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Why Laura?
Laura is like a jaw breaker. Tough and sweet and if you’re patient you’ll see her transform time and time again. Laura has overcome a lot of adversity and when she has had every excuse to give up and feel sorry for her self, she doesn’t. She keeps showing up day in and day out and doing what she needs in order to see the change in herself that she wants. Laura just like a lot of people may not enjoy waking up at 5am to go workout but she gets it in because she knows that SHEs worth it. Laura has joined the 8 Mile family and found a home that makes her better but one that she makes better by being a part of.Laura is also an awesome signer of a local band named “Ask Mary”. Her shows have become a common 8 Mile outing at local venues.
Crossfit story:
I was first exposed to crossfit during grad school when I lived in San Diego, CA. I didn’t know anything about the program or even what it was called, I just walked by a box on my way to class everyday and saw super-fit people swinging hammers at tires, playing on ropes and sweating everywhere. As a person who had only ever run 5k’s and half-marathons, I thought those garage-gym people MUST be crazy. At that time, my level of fitness could be described as “I like to watch TV and eat burritos.” Throughout my life I was not athletic, had never played sports, and didn’t run my first mile until I was 25 years old. I was always overweight but didn’t really know what to do about it. So in 2012, I finished grad-school and moved home to Michigan. At that time, my good friend Jamy Mazure talked me into coming to the gym where she was coaching. They were starting a crossfit program and she wanted me to be a part of their on-ramp sessions. I went and have been part of the crazy club ever since. After moving around the country a few more times, I found Crossfit 8 mile in 2014 when I moved to Farmington.
What inspires me:
In 2014 my friend and former coach, Jamy, passed away from cancer. She was the first female athlete I looked up to, as I witnessed her own transformation from couch potato to Crossfit Coach. She inspired me to become active. She sent me texts to get out of bed and come to the gym, made me workout with her when I was visiting home, and when she was diagnosed, showed me what true strength looked like. She would say, “if my body wasn’t healthy I could never have fought so hard.” I think about that often when I start to complain about my own ailments, when I don’t want to do the day’s workout or when life gets hard. Nick once told me “you don’t have to, you GET to.” While I’m motivated by many people and many things, I am so grateful for knowing someone like Jamy. Her story and what she did to change my life inspires me every single day.
Goals and motivations:
Since starting crossfit my weight has fluctuated based on my consistency (or lack thereof). It wasn’t until March of this last year that I started to take the programming and nutrition seriously and surprise surprise, this year has been the first time I’ve seen real results and progress. (You guys!! I climbed a rope! Me! Ah!!) I’d like to keep this momentum going and crush more goals (ex. toes to bar, a handstand, and maybe a pull-up!?) as well as continuing to lose fat and gain muscle. Ultimately, I don’t need to be a games athlete, but just knowing that I’m ANY kind of athlete at all is amazing. I’m excited to see what the future holds, and looking forward to more PR’s with my 8 Mile family.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]