Congratulations to January's CrossFitter of the Month! Janie Bentley

Congratulations to January's CrossFitter of the Month!

Congratulations to Janie Bentley!

Janie is an unbelievable pleasures to have in class. CrossFit Silver Fox is lucky to have such a dedicated, hard working, motivated, and funny ass lady in the gym.

Janie came to CrossFit Silver Fox in October.  She was a bit shy at first and a bit intimidated by CrossFit, but boy did that go away fast! lol  She has been wonderful in class. She always has questions and is always looking for ways to get better.  She loves and believes in CrossFit. She has definitely drank the Kool-Aid....and keeps coming back for more.  She always finds a way to class. She is a duel threat....Hockey Mom and CrossFitter!!!  Here is a "bit" of Janie's story and what she thinks about CrossFit Silver Fox.  THIS HAS NOT BEEN EDITED..THESE ARE ALL HER WORDS LOL...ALL OF THEM.....

Janie’s Really Important Message for Those Not Currently Crossfitting: 

 If you are reading this, there is a chance that you are interested in joining and you’re intimidated. You may not think you can handle Crossfit, because that’s how I felt. I promise you that EVERYONE in that gym will struggle through a workout the same way you will if you choose to give this a shot, and that’s what makes Crossfit beautiful.  Everyone works out at their max and although your max may look very different than other people’s max, you all are torching calories and getting physically and emotionally stronger together.  No one has the brainpower at the end of a workout to compare your workout to theirs, because they’re too busy working on breathing, standing, and counting their rounds so don’t let intimidation get in the way of trying the most fun, varied workout on the planet. Lastly, I swear to Sweet Baby Jesus if I can do this, you can.  There. I feel better now that I’ve expressed my Really Important Message...

What made you want to join CrossFit SilverFox?

I ask myself that every time I see T2B on the board…. :)

So, there have been two times in my whole life that I’ve enjoyed exercising:

1.) When a friend and I trained for the Cleveland Triathlon in 2011.  The thought of putting on a swimsuit was horrifying to me, but for some reason, I just woke up one morning and said “I’m going to learn how to swim (for speed and endurance) and because it was completely out of the norm for me, I had ZERO expectations for myself.  I also really loved that even from afar (my friend lived in India at the time!) there was some major camaraderie, knowing that she and I were tackling something brand new and difficult together.  

The second time I “tolerated” exercise is when I started a lifting routine, about a year after the triathlon. I found out that I loved lifting.  It made me feel strong and I liked focusing on what I could do, instead of what my limitations were.  I stopped lifting though because I wasn’t really seeing the progress (weight loss) that I thought I should have (I was doing a lot wrong which is why I wasn’t seeing progress).   

In August, I started to eat Paleo as a result of some diet sensitivities that I was having, and Crossfit kept showing up on all the recipe blogs that I was going to.  I knew little about it, but I did know that it involved lifting, doing something different every day, and that it was in a supportive atmosphere (camaraderie, yay!).  I also liked that someone would tell me what to do to make the most of my time, if I decided to join.  Those were the things that I liked previously, so It just seemed like it was the perfect type of routine/place for me. When Jen and Ritchie reminded me about CFSF grand opening a couple of different times while we were at our kids’ hockey practices, I knew there were too many arrows pointing in this direction for me NOT to at least give it a shot.

What were you nervous about before starting, and now realized it was nothing to worry about?

Oh. Em.  Gee.  I was a wreck before I came in every day for the first two weeks.  I felt like I was going on a job interview each time I parked my car in front of the Harvester.  I had a lot to conquer, but all the nervousness was just doubt that was ALL IN MY HEAD.  Let’s make a bulleted list out of ease for the eyes of all of the crap that my inner “lazygirl” concocted to keep me the hell away from CFSF followed by my inner ninja that beat lazygirl to death and encouraged me to join:

• I JUST had reconstructive foot surgery (ERRRR...last November).  Jumping, burpees, box jumps, running...I’ll never be able to do what everyone else is doing, and then I’ll just be “that girl that’s modifying.” JANIE, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE THATTTT GIRL??? [Yes, I do.  Now shut up. Your foot will be fine.  And if it’s not, you live in America and have access to ice and Advil. ]

• I am out of shape. Everyone else will be in shape. I will stand out as being out of shape. [Fantastic point.  How about you go eat peanut butter off the spoon while sitting on the couch and cry about that.  Better yet, get off your ass and go join CFSF (then go home and eat ALMOND butter off the spoon).]

