December Member of the Month

Vicki has been a member with NorthFit Creamery Home of CrossFit Fort Atkinson since the doors have opened! When we first opened, she and a group of ladies knew the three guys (Brandon Housley, Sean Krause and Jeb Simmons) opening the gym and wanted to show their support. Since then, Vicki has continued to be very committed and has seen so much progress as an athlete over the years being a part of NorthFit. 

Before joining NorthFit, Vicki was very active in a variety of different exercise regimes, but she would often become bored with them or reach a "plateau". Focusing on cardiovascular fitness with some strength components included in her training. What held her back from joining was the idea that CrossFit would focus more on the strength and conditioning aspect which she hadn't been focusing on in her previous workouts. Vicki feared that a CrossFit workout may be "too intense", she could get injured, or that she would bulk up. Since joining NorthFit Vicki has noticed many changes, both inside and outside of the gym. During the last Squat Cycle that we completed at the gym, she saw a 35# PR!!!! She notes that her form when completing movements has improved as well as her confidence when performing movements such as; Clean & Jerks, Snatches, and Thrusters - previous to her CrossFit journey she had never done much heavy lifting overhead! 

In 2015 Vicki used NorthFit to help her rehab from hip replacement surgery and did not let that hold her back or use it as an excuse! Vicki enjoys going for bike rides with her husband as she is able to keep up with him and move more efficiently, and can even pass him going up the hill sometimes! (See photo above - Vicki SMILING while on the Assault Bike, now thats not something we see often) There are many things that keep Vicki coming back but most notably it is the camaraderie of all the other members in the class. She enjoys the sense of competing and pushing themselves but to always cheer on and help others get through a workout, she enjoys her WOD buddies no matter what class that she attends.

 Vicki has learned that no matter how hard a workout may look on the board, you just need to break it up into sets that are attainable for you and just keep moving to get it done. Without NorthFit, if she saw a workout like some of the ones she has completed she would have felt overwhelmed and just quit. With the class atmosphere, Vicki enjoys the variety of workouts we do and how they are workouts that she would never do on her own. Being with the class and working with others, she enjoys the feeling of determination she gets to keep pushing even when things get tough! 

A couple goals that Vicki has moving forward would to be doing a strict pull up (or two) without a band, to use the 10lb wall ball rather than the 6lb, and she saved the best for last - to opt for the assault bike more often when given a choice between that and the rower (Oh don't worry Vicki, us coaches can help you our with that one!).Vicki believes that the lessons she has learned about determination and pushing through has transferred to other parts of her life to help weather any storm. 

Overall, Vicki feels more energized in life. She feels that she is turning back or at the very least keeping the aging process at bay. With a family history of health problems that could have been avoided/delayed with better lifestyle choices, Vicki is being proactive with her health. She stated, "I'm 62 but i have started to ask myself, "I wonder if i will still be doing this when I'm 70?" More and more my answer is 'why not?'."We hope you are continuing this fitness/health journey with us as well Vicki! Keep up the amazing work and continue to push yourself and your fellow WOD buddies!