Testimonial Tuesday: Erica Cuellar

Slim Truth

From the age of 15, my fitness goals have been equated to the notion of being skinny. I had associated being skinny with being healthy and literally went through all extremes in achieving this misconception.  At the age of 16, I started taking diet pills (Xenadrine, to be exact), which then led to obsessive exercising, followed by my horrible secret – bulimia.  Although I may have never been extreme about it, it was something that was a part of my life, off and on, up until a few years ago.

I have battled with insecurities and self-image issues for most of my life, that is, until I encountered CrossFit.  I started crossfitting at CFA close to a year ago with one purpose in mind, to lose weight and attain my goal of being “skinny”. However, so much more happened to me and for that I will be forever grateful to my CFA family.   Since my first day of on-ramp I was hooked.  Shortly after I started CrossFit, I started to see changes in my body and I was ecstatic because I was finally on my way to achieving my misguided goal.  However, something spectacular began to happen 3 to 4 months in, and I realized that I was no longer focused on trying to be thin. Instead, I was focused on getting stronger, faster, and healthier. Most importantly, I started to believe in myself.

Today, I truly believe that I am a better person because of CrossFit. It has allowed me to accept myself and begin to truly enjoy and love my life. I had never realized how little I believed in myself and how good I was at convincing others and myself that I was somewhat of a confident person. Through this journey, I’ve really discovered what confidence is and what it takes to be healthy and fit. I no longer care what number the scale shows, or fitting into a size 4, or even being “skinny” for that matter. What now matters most to me is knowing that I am treating my body well by exercising and eating healthy. Also, that I am mentally and emotionally stronger so I can continue to set and achieve my goals.   Strength has become my new skinny. My goal is now to get to a point where I am able to coach CrossFit classes. I want to continue to be a part of such a wonderful sport and family and watch and support others flourish and obtain their goals. To me, this is the beauty of CrossFit, not the physical transformation one has, but the mental. It doesn’t get better than this.

Cheers to being healthy and fit.

Erica