• My family’s schedule (including two kids in hockey, one kid in dance, and a husband that’s a State Trooper that works 12 hour shifts) will never allow me to make this type of time commitment. [You are in Batavia anyway for your kids' activities. You can make this work if you want to, but you have to make YOUR activity a priority too.]

• I don’t know anyone else there.  None of my friends want to make this commitment with me right now, maybe I shouldn’t either.  [You’ll make friends.  You’re not shy and even if you decide to pretend to be shy for 11 seconds because that’s as long as you would last playing that charade, you’ll probably realize everyone there is quite nice (true story!)]

• I need new sneakers.  [You’ll get some soon. Side note: I accidentally ordered some while ordering some off the Reebok website for my son for Christmas.  They’re BRIGHT yellow and Jay called me Big Bird for a week until I changed the shoe laces to pink. I took it as a complement.  Big Bird has a very slender neck!]

Honestly, I could keep going, but you get the drift.  My crazy brain had really developed a crap-load of reasons as to why this was a bad idea.  Thank God I didn’t listen! The 9ish screws in my right foot have certainly limited me from doing some things, but Jay always, always, ALWAYS gives me plenty of ideas as to how I can modify without compromising the workout.  It’s constantly a challenge and I always leave so glad that I made time to attend the class!

What is the biggest thing you’ve noticed since you began?

I used to be the girl that would dread going to the gym or fitting in a workout. It just seemed like SUCH WORK.  Even when I enjoyed the tri-training or the lifting set I was doing, it was still a struggle to stay motivated and I'd skip workouts often.  Since I joined CFSF, I get really, REALLY angry if something comes up that prevents me from getting to a class, especially if it’s a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday (lifting days). I LOVE going. I don’t need to talk myself into it!

What have you improved the most in?

Upper body strength and sit ups. When I started, I couldn’t do a SINGLE sit up. But I can now! I also couldn’t do a single dip, and I did 10 consecutively (assisted) yesterday! I love it when I think “Oh sh*t, I can’t do that”, then do it and think “Oh sh*t! I just did that!!!”

What do you enjoy the most at the gym?  

Lifting! And I jump roping, even though it makes me have to pee.  I will absolutely master double unders soon. And by master, I mean 10 in a row.  And by soon, I mean before I’m 55. :)

What differences have you noticed in yourself since joining?

I’m happier.  I have a lot more confidence in my abilities and I find myself focusing on them. One day I said “I think I’ll go ahead and try doing a handstand because it’s something that I see other people doing and there is not a single reason in my head that I shouldn’t be able to do one.” And I did it. Like 5 times in 10 minutes, just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke! I remember thinking, “6 months ago, I would have never even tried that...I would have talked myself out of it! But not today!”

What is your Kryptonite?

T2B (toes to bar). SWEET JESUS! I seriously watch you people that can do this and think “hot damn! Someday, maybe?!”

What do you love the most about CrossFit?

Every day is different, and every day I feel intimidation (looking at the workout), followed by the feeling of accomplishment. I had one REALLY bad workout where everything seemed like it went wrong and I still left saying “well, that was STILL better than NOT going!” I am also getting used to feeling proud of myself. It’s not a natural feeling (anyone want to chip in for therapy or get me a tissue?) but it’s kind of nice!

What do you like the least?

Modifying things, but I’m getting over that because I always still get a great workout in.

oh.  and anything more than a 600m run.

What are you future goals at the gym?

I’m going to do a pull up, and when I do, we are going to have a frickin’ party... and Jay’s going to wear his Ninja Turtle socks and his Ninja Turtle sweatshirt to that party.  Perhaps you all can grab a CFSF sweatshirt to wear ($20. for sale, now! See Jay!) I wish I could send out a save-the-date, but I’ve got some work to do, so it’s TBA.  But just so you know, you all are invited. :)