How CrossFit Saved My Life

How CrossFit Saved My Life

In 2019, I was at a low point.

Mentally wiped out. Overwhelmed. Gaining weight. No confidence. I was functioning — but I wasn’t thriving.

Then I saw an ad for a local bootcamp. It said something like, “Try something different to transform your health.” I didn’t overthink it. I just signed up.

After one week, I felt different.

It felt good to move.
It felt good to sweat.
It felt good to connect with people.
It felt good to chase something again.

That week changed the trajectory of my life.

Shortly after, I officially joined the gym - a CrossFit gym — and I’ve been in one ever since.

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More Than a Workout

CrossFit became more than fitness.

It became structure when life felt chaotic.
It became therapy when emotions felt heavy.
It became proof that I could do hard things.

Through the years, it has been my anchor during some of the most emotional seasons of my life. I’ve built friendships that matter. I’ve learned discipline. I’ve realized I am far stronger than I ever gave myself credit for — not just physically, but mentally.

But the deeper part of the story started even before 2019.

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The Health Questions That Wouldn’t Go Away

Since 2018, I had been chasing answers.

Fatigue. Brain fog. Inflammation. Symptoms that didn’t feel normal — but didn’t have clear explanations either. I was offered medications, quick fixes, surface-level answers.

Instead, I leaned into movement.

Training consistently made a noticeable difference. I felt better when I was active. My energy improved. My mood stabilized. My inflammation felt more manageable. So I committed to fitness and nutrition — even without a diagnosis.

Still, I knew something wasn’t fully resolved.

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Fast forward to 2026 — eight years later — and I finally found a doctor willing to go deeper.

After extensive testing, I received an answer: Lupus.

Oddly enough, it felt like relief.

There was finally a name for what I had been experiencing.

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But here’s the part that stopped me in my tracks.

My doctor told me he was surprised my lupus had not progressed aggressively. He described it as “smoldering” rather than fully flared. He believes that my consistent training and intentional nutrition played a significant role in keeping it from escalating.

He also noted that my muscle mass is exceptionally high — especially for a woman at my age, when many women begin losing lean tissue.

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That wasn’t luck.

That was years under a barbell.
Years of conditioning.
Years of consistency.

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This Is the Power of Fitness

I have an autoimmune disease that will never fully go away.

But I am not fragile.

I am strong.
I am capable.
I have energy.
I have resilience.

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Fitness did not cure lupus. Let’s be clear about that.

But it built a body that could fight.
It built a foundation that protected me.
It built muscle that supports longevity.
It built discipline that carries into every health decision I make.

This diagnosis didn’t weaken my commitment.

It sharpened it.

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Because now I know — without question — that training is not optional for me. It is medicine.

This is the power of consistency.
The power of strength training.
The power of community.
The power of CrossFit.

It didn’t just change how I look.

It saved my life.

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