Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.

State your Name and/or Nickname please:

Lauren

Words to live by?

“Eventually all things fall into place, until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason”

What is your fitness background?

I competed in synchronized swimming for 13 years, from 8 years old through college. Once my time as a synchro swimmer came to an end I wanted to find something I enjoyed to stay in shape, and found cCossFit!

How long have you been CrossFitting?

Almost 10 months now

Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?

I was so excited to get back into a gym and a routine again after 6 months of gyms being closed from Covid. But I was also super nervous to be somewhere new and not know anyone. I remember struggling with the workout, as I still do more often than not, but there are a lot of movements I can do now that I couldn’t before.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?

100% the people! I love the culture at CFA. All of the coaches and members are amazing!

Current Training Goals/PRs?

Consistent pull ups and double unders. Improve my handstand push ups. And as always, lift heavy!!

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?

Don’t be afraid to go at your own pace, scale as needed, and listen to your body. Just show up with a positive attitude and get it done one way or another!

How do you balance staying focused in your training and in your life?

By making Crossfit a priority in my everyday schedule. It’s easy to do when I love coming to the gym as much as I do.

What is your cheat meal go-to?

Pizookies

How do you use your fitness outside of the gym?

I love going on hikes, runs and biking on the weekends. Also, the occasional push up competition with my coworkers & the soccer league I’m a part of with work.

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.

Most recently there was a workout where I was going to do it RX, but then the pull ups seemed impossible at the end of the workout so I was ready to grab a band and scale it. But everyone cheered me on and coached me through it and I was able to finish it RX which I didn’t think I could do. It showed me I’m capable of more than I think sometimes, especially with the awesome support from others 🙂

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your fitness journey?

Working out used to feel like it was a chore and something I had to do to stay in shape and look good which was always a battle. Luckily since I’ve started crossfit that has changed SO much. I workout now because I love the way I feel after and the people and energy I’m surrounded by.

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?

It would definitely be a short AMRAP with lots of lifting, especially overhead.

What keeps you going on the days you don’t feel like it?

What keeps me getting up at 5am to workout is knowing I get to see all my gym friends! Also knowing that everyday I get into the gym is another opportunity to improve and work towards my goals.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

Swimming, photography, anything outdoors, yoga, watching live music, and traveling.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…

I grew up celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah with parents of different religious backgrounds which was super cool.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…

I’m super grateful to be a part of this community and for all the kindness and support from the coaches and members!! Y’all are the best 🙂

CrossFit Austin will be hosting Murph Day Saturday (6/26/2021) honoring the memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy and all fallen veterans. Lieutenant Murphy was killed in Afghanistan on June 28th, 2005. This workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he named it “Body Armor”. We will honor a focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.

REGISTER HERE

“Murph”

For time:
1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

*Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed.
**Teams of 2, 3, or 4 (max 4 people) are welcome.
***All movements can be scaled.
****Be sure to wear your twenty pound vest or body armor if you have it.

EVENT SPECIFICS:

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Event Registration + Shirt – Deadline – June 13th

• $40 for participating athletes
• Athlete entry fee includes registration & t-shirt costs and donations

Event Registration without Shirt

• $25 for participating athletes
• Athlete entry fee includes registration costs and donations

***Shirt ONLY (non-participant) – Deadline – June 13th

• $25 for shirt only
• All proceeds from t-shirt sales will be donated

SHIRTS – The image is the concept image and may have some slight changes to the final product.

Bella Canvas Unisex Tee

Bella Canvas Unisex Tank

Bella Canvas Women’s Racerback

EVENT DETAILS

• This event is open to all – members and non-members 
• Athletes must arrive at 30 minutes prior to their heat to warm-up, sign-in, and pick up shirts 
• Heat times start at 8:00 am, 9:15 am, and 10:30 am 
• Spectators are welcome – dogs are not allowed at the facility
• Donations are welcome and can be made through eventbrite, Navy SEAL Foundation, GingerCare, or onsite the day of the event.

