By: Karen Soltis
At 52, with years of sitting in front of a computer at work, a thickening waistline and some minor aches and pains, I decided ENOUGH. It was time to reclaim the energy I had when I was younger. I want to have the best 52 year old body I can possibly have (truth be told, I want my 30 year old figure back- hey, miracles can happen).
Last Fall as I was driving by Arsenal Strength, there was a young man pulling a very large tire on a chain down the sidewalk. It made me laugh but also curious as to what was going in the building.
I signed up for the No Sweat Intro and did some research on CrossFit. Friends and family expressed concerns about injuries; that the focus is on young hardcore athletes, not middle aged women and their list of potential hazards went on and on. So, I ignored them.
In all honesty, I was overwhelmed after the first Intro class. Who was I kidding, I WAS too old, out of breath and physically weak.
Well, it’s been about three months and my physical transformation is coming along slowly, but surely. With encouragement from Brooks and other CrossFitters, along with scaling some of the workouts and lots of griping about burpees on my part, I’m doing what I thought I couldn’t.
This coming Fall, friends and I are planning to bike the Great Allegheny Passage trail and thanks to CrossFit and the crew at Arsenal Strength, I know I’m not too old for that either.