To all those going to college (freshman 15), new moms, and all who think they don’t have time for exercise, this is your story.
I say every week how hard it is to choose an athlete for the week. It is also amazing to me how honored someone feels when I do shoot that text to them and how eager they are to share their story.
I met this amazing woman at CrossFit Alexandria a few years back. You see, there is this 11:00 class that I attend with like 5 of the greatest other personalities I could mix together. We are all so incredibly different but mesh so well. I love my people.
Erica Harding kind of stole my heart. That girl that just doesn’t give up. That girl that lacks the self-confidence but is willing to try anything. That girl that takes criticism and uses it to her advantages. That girl that stays after class to work on weaknesses. That girl that encourages everyone.
That self-confidence that was lacking, I was fortunate enough to watch it progress. She no longer has that attribute. This girl fights. She is fearless in her life, in her workouts, in her spiritual being and in her friendship to others. She is an inspiration to me without even knowing.
I was also most fortunate to attend ACTS with this fabulous individual. I fell even more in love with her soul. Erica is a true gift. She is a no judgement zone and a real friend. They don’t come any better.
As you read her story, please know I am honored to call her my friend, my workout companion, and a STRONG willed woman.
Yes, you are STRONG.
Mucho love, Mitzi
Erica’s Story…….
Growing up, I never had to think about what I ate very much. I played basketball from 6th grade through my senior year of high school, ran cross country, and lived on what some might call a farm with pigs, chickens and sheep – so all I knew was go! I would only stop long enough to eat what my mom cooked every night, and I was so active that it didn’t really matter what I ate – my metabolism would burn it off quickly. Enter my freshman year at LSU: late nights, virtually no exercise other than walking to class, and Cane’s chicken fingers at 2 am. I gained 50 pounds between my freshman and junior years. It didn’t fully hit me until I went to buy a dress for an awards banquet and had to purchase an 18. Something had to change! I began doing step aerobics 5 days a week in the afternoons at the rec center, gave up sweets, and brought my lunch to class every day. By the time I graduated college, I was back in a size 8 and determined to keep myself on the right track.
Life has a habit of getting in the way of the plans we make for ourselves. Moving to a new city, marriage, giving birth to two daughters, suffering through my husband’s bout with cancer and a miscarriage…the years after college saw me lose track of the woman I knew I wanted to be. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t like what I saw – physically or emotionally. I had been trying to find exactly where I fit, and when I finally did, it was well worth the wait.
My friend Laura Davis had been bugging me for 4 years – you have got to try Crossfit. Just go one time, that’s all I ask. So in 2015, I finally got tired of making excuses and joined her for a Saturday partner workout. I drank the Kool-Aid, and I have been hooked ever since.
I had given birth to two beautiful girls, but I did not truly understand what my body was capable of until now. CFA has become a family to me – the people there push me to become stronger not only physically, but emotionally as well. I want my girls to understand they can do anything, and that being happy with themselves is the #1 goal. I have become stronger in more ways than one, and I appreciate every day of this journey.
My youngest daughter Taylor came home a few months ago with her graded papers from school. Every week she had a spelling test, and she had to write a sentence with each word.
The word ‘strong’ was on the list for this week. I went to sign her test, but one of her sentences caught my eye, and brought me to tears. It was a simple sentence – ‘My mom is strong.’ – but it spoke volumes to me. Yes I am baby, yes I am!
