October Member of the Month

For our first Member of the Month, please help us celebrate Dawn Sebranek! 

Dawn has been a member at CFFA since 2015. Over the past 2 years she has seen many changes in the gym, from burpees to box jumps Dawn’s biggest successes and changes have been realized outside of the gym doing activities of daily living that used to be relatively difficult and inhibiting; gardening has become easier, flights of stairs don’t have her out of breath, laundry baskets are lighter, clothes are fitting looser, carrying groceries is easier, and her body feels better overall - she used to have body aches that she said some days she felt like she was 80!

Dawn has lived in Fort Atkinson for 25 years and has been a member at a few different gyms in town before finding the Crossfit gym. While she was hesitant to join because she thought that she wouldn’t be able to do the workouts, wouldn’t be able to keep up, and that she wouldn’t fit in, once she stepped into the gym she realized that was far from the truth! Dawn states that one of her favorite things about NorthFit is that no matter what class she attends, she is going to find someone there that she can talk to, and the sense of belonging to the group is a big part!

Additionally, the fact that every movement done in the gym, the coaches are willing and able to scale, making the whole gym very inclusive, are some reasons NorthFit has been the perfect match for Dawn.Recently in the gym we completed a 12-week squat cycle. Many members saw around a 20pound increase in their squats over that time – but Dawn increased her squat by 60 POUNDS! At the beginning she maxed out at 125# and ended the cycle at 185#! Another one of her big Crossfit successes that she shared was after a deadlift workout recently, she wanted to see what her 1 rep max would be. She started loading up the bar and everything kept feeling good. 

Well, welcome Dawn to the 200 club as she ended up deadlifting 205 pounds!! Go Dawn! Other accomplishments include but are not limited to; burpees to the smallest box (working on getting all the way to ground, started with the biggest!), overhead squatting 35# rather than the PVC, jumping on a box, and feeling WAY more mobile and flexible. Dawn even stated it is much easier for her to get out of some of Coach Trent’s crazy stretches ;)Dawn’s biggest motivator is a family history of health issues. From heart disease to cancer, Dawn knew she needed to make a change in her life and exercise and diet are the two biggest things for her. Making small diet changes and being in the gym a minimum of 3x a week. Already seeing the positive effects from these little changes Dawn knows she will continue coming to this gym.

When asking Dawn about her favorite “Pump Up” song, she listed off artists such as Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks. While she was in college, she enjoyed going to the country bars to line dance! When prompting Dawn about “if she could be any animal and why?”, she came up with a monkey because it can climb ropes, swing, do things such as pull-ups, chest to bar, muscle ups, and toes to bar – all movements even avid Crossfitters have to work at every day, and movements Dawn once never thought she could do.  Now, Dawn comes in every day with a smiling face, each day getting closer to her goals. She is a perfect example of what it means to consistently show up, be present and work towards a better you.Congratulations Dawn! You have come a long way since you’ve started and you’re not done yet! We are SO proud of you :)