The Member Spotlight goes to someone who demonstrates the characteristics necessary for success, both in and out of the gym. Danielle has been a member here for a couple years, but recently has set some big goals, worked really hard to increase her consistency through the summer and last month found herself on the Commitment Club list! We asked her some questions about her fitness journey and her experiences here at the gym so far:
There was a Facebook ad in my newsfeed for a six-week fitness challenge and I decided to respond to the ad because I felt like it was time to do something just for me! Being a full-time working mom of three kids, I really needed to find something to help me restart my physical fitness. Brenda contacted me within a day or so to schedule a consultation and I immediately signed up. After the six-week challenge was over, I was still craving more and didn't want to stop what I started. I signed up to become a regular member and I've been attending ever since, and I absolutely love it! It's exciting to see results and discover what I'm capable of achieving!
I signed up for the six-week challenge thinking I would look better after the challenge was over. While that was somewhat true, probably more importantly, the most noticeable change for me has been to my self-esteem and emotional well-being. I've never done any physical activity long enough or regularly enough to see a change in my body, where I actually felt really happy with the way I looked. CrossFit is the first sport that I have stuck to, and the physical results are very noticeable to me and I am proud of those results so far. Honestly, this is the best shape I've ever been in and I feel more confident than I have ever felt. CrossFit isn't just about physical results for me though, it's about the mental well-being results I've achieved as well.
I really enjoy all the strength training, probably because it's cool to see how much weight I can lift as a female. With that said, my favorite strength exercise is the snatch! While I am still developing my form, it's my favorite exercise because I find it to be such a beautiful and strong movement! I love watching athletes perform snatches and I'm always watching YouTube videos to find ways I can improve my form at that gym. I am excited for the day when my snatches are on point and technically smooth so that they look like the videos I watch of athletes doing the movement so flawlessly. ;-)
Hmm, good question! Well, my fellow gym members probably don't know that I started my own jewelry company back in the early 2000's. As a result, I've made several custom wedding ring sets for friends and family including my own wedding set. I also sold my jewelry at Costco Wholesale. While I am no longer make jewelry as a living (I recently found my passion in the mortgage industry), I still very much love art and creativity. Whenever I have "spare" time, I like to do creative projects that involve fashion and jewelry.
Yes, I do have another goal besides perfecting my snatch! I'd like to enter one of those bikini/fitness contests. I was never a "skinny" child. In fact, I struggled with my weight for most of my adolescent life, and I was bullied for being fat. It would be quite an accomplishment for me to discipline myself to the lengths it would take to actually be ready to compete in one of those contests. I have a couple of friends who have trained for them who are also full-time working moms and I am inspired to do the same. I think it would be the next level of a self-esteem and confidence boost for me.
