December 2016
Congratulations to Clarissa Roberts for being named Athlete of the Month for December. She is a great example of consistency and hard work. She is a regular at the 5:30 am class and we are lucky to have her at the gym!
1. Please tell us about yourself: I've been married to my husband Caleb for 10 years. I'm a stay at home Mom of our two crazy boys, aged 9 and 6 (which really means I'm a full time chef, personal assistant, house keeper, personal shopper, laundress, time management guru, family mediator, taxi service and kisser of boo-boos, among other things).
2. When did you become a member at Defiance West? Around July of 2015.
3. What made you join Defiance West and why do you do it now? Kirby Ingelhart got me started. She'd been trying to get me to come with her for a few months, and I finally decided to go because I had hit a major slump with my regular fitness "routine."
4. What were your thoughts after your first workout? "This is not what I expected...in the best possible way!" I was always intimidated by the idea of this style of gym, but after the very first class I realized that this was something much better, and easily suited to everyone's individual needs. And our little community is really great about making newcomers feel welcome and comfortable.
5. What is your athletic background? I played a few years of softball and volleyball in high school, worked out here and there through my time in the military and after, but I didn't really become serious about fitness until after my kids were born, and I found a love for running. However, I found my enthusiasm dropping off after a few years, so Defiance came along at just the right time.
6. What is your favorite movement or workout? I love deadlifts and squats of all kinds, but I also really have fun working on muscle ups on the rings. They're frustrating but fun!
7. What is your least favorite? Burpees, bikes, and double unders. The trifecta of suck!
8. What has been your favorite or proudest moment since joining? There hasn't been any one particular moment, I've just had little moments. Like realizing that I lifted a little more than last week, or did one more pull-up, or was able to do another rep of something a little easier than I could before.
9. How has Defiance West changed your life, lifestyle, and level of fitness? I can honestly say that at age 38 I'm in better shape than I was when I was 28. Cory and the other trainers have reinforced my understanding of learning and using proper technique, knowing my body but being open to challenges, going to the gym consistently but recognizing when my body needs a rest, and being aware of what I'm putting in my body.
10.What are your fitness goals for this year? Just keep working on my strength, but now that yoga has been added to the programming, I can work on my flexibility too, which I really need!
11.What is something most people don’t know about you? I am a total SciFi and Fantasy nerd.
12.What advice would you give to people looking to get started at our gym? Don't get discouraged if you don't figure out a lift or movement the first time you try it, it just takes practice. Know that you CAN do it, just be patient and open to the experience of learning something new.
