NAME:Lydia Pittkin

AFFILIATE BOX: CrossFit Staunton, 7oclock class

Tell us a little bit about yourself (family, job, hobbies, interests, etc.).

I’m 29, I’m a massage therapist in Virginia. I have a tiny apartment overtop a small horse barn that I share with my three awesome rescue dogs who I love trail running and biking with. My family are some of my favorite people in the world. I love to read, write, travel, eat great food- and crossfit!

When did you start doing CrossFit?

Three years ago

What were you doing before CrossFit and how were you introduced to CrossFit?

I was attempting to learn to like running. I had lost a considerable amount of weight through adjusting my diet but had stalled and had no muscle tone. My sister in law wanted to try crossfit about six months before her and my brother’s wedding and I very reluctantly went with her, more to be supportive than anything else.

How has your approach to CrossFit changed since first starting?

I’m a lot more confident walking up to a barbell now- I had never lifted before so I was completely out of my depth in the beginning.

I believe in myself more. I struggled to get pullups for so long and a tiny part of me honestly thought I would never get them. Now I’ve got strict, kipping, and chest to bar pullups and I’m working on getting a muscle up. I know it might take me a lonngg time to get one, but I believe now that I can get there.

Favorite WOD or movement?

Tie between dubs, pullups, clean and jerks. Oh and back squats. And deadlifts. This question is hard…

Least favorite WOD or movement?

Handstand pushups. Snatches. Thrusters. Assault bike. But it’s like a love/hate thing.

What types of changes have you seen (mentally, physically, and/or lifestyle) since starting CrossFit?

Oh wow- everything! Confidence- I know now how to dig deep and keep going when it seems impossible, which applies in life as well as workouts. I used to decline invites to run or hike or do pretty much anything physical because I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up- now a nine mile hike with steep elevation doesn’t give me pause!

My relationship with my body. This is the major one. I spent so long hating my body for not looking like how I wanted it to or how movies and magazines said it should. The truth is I had no idea how to treat my body until I started crossfit. Now I follow the crossfit nutritional guidelines and I love vegetables! Also- I have no desire to be “skinny” anymore. I don’t care so much about aesthetics and the damn scale- I want a 400 lb deadlift and to do Murph rx in under an hour, not be able to fit into a certain pant size (something that used to be an obsession for me as a teen.)

I love that I have muscles now, and that there are incredible female athletes out there with bulging quads doing these phenomenal things physically and showing the world that strong and feminine and fierce and beautiful are not mutually exclusive- far from it!

What helps you get the most out of your CrossFit Workouts? What motivates/inspires you?

I have some mantras that I repeat when it starts to suck- Tom Hanks in a League of Their Own when he says “Of course it’s hard- if it was easy everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.”

Also just remembering my goals and how fantastic it feels to reach them, reminding myself that “this is it, this is how you get better, this is the work- do it!”

What’s your CrossFit goal for 2019?

Toes to bar, rope climbs and handstand pushups and handstand walks are all things I need to make a part of my daily routine in order to improve. Right now they’re definitely weak points for me and I know those are the things you have to make extra time for to get better at. Snatches too! And bar muscle ups have been my Everest for a long time.

What would you say to someone starting CrossFit for the first time?

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s a mental battle as much as a physical one and it’s about effort- every day you show up and try your best is a win, it doesn’t matter if you finish last or lift the least weight or have to modify every single movement- give yourself the credit you deserve because it is damn hard and you’re a freaking warrior for showing up.

Keep going, consistency pays off and the you a year from now will thank the you today for putting in the work.