Member Spotlight: Adam H.
"Throughout my childhood and high school, I played soccer. I would play 5+ times a week for a few hours and coach a few times a week as well. I was constantly playing, but I really enjoyed it and it kept me in shape. I loved the team atmosphere and it was always good having coaches that pushed me to my limits every day. When I graduated high school I started working longer hours. I fell out of touch with most of my teammates and so I had to find other ways to stay in shape. I would run on a treadmill or do some form of HIIT myself at home but I never stuck to it for longer than a few months. I was putting in a lot of hours at work so that always took precedence and because I never really enjoyed my exercise, I ended up finding excuses not to do it. Over time, I lost focus on my fitness and I really let my weight get out of control. I gained almost 100 pounds over the course of a few years. I would see a picture of myself and it would serve as a kind of wake-up call. I would get on a diet and start going to the gym again, but it was not a priority and every time I deviated from my diet or my exercise, I would get frustrated and give up. Oftentimes, when I was coming off failed diet or exercise, I would end up in worse shape than when I started. At the end of 2015, I decided definitively that I had to turn my life around. It was now almost ten years since I stopped playing soccer and I was starting to come to terms with the fact that if I didn’t make a change now, I may never. I started eating right and running a few times a week. I tracked my weight weekly and didn’t let an off day or a break in my diet cause me to lose focus. Eventually, I started running every day and I started supplementing that with weight machines at a local gym. I lost 60 pounds and I was proud of the progress I made. While I was enjoying the results, I wanted more. I still missed the accountability I used to have when I was working out with other athletes and sometimes I left the gym feeling as if I didn’t push myself hard enough. My girlfriend had been a CrossFit member at a gym in Lombard for almost a year. She had told me about CrossFit previously, but I was happy with what I was doing at the time. We watched “Fittest on Earth,” on Netflix on a Sunday and the following Monday I stopped into CrossFit 630. I was hooked. I wasn’t in terrible shape, I ran 5 times a week, and I was not prepared for my first day. For the first time, however, I felt like I pushed myself as hard as I could and I knew I had found what I was looking for. CrossFit isn’t just about the grueling workouts, but the accountability and motivation you get from your peers. The other athletes and coaches encourage you when you need it most and motivate you to do things you didn’t think were possible. Since I joined CrossFit 630, I’ve lost another 55 pounds. CrossFit 630 has shown me what I was missing all this time. I want to push myself farther and harder every day and CrossFit 630 helps me achieve that. I’m excited for what my athletic future holds and I’m eager to see where I am in 6 months, a year, 2 years, etc.
COACH'S NOTES:
Talk about transformations, WOW! Adam's story is so inspiring and one that I hope inspires you to make the changes you may need. If you're tired of your current status, make it happen. The light switch went on for Adam and he's made lifestyle changes to transform himself entirely. You can do it too.
Stories like Adam's make what we do so rewarding and so worthwhile. I'm so proud of his success and that CrossFit 630 helped play a role in him becoming a healthier, fitter version of himself.
I know you're doing big things when people come up to me all the time and ask, "what's Adam doing, he looks great."
I'm excited to see what the future has in store for him. Keep on your path Adam.