Donations and proceeds will go to benefit the charity of your choice. As always, you may donate to The Navy Seal Foundation. In addition, we are including a local foundation run by our own, Linzi Newth, GingerCare. You can read more about what they do HERE.

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” – Vince Lombardi

Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.

State your name or nickname please:
Diamond (Thanks Mom). I also go by Dee.

Words to live by?
“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength”. I’ve basically adopted this quote from Oprah.

What is your fitness background?
Fitness has pretty much been a part of my life in varying degrees. In high school, I played for the football team as a corner back and kick returner. I ran for the track team, running the 200m and 4×4 relay. After high school, I joined the Army National Guard, and of course, you have to keep up with your fitness in order to stay fit for duty.

How long have you been CrossFitting?
I have been crossfitting since I joined CFA, so that would be just over a year.

Take us back to your first day of CrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?
I was pretty nervous on my first day of CrossFit. I felt like a freshmen with no skills who somehow made the Varsity team. I did not want to embarrass myself. In comparison from then to today, I believe I have progressed greatly. This is the most productive and consistent I have ever been when it comes to my fitness. Definitely don’t feel nervous about getting after it with everyone now.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit Austin?
The group sessions. It’s one of the main reasons why I joined. I am terrible at working out by myself so being with others, motivating each other through action and words gets me hyped. Gotta love all the coaches too!

Current Training Goals/PRs?
 Become more proficient with cleans and snatches. And be able to do a muscle up by the end of the year. I’m dabbling more in performing WODs at the performance level as well after a year of mainly doing them at the athletic level.

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?
Give it time and patience. CrossFit is definitely not something you can just jump into and dominate as a newbie whose never done it before. Don’t give up and remain consistent.

Things look a little different right now, how are you staying focused in your training and in your life during this time?
 Without training, I don’t feel at my best and that alone usually motivates me to stay on top of my fitness. Also, family keeps me going. They are my backbone.

What is your cheat meal go-to?
Oh, I love me some pizza, especially Dominoes black box pizza.

How do you use your fitness outside of the gym?
I do it to keep up with the kids. I like to be active with them, play basketball, volleyball, throw the football around, etc. I also do it for work. I love what I do and I want to be able to do it for as long as I can. As a paramedic, there is a lot of lifting and moving involved. I feel as a healthcare provider, I have to “talk the talk and walk the walk”, and fitness puts me in that position. Fitness is also my therapy when it comes to dealing with traumatic events in my field. I’m not a big talker about my emotions, so sweating it out works better for me.

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.
 I felt most proud of my deadlift Max, which is 315, because I’ve never lifted that heavy in my life. It felt rewarding. Now I can’t wait to see what else I can achieve.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your fitness journey?
Dieting. That is something I’m constantly working on, and I feel like I’m making some progress. Snatches and cleans are a pain for me, but I also feel like I’m making some headway with that. Overall, I’m just working on pushing myself past that comfortable limit where you want to just stop and rest. I want to continue working past that limit, safely of course.

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?
“Dig Deep”
7min AMRAP:
10 Goblet Squat,
10 burpees
100m sprint

What keeps you going on the days you don’t feel like it?
I usually just find a way to motivate myself. I do quite a bit of positive self-talk when it comes to that. Remind myself of the goals I want to achieve.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?
Spending time with family, my dogs and friends. Huge fan of horror movies. Hiking. Camping. And I just started getting into woodworking so I’m currently getting my little shop set up in the garage.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…
I was trying to think of something less depressing, but I was homeless as a child, but eventually found a loving home as a teenager.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words…
I am really glad to find such an awesome community. Lets all continue kicking ass and crushing goals.

Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.

State your Name and/or Nickname please:

What is your cheat meal go-to?

REGISTER HERE

Change can be challenging. We like to think of change as an opportunity for growth. With the New Year right around the corner, many of us are beginning to think about those resolutions. Why wait until January to make a commitment to yourself?! You can start now and set yourself up for success by committing to focus on yourself and your habits for 6 weeks. You can do the prep work between now and the start of the challenge to not only get through the holidays with a healthier mindset, but roll into the challenge likes it’s no big deal with some major growth to look forward to.

