I'm Suzanne, and I joined Alternative Athletics in 2011 knowing nothing about CrossFit nor much about exercise in general, aside from a weekly kickboxing class that kept me (somewhat) sane.

It took me a REALLY long time to figure out, or maybe just accept, that nutrition is a major part of the equation. For the first few years, anything I was accomplishing in the gym was sabotaged by my food choices.

I had some success in 2015 and 2016 with powerlifting and won some state titles, primarily with deadlifting and squatting. A couple years later, I was introduced to intermittent fasting, started to drop weight and actually felt good about what I was doing in the gym. That was followed up with a hard look at what I chose to put in my body, getting ideas from AA friends about what they ate, and becoming, well, a label-reader.

Honestly, I still struggle. DAILY. I know what to eat, but that doesn't always go according to plan. I've been told moving forward is better than stagnating, so that's what I try to do.

I received my Level One CrossFit certification online earlier this year. My favorite part of the gig is not only being inspired by the people I am around, but listening as other coaches instruct. I love how everyone has their own successful ways of explaining movement techniques, yet work together towards a collective goal: making people better.