I scored my first goal when I was 4 years old. I haven’t wanted to stop moving since. I was born decently athletic, my father a multi sport athlete, eventually becoming a professional soccer player for the US National Team, and my mother a 4 time New York Marathon finisher. I played three Varsity sports in highschool, but then came college, and I wanted a big school but wasn’t D1 level in anything, thus labeling me a NARP.
For those of you that don’t know, NARP is a term used by College Athletes meaning Non-Athletic Regular Person. I no longer had the after school practices and weight training sessions. I was kind of lost in what to do. I was used to doubling, and CrossFit with my team, long hours in the weight room, multi-mile runs across towns, 3-4 games a week during the season, (I’m getting nostalgic, okay?) Freshman year I spent time doing yoga and going for runs, long walks, and sit ups here and there, but when Sophomore year rolled around, Greek life began, my physical fitness fell right to the backburner.
My lifestyle was filled with sporadic exercise and lots and lots of binge drinking. It was fucking fun, but it wasn’t my best look. Physically, I looked fine, good even. I was still battling some disordered eating so I never fluctuated more than a couple pounds but I was far less fit physically.
Coming back from abroad in Italy, I discovered Orangetheory through one of my best friends. Immediately, I was hooked. I hadn’t had that sense of community since high school sports. Quickly, I knew I wanted to be a bigger part of it and went from member to Coach. I got my Personal Training certification and began working at the start of my Senior year of college, at the OTF that was 2 minutes from campus. It was a dream come true.
I was the most physically fit I had been since high school- I was fast and I was strong. But I still wasn’t eating enough and even though I loved working out, I couldn’t take a rest day without immense guilt. It never felt like enough. I was dealing with Exercise Bulimia I thought was long gone (though looking back on the way I had to get 15,000 steps a day abroad, I don’t think that voice was ever truly silenced). And then I was forced to slow down when I had two separate stress fractures. I had to find ways to move my body and feel good without running. Aaaaand enter weight lifting.
I really started to get into weight lifting last April following another breakup because I really wanted to feel and look strong. I haven’t been able to get enough of it since. Weight lifting used to scare me; I was afraid of looking big and bulky. I can say it has done nothing of the sort. Soon I was working out because I loved the endorphins afterwards. I was running again because I missed it so much and I wanted to move and move fast. It is the happiest I have ever been with my body and it has come from cross training between HIIT cardio, long distance runs, and weight training.
I will always be on a fitness journey but here I am now. I know the importance of rest days and I can take them without guilt (for the most part). I workout not because I feel like I have to, but because it makes me really, truly happy– if you ever see me running and hear my singing while I do so, I’m aware I look psycho, but I’m just ecstatic to be running. Getting to move my body is now my favorite thing in the world whether it be running, snowboarding, walking, playing soccer, swimming, yoga, pilates, barre, bike rides, whatever it is, I wanna do it. The journey is on going but I think that’s because there’s no true destination; Just keep moving.
xoxo
Rach
RachLansFit 