For the first time ever here at Endeavor Fitness we are going to start the trend of honouring a member of the month from our amazing community. As coaches, we often get to spend the time watching our class and are amazed by the work our students and athletes are able to pull off.
To be quite honest, we rave to one another about some of the things you’re all able to do. We take a significant amount of pride in it and believe you should too.
So, we decided that we would take time once a month to celebrate one of our members for their time spent within the walls of the gym doing something extraordinary but also outside the walls. If someone is doing something incredible for the community and making the Valley a better place to live, let’s celebrate that too! After all, we’re training fitness at Endeavor Fitness but the goal is about becoming better human beings overall.
Without further ado then, let’s take the time to celebrate and congratulate Michelle Wall for being named the member of the month for the month of December 2017. Nearly three years ago, Michelle walked through the doors at Endeavor Fitness after reaching what she calls a milestone birthday and wanted to refocus her life after the difficult loss of her father.
Upon visiting the Doctor around that time and stepping on the scale, she had what she calls an epiphany.
“I was heavier than I had been full term with any of my 3 children. The scales don’t lie. I remember standing there as the nurse kept adjusting the slide and thinking this can’t be right,” she said. “My Dr. advised me to get out and walk, even if it was just to the post office and I thought, wow, that’s what they recommend for older people. Then of course I thought, wait a minute. I am old. And further, I am weak.”
She considered a number of options to try and get healthier (skiing, hiking, yoga) and decided with the help of her Doctor that CrossFit may be the route to her success. Upon arriving at the gym, she like many, was amazed at the work of some of the students jumping on boxes and more or less doing things she once considered impossible.
Michelle started first with two days per week before gradually increasing her work with her success following closely behind. After six weeks, Michelle became a devoted member of the 6 AM class going with friends to the class and was amazed with the success she was seeing.
After her one year anniversary at the gym, Michelle signed up for the Rocky Mountain Soap Company 5 km race in Canmore with her friend Lianne Lang to celebrate their anniversary in fitness. She finished top 10 in her age group.
“It was another small victory in this picture that I am still creating. I lost a fair amount of weight, but this is incidental really to the story,” she said.
“Because I am becoming fit and strong I am changing and the weight is just a reflection of that. I don’t weigh in very often, maybe once every 2-3 months. The scale does not define me. Getting through a WOD like Marsdon does. Can I finish? Am I mentally and physically strong enough to endure?”
Michelle isn’t done there either. Her next goal is to compete in the CrossFit Open–the premier test of fitness that occurs each year as a five-week long international competition opening at the end of February. Her biggest takeaway from her journey is that CrossFit and fitness are for everyone is a way for her to continue to enjoy spending time with her family and friends for the rest of her life. As she says, it’s this family aspect in and outside of the gym that keeps her going, rep by rep, workout by workout.
Really it’s this mindset that made Michelle a great story for our first Member of the Month.
“It is supportive and inclusive. Everyone can participate. That’s what Endeavor is like anyways. Everyone just wants everyone else to succeed. To get that first, that personal best. And cheer you on when you don’t think you can do it, but you can.”
“My goal is to be as fit as I can until I can’t. That means to be active and strong, lifting weights for the rest of my life. To ski, hike, bike and all the rest in between with my family and friends right to the end.”