Functional Fitness Takes to the Skies
The other week I found myself late for a connecting flight at the Dallas/Fort Worth International airport. As soon as I made it into the terminal I was informed that all the Skytrains and escalators were down. Not to be deterred I grabbed my bags, tied my coat around my waist and began to run. Not jog, but all-out sprint up stairs, around baggage carts, strollers, and cranky travelers. Much to the amazement of the flight crew I made it to my flight in 15 minutes flat. I looked like hell but I but I was grinning all the way to my seat. Thanks Pioneer Valley CrossFit for making that happen!
Rosie P.
Hey,
Just wanted to say thanks. I'm psyched about the lifts today (Jon had just hit 1000 lbs in his CF Total--ed.) and I couldn't have done it without you and Sandy. It's been the best 6 months of training I've ever had. Keep up the good work...
Jon Davine, firefighter, Northampton
I told Sandy that CrossFit was changing my life. She said, “Really? Your life?”
Really. Here's one example: two years ago, at the age of 55, I received a diagnosis of osteoporosis. In May of this year I started working out at Pioneer Valley CrossFit. Come early September, the results of a bone density test showed a whopping 6% increase in bone density in my lumbar spine. I've been getting my bone density tested for the last five years; this is the first time there has been an increase. Frankly the doctors would have been very happy to just see no further bone loss, but instead they upgraded my diagnosis to a lesser form of the disorder. The next time I am tested, two years from now, I fully expect to have no need for a diagnosis, thanks in large part to my training at PVCF.
Want another? A few weeks ago I traveled to the Cape with my friend Linda. We’ve gone almost every year for the past 20 years, and part of our routine is to bike through the rolling sand dunes on our way to the beach. Each year I have contentedly trailed behind, as I knew that around the next bend Linda would be waiting for me. This year we started out and without thinking about it I pulled ahead. I did notice that unlike other years, I wasn’t walking my bike up the steep hills, that I never shifted into my lowest gear, and that riding a bike was much more fun than I remembered. But it wasn't until I came to a confusing crossroads that I realized I'd lost Linda. I stopped and waited. Luckily, two cyclists came along after five minutes and said they were looking for me, because “...the blond woman a bit back on the trail was worried that you were lost.” Slightly stunned (this is a frequent reaction when the axis of your life does a quick tilt), I told them not to worry. I must have been smiling in a pretty goofy way, because the bikers didn’t move on. So I went on to explain, "It’s just that my new gym program really seems to be working.” Satisfied, they pushed off, assuring me that Linda would be along soon. A few minutes later she coasted down the last hill and found me waiting for her. It was a delicious moment.
So, yes, Sandy, working out at Pioneer Valley CrossFit is really changing my life.
Kathleen Becker, 57, Speech/Language Therapist, Northampton
I'm very, very glad to be part of the PVCF community. This is the best thing I've done for myself in years.
Greg Saulmon, editor, Easthampton
I started with PVCF in April '08, just last month, as a way to crosstrain for Ultimate Frisbee, but in that time working out at Pioneer Valley Cro
