Dana Gibbs
I was shocked to get a request from Natalie to share my transformation story. I do not have pictures of myself to share. I have gained and lost and gained and lost around 50 pounds since I started at DGA in April of 2013. I am still in the process of getting control of my food addictions. I haven’t found the ability to eat food for fuel instead of pleasure. But it is coming! There are foods that I will not eat now because I know they make me feel terrible. I just wish chocolate made me sick….
The biggest transformation for me is my attitude towards life. I have done every other exercise regimen there is on the planet. I ran a half marathon. I finished P90X in a record 27 days (that’s a joke if you don’t know about P90X). I did aerobics, ellipticals, weight machines, walking, etc. All the same stuff that everyone else has tried. None of those changed me into a better person. CrossFit DGA did.
How did that happen? How do I still continue to grow as a person? Because this gym is a family. My family! Sibling rivalry was my driving force before, being the middle girl of three girls. Even though my parents and sisters didn’t compare us to each other, I compared myself to them and felt like the world did. I even ran that half marathon because Dedie ran one. (And unfortunately I picked a flat course during good weather, she ran in the winter mountains so she is the bomb!) I never participated whole-heartedly in sports before now. I did a Masters’ competition, because I’m an OLD MASTER, and won 3rd place. It was the first legitimate medal I ever won in my life. At 45 years old….Speaking of age, I hear so many people say they cannot do CrossFit because they are old. I say that is exactly why you should do CrossFit. There is no better way to slow the aging process than exercise including weight lifting. None.
CrossFit teaches you to compare yourself to you from yesterday. Not your WOD partner. Not your sister. Not the 8:30 class. Not the softball/soccer/baseball team that walk in and kill it and then win championships. Not the new people who are intimidated. Not the competition class. YOU. I am a better me today than I was yesterday. Because I CrossFit. Because 4 years ago i could barely do a pushup correctly from my knees. Now I can do real pushups. I can back squat over 200 pounds. I can climb a rope. I can do a pull-up or two. I can bring in $300 worth of groceries in one trip! I can help anyone move furniture. I can move 300 pound patients without hurting my back. I can run with my daughter to help her train for track. I can play on the floor with babies and get up without grunting. I can do competitions with family members and have fun while lifting PR’s over my head. And cheering for them when they kill our WOD. All of that is physical stuff CrossFit has allowed me to do.
Natalie asked me to do this right before the last week of the Open this year. I laughed inside because this year I wasn’t pleased with my performance. The Open shows your weak spots for sure, and it blew my mind this year. I was sad. But then I woke up and realized that I am not headed to the Games ever. I did better than I did last year. But I am headed home to take care of two precious daughters, three precious stepsons, and my wonderful husband. They need a healthier Dana Gibbs. A happier Dana Gibbs. And CrossFit make me happy and healthy. I am able to live by truth and not by emotion since I joined DGA. My focus is better. My prayer life is better. My walk with God is better. I realize that our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit to reside in, and we are directed by God to take care of our temple. It is amazing how clear it is to me now. Since April 2013.
The other attitude transformation for me is a huge desire to help others get healthy and stay that way. My family encouraged us to be active by example, I remember playing outside while my mother ran with her friends. There are so many obese children in our community! So many kids scared to try out for team sports because they aren’t the best. They aren’t super physically fit and they may run slow. I remember the bigger kids getting bullied when I was in school and I think it is worse now. I am a certified Level One trainer in CrossFit and I use that to teach children our program at DGA. I love seeing them sweat and work so hard, and say “how am I doing Mrs Dana?” My heart’s desire is to get every kid in our town moving, feeling physically better, emotionally stabler and accomplished. I love seeing them workout and then wait on their parents to finish working out, and then putting up the equipment together. We just finished a 5 week competition for the kids, and every week most of them got so discouraged that they teared up during the workout. But not a single one of them quit. Not one! They have all learned determination and drive and they know that when the clock beeps TIME…. you will regret not giving your all. That is my driving force….. that is my love of the gym….. that is my family.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I would love to help you help yourself and your children.