December Athlete of the Month: Lisa McMillin!

“I’ve NEVER been happy with my body. I was teased about my bubble butt all my life and didn’t have a healthy respect for my appearance. I was never large or overweight but I was definitely not in good healthy shape even though I was active. Fast forward to after my 3rd child in 2012 when I tried doing things like P90X and liked it, saw results, but wasn’t completely committed at home and couldn’t stick with it long-term. Move ahead 4 more years and I was having difficulty functioning in normal life. I had lower back pain and neck pain that at times was debilitating. I couldn’t give my daughter a bath, stand at the sink to wash dishes, or sit in the car for an 8 hour trip without being in tears.  

So I started going to physical therapy and bit by bit found that I had severe problems with my hip flexors. My body wasn’t functioning mechanically the proper way, using the wrong muscle groups and compensating in other areas. It took 9 months of therapy before I wasn’t in pain anymore. During all of these last 6 years my sister in law had started CrossFit and had sparked our interest. In April of 2017 my husband started CrossFit and was so happy with the benefits to himself that we signed me up 5 months after having our 4th child, 1 year after ending physical therapy. I went in hoping that CrossFit would build the muscles that had been used incorrectly or ignored, that it would make me stronger and in less pain, take away the miserableness that I had been feeling simply because my body didn’t function properly. My leg and hip muscles were messed up to the point that when I ran my hips dropped below parallel and that’s not supposed to happen.  

Now, over 1 year into CrossFit and it’s changed my life! SO many things have improved, stayed consistent and I am completely committed! Little pains here and there that I thought I was just STUCK with have gone away. I can lift heavy, feel awesome and my cardio endurance has come back even stronger. The WODS still intimidate me sometimes but I get through them and am just now really starting to see even more progress. I really love wall-balls,(thanks to my now badass CF booty) and I want to conquer so many other skills, like muscle ups and dubs! I feel like I can’t do justice to this testimonial because I haven’t mentioned every detail of how much I struggled before and how much better every day I’ve gotten since starting CrossFit.

But I am hooked, I am happier, I am stronger, I am healthier, I am actually pleased with my appearance, and I can function in my daily life without needing to lay on the couch because I just can’t stay upright any longer. Oh, and I do love some good competition. Either with myself or the person who’s just ahead of me. Watch out! The physical aspect of CrossFit is still only just a part of the draw…..Credence has the best coaches and community. The support and encouragement, extra time given to each athlete even if there isn’t a whole lot of time to spare in their day, and the technical assistance to conquer new skills is just amazing. I’m quite happy with our CrossFit Family.

What is your favorite CrossFit Memory?

Well, ha, I loved last year, after 4 months of CrossFit when I did the 12 Days of Christmas wod and completed my first rope climbs, chugged the drink, finished the wod and as soon as I celebrated by jumping up and down I had to run to bathroom to throw up. Lol but I completed the wod first!! That was funny.

What about favorite lift?

I kinda love the snatches……I’m finally starting to get the form nailed down!”

Lisa Mcmillin – Mom. Wife. Athlete. Competitor. Friend. Inspiration. #credencestrong