Heather Nees

CrossFit Level 1/CrossFit Gymnastics

As an athlete I have always loved challenges. Growing up I was sick of hearing people say “You can’t – you’re too small” or “You can’t – you’re not tall enough”, etc. I saw that as a challenge and wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted to show that the “impossible” was possible. I hated hearing that your body has certain limits – I wanted to push beyond those limits and prove to everyone that anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it. The body can handle more than the mind thinks it can, and I was always determined to break that barrier.

Throughout my life I have searched for sports that allow me to continually push myself and set individual goals. I’ve tried pole vault, javelin, cross country, soccer, running marathons, overtraining for triathlons – you name it, I’ve tried it at some point in my life. The endurance sports were always the ones I enjoyed, but required so much time, and too often I flirted with the fine line of overtraining. I was first introduced to Crossfit through one of my triathlon clubs. Once or twice a week we would meet at 6am on the boardwalk – rain, shine, snow, wind, hail – and workout for 1 hour. All of my “other” challenges experienced in endurance training did not compare to this one. I always had to wait a good 20 minutes before I could scrape myself off the boardwalk and walk to my car to go home. I started consistently crossfitting in early 2009 and have been hooked ever since.

Through Crossfit I want to show people that the impossible is possible, that living up to challenges are rewarding, and that pushing yourself to the next level can be beneficial in more than the fitness area of your life. Pushing yourself to the next level doesn’t necessarily mean competition, but maybe reaching a goal of getting a full depth squat or getting that first kipping pull-up. Success is a measure of not only what goals you reach, but how you try to reach them and what you do to work towards reaching that goal. I want to help people reach those goals – no matter how big or small. Helping people meet challenges only makes them thirsty for more – and that only leads to continually improving yourself.