In this series on fitness for women in northern New York, I’ll show a few of the many options available for getting in shape this year. This first post was written by Becky, the NNY Life Events Coordinator.
Functional Fitness.
Those words terrified me 14 months ago. Lifting weights seemed scary, mostly because I knew nothing about it. I was persuaded (heckled) into trying one class. Holy moly I was so sore the next day, I cried every time I took a step up the stairs. However the severity of the soreness passed after a few weeks. (Maybe months and I am blocking it out?)
I was overweight, and not just a little. Like many women I know, I had tried LOTS of diets. A few of them were initially very successful. However with each of them I always gained it back when I stopped the diet. I needed something different. Something really different. Exercise. Something I used to joke that I was allergic too.
So in December of 2011 a friend encouraged me to join the YMCA with her. We went together and walked on the treadmill or the elliptical. I lost some weight and immediately started feeling better. I was less grumpy, less tired, and a lot happier. We joined a weight loss challenge together and the YMCA trainer who weighed us every week happened to also be the Y’s new functional fitness program instructor.
Kris would pass by the cardio room and ask us to join his class and one day, he came all the way in and insisted we try it. That day changed my life. It is not just the weight loss. I have never felt so strong in my life. I look forward to heading to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Why Functional Fitness? The workouts (CrossFit®-style strength and conditioning interval training) are never the same, though we have repeated a few benchmark workouts over the last year to check our progress. Each day, I can’t wait to see what the board will list for the day’s workout.
I think the second biggest reason is friendship. There is nothing like this group of ladies (okay, and a few men.) 
They are supportive, friendly, and encouraging. We groan over the amount of burpees we have to do or the number of reps on squats, but we are usually laughing and joking too.
One of reason I didn’t want to take the class was I that couldn’t do a push up or a pull up. The trainers can always find a modification that I can do until I am ready for the real deal. I started pushups standing and pushing off a wall. I am proud to say I can now do a real push up!
I think women across America are loving CrossFit®-style fitness training because of how strong it makes you. You feel so incredible!
The Fairgrounds YMCA now offers Functional Fitness five mornings a week at 9am. I encourage women of any fitness level (I was a ZERO) to give it a try! The Watertown YMCA is also the only fitness facility in the area that offers child care as a part of membership.
