Marcy's Fitness Journey

By: Marcy Benson

I was an avid equestrian through high school.  Riding and working at the equestrian center kept me in peak physical condition.  Back then, I never thought of physical activity as something my body needed.  My fitness was simply a byproduct of the sport I loved.

After starting college, I stopped riding, my nutrition was appalling, and my only exercise was walking around campus.  Over the next decade, I joined and quit more gyms than I care to admit.  Although I stayed at a healthy weight, which was my only exercise goal at the time, I was sorely out of shape.

When my children started school, I began running.  I trained for and ran in several races, from 5k’s to a marathon. I thought I was fit and healthy, until a photo of me opened my eyes.  The woman in that picture was frail, and it scared me.  

I had seen women, including some of my relatives, develop osteoporosis and lose muscle mass as they aged, putting their health and quality of lives at risk.  I refused to go down that road, but I needed more than running to put me on a healthier path. 

That’s when I decided to try CrossFit and found AMRAP.  Walking into class for the first time, I assumed I was in reasonably good shape.  Halfway through my first workout, I realized I wasn’t nearly as fit as I’d thought.  At first I was frustrated, but Coach Ray and the amazing athletes who worked alongside me encouraged and inspired me to keep pushing.  Thanks to them, I found a determination I’d never realized I had, and I developed physical strength and endurance I’d never thought possible.

More than four years later, I’m still devoted to AMRAP and Ray’s coaching.  I’ve become the strong, fit, healthy woman I not only want to be, but that I need to be for my family.  

My husband was so impressed with my results that he also joined the AMRAP community.  In fact, both of us are such believers in Coach Ray’s training that we enrolled our middle school age sons in AMRAP’s strength and conditioning program.  The Benson family is excited to be on this amazing fitness journey together!