This week we have a blog from our very own Sue Ryan! Sue is a member at CFP Strength and mainly attends Olympic Weightlifting classes. In her blog Sue shares her experience and how far she has come since starting at CFP. Enjoy!

A New Pair of Shoes Today, I received a new pair of shoes, weightlifting shoes to be exact. Now, you wouldn’t think that this would be something that would require the attention of a blog or even necessarily to boast on Facebook, but for me it is huge. One year ago I made a commitment to Cross fit Progression. It was after my doctor told me I was pre diabetic and that I could take medicine or build muscle. I was 56 years of age, and although I had ran for 30 years, I lacked muscle tone and had no upper body strength to speak of. I remember one of the coaches asked me to do a handstand; I was pretty sure I was going to collapse on my head and break my neck. I was sure I couldn’t do a lunge or a squat because my knees would hurt (too much running, I suspect). More than once I thought I should just join an aerobics class with people my age and that I was definitely out of my league. However, all the workouts could be scaled down and no one seemed to care if you were doing the fitness level or the sport level. Some days, I would mix it up, other days not so much. If I was nervous about the WOD the beginner Olympic weight lifting class was always a safe bet. I could work at my own speed, I was learning technique and the weight I lifted was not emphasized. I have gone full time at the Crossfit Progression Strength Gym over the past 6 months. I love it! I love it when Nic yells, “TIGHT” or “Nice Lift Sue”. Every day, I enter the gym; I am focused on the lifting. The worries of the day are gone. It’s the best hour of the day. It took me a long time to commit to the shoes. Buying the shoes symbolizes something to me and changes my identity. Could I really do Olympic Weight Lifting? It symbolizes that I am stronger, and it has given me a “can do” attitude in more than one area of my life. I thank Nic and all the coaches at Crossfit that have encouraged me, scaled things for me and laughed with me. I have gained muscle at a greater rate than any running endeavor, yoga or aerobics class that I had taken. I am not on diabetic medicine and did not follow my genetic disposition for doing so. My goal for the next year is to PR on my snatch and my clean and jerk, conquer doubleunders and yes to do a handstand. Who would have thought, at my age I could be stronger, faster and healthier. To quote Nic, “Everyday is a good day when you lift!” Thanks for letting me experience that.

written by: Sue Ryan