We also hope that this challenge will create habits that cover the usual resolution suspects like weight, working out, eating well, etc… so you can shift your New Year’s resolutions away from health and fitness goals (because they’ll already be in place!) and make more goals surrounding having fun in 2021!

During our last challenge, we saw some awesome results and had great time working through the challenges & celebrating our weekly wins with our teammates. We hope you’ll consider joining us on this journey again!

Whole Life Challenge is part fitness, part nutritional and body composition, and part accountability challenges. Our goals for each New Year 2019 Whole Life Challenger are:

• Mental + emotional preparation for the longevity of a healthy lifestyle {awareness + action}
• Individual fitness gains
• Deeper knowledge and understanding of your own make up, so you can create more specific goals
• Creation of lasting habits for individualized nutritional and body composition success
• Physical & nutritional preparation to get you through LIFE and be the best version of yourself

You + Whole Life Challenge = Team CrossFit Austin

Challenge = Change // Goals = Gains

{What is it?}

While everyone wants to look and feel better, it can be a challenge to know how or where to start. The Whole Life Challenge focuses you on the key areas of your life that produce real, life-long changes. Playing together with your friends and family in a fun and motivating daily game, you’ll create new healthy habits that last long after it ends.

The Whole Life Challenge focuses on 7 daily habits that you will learn and create for yourself as you journey through.

These 7 Daily Habits are:

• • Nutrition. Your food choices have the single greatest impact on your health, well-being, and community. When you make choices that keep you healthy, you give yourself the fuel to fulfill all of who you are. There are 3 levels to choose from that allow you to start making changes in a realistic and attainable way.  {Choose the level that is right for you}
  • Exercise. Humans are designed to move daily. Whether through workouts, activity, or simply enjoying the full use of your body, daily movement keeps you healthy and vital. You’re already moving regularly with us!
  • Mobility. In a sedentary world, our bodies get stuck. Daily mobility and stretching helps you move the way nature intended and continue enjoying freedom of movement into your later years.
  • Sleep. Modern schedules tend to dictate how many hours of sleep we’re entitled to. A practice of increasing that time, even by a little bit, can make big strides in robust health. You set the sleep goals that are right for you.
  • Hydration. More than anything, your body is made of water. This habit ensures that your body gets enough of its most basic resources for life.
  • Lifestyle Practice. The {WLC weekly lifestyle practices}turn a life into your life. Learn to step back, take stock, connect, and turn your attention to what is really important to you.
  • Reflection. Looking back, looking inward, or looking forward, daily reflection draws your awareness to what is working and what needs your attention today.

{How Do I Play?}

The {Challenge} begins with taking your preliminary measurements and completing a workout (that can be scaled to your level) that will be repeated at the end.

Throughout the 42 day challenge you will post your scores in the 7 categories listed above. The Challenge is designed in a way that we can work as a team to check in with and support each other on a daily basis.

To close out the Whole Life Challenge, you will repeat the preliminary measurements and workout to gauge how far you’ve come! But, it doesn’t end there! The Whole Life Challenge is designed to help you make healthy lifestyle changes that last.

{How Do I Register?}

You can register and join Team CrossFit Austin through the Whole Life Challenge Website. Make sure you do join our team to participate with the community!

{What’s New This Year?}

We have partnered with BodySpec to offer fast, accurate body composition testing. They use a DEXA scan system which will give you a comprehensive breakdown of your body composition. You can read more about it HERE

This will be an additional service offered at CrossFit Austin both pre & post WLC.

Pre WLC – January 21 from 4:00 – 8:00 pm – REGISTER HERE

Post WLC – March 1 from 4:00 – 8:00 – Registration coming soon 

There are still more exciting things to come for the New Year challenge (stay tuned)! Commit to yourself for 2021 and start your year out right by joining Team CrossFit Austin!