to pregnancy: 5 years, Rx most WODs
• Things to note:
  • Worked out until the day I went into labor
  • I was almost 2 weeks late delivering, Harper took her time
  • Lost the majority of my baby weight by the time I came home from the hospital
  • Lost quite a bit of muscle and strength, but it is coming back quickly
  • Made my way back to BCF at 4 weeks – yoyo’d back into things
  • After just a few months, now feeling full strength and capability again in the gym

CrossFitting while pregnant is a very personal journey. As most doctors will tell you, do not start anything new once you are pregnant, that includes CrossFit, but, if you’ve been CrossFitting prior to pregnancy there is no reason not to continue (there are a few exceptions). In fact, for us, BCF was a great home to bond with other pregnant/post-partum moms, get advice, feel encouraged, and feel healthy while pregnant. Now that we are Moms, BCF has been very supportive by modifying movements, encouraging us, and welcoming our little ones into the BCF family! Women have been preg

nant and physically active for thousands of years, the key is to know your body, listen to your body, and do what you think is best – the female body is AMAZING!

What was the highlight of CrossFitting while pregnant/post pregnancy?

• Heather: While pregnant- being able to stay active/keep moving! I really enjoy working out, so being able to work out throughout my pregnancy helped me mentally and physically. Post pregnancy- feeling stronger! While it took a while to get back into a rhythm, I quickly started feeling stronger than I’d felt before pregnancy. I recently did the benchmark workout, “Fran” and beat my previous (pre-baby) time by over one minute!
• EB: Feeling good mentally – I hear a ton about post-partum depression and anxiety, I believe working out while pregnant, and setting goals to get back into BCF helped my mental state immensely!! Other random highlights: still doing double-unders and handstands in my 3^rd Trimester – for whatever reason they didn’t bother me. Also, the day I told Head Coach Tucker I was pregnant and he replied “I’ve suspected for a while” probably because I was insanely slow.
• Calli: Getting out of the house and into the gym gives me the sense of freedom, strength, and happiness I need to be a good mom.  I love bringing Harper along, anyone and everyone will offer to hold your baby, so if you can’t fly solo, you can always bring your sidekick along; it could be the start of a great bonding opportunity for the two of you!

What was most challenging?

• Heather: The first few months back at the gym were hard for me. First, I wanted to jump right back into things, but obviously my body needed time. It was frustrating when I felt tired or winded from a work out. It was hard finding the time to make it to the gym! I set a goal of 4 times per week. husband and I (coach Justin) created a schedule that would allow us both to make it to the gym without sacrificing too much time away from Max. I quickly realized sleep and the gym beat out TV time!
• EB: C-section recovery sucks! I hated not being able to do anything for 6+ weeks. 4^th Trimester is a real thing and was a very difficult time for me physically – harder than CrossFitting while pregnant. It was hard not being consistent – I missed CrossFit & BCF friends. It’s still a difficult balance finding time to WOD and be a mom.
• Calli: There were times when I struggled to show up to a sport that I love because I was too tired, too slow, too uncomfortable, too frustrated, too blah, blah, blah, blah. I would say one of the biggest challenges I’ve experienced as a new mom is finding the time to consistently workout.  When I’m not working, I want to spend as much time with Harper as possible… and let me tell you, Mom guilt is the real deal.  Unless my baby is sleeping (and sometimes even then) I experience feelings of guilt, shame, sadness, and overall like I’m going to miss some major milestone when I leave her.

What are your current goals?

• Heather: Get to the gym 4 times per week. Keeping track of how many days I make it to the gym each week is a mental motivator for me.
• EB: to get in a routine of working out at least 3 classes/week.
• Calli: To set a goal and accomplish it! Right now I’m just trying to get into the gym and move.
• Heather: Get my ring muscle ups back (which I just accomplished after this was written!)! Before pregnancy I was able to do both bar and ring muscle ups. I got bar muscle ups back relatively quickly (I think because I continued to do pull ups throughout pregnancy), but have struggled with ring muscle ups.
• EB: Rx a competition by Jackson’s 1^st Birthday!

 

What advice would you give to other pregnant Crossfitters?

• Heather: You can always modify a movement. The BCF coaching staff helped immensely with this. The biggest modification I made during pregnancy was shortening my rounds/reps in a workout. Listen to your body! You should be able to have a conversation in between movements. This is how I gauged whether I was pushing myself too hard.
• EB: Tell your coaches early (don’t worry they are good at keeping is a secret) and do research, there are tons of ways to adapt and modify.
• Calli: Just show up and move.  Do whatever you feel you can (and your doctor will allow).  Listen to your body, but know it is capable of more than you could ever imagine.  You’ve helped to create, grow, and have/will birth a human!  There will also be days when you feel motivated, determined, capable, and both physically and mentally strong, because you are!  My advice on these days, enjoy and crush it!
• Heather: Set reasonable goals for yourself. This helped me stay focused and push through, even when I wanted to quit.
• EB: DO NOT go all out! I see women get competitive while pregnant and it makes me cringe. Your body is doing the biggest WOD of its life – creating a baby!
• Heather: Track your workouts! I tracked everything in an app called MyWOD. This allowed me to see progress during and after pregnancy. I quickly built back my strength, however getting my cardio level back took about 6 months.
• EB: Give yourself grace, it took your body 9 months to make a baby – it will take it 9 months to recover. Don’t expect to be back at CrossFit right away and defiantly don’t expect to be back at your old endurance/strength/skill level.
• Heather: post pregnancy: set a goal to attend the gym 4 days per week, even if it is just to stretch. I gave myself 4-6 weeks to slowly transition back before I “pushed myself.” The BCF coaching staff welcomed me back post baby and continued to help modify movements and workouts those first few weeks back. Movements I didn’t work on during pregnancy like sit-ups, I couldn’t do 4 weeks postpartum, but movements I worked on throughout my pregnancy (pull ups) I could still do!
• Calli: Don’t be so hard on yourself.  You need (and deserve) to do things for yourself in order to be the best dang mama you can be which for me includes getting into the gym to throw around some weight … and if all else fails… drink wine!

We are very excited to still be CrossFitting, achieving new goals, and passing the love of exercise onto our babies! If you’re an expecting momma, flag us down – we would love to answer any questions!