MEET THE ELIZALDE’S
If you are a member here at Industry Athletics, chances are you have taken a class with Kaitlyn and Fernando. I say that because they are both perineal members of our committed club and spend almost more time in the gym than I do (and it’s my full time job!). They perfectly represent our communities core values of being driven, being humble and having fun! We reached out to Kaitlyn and Fernando to give us a glimpse into what makes IA so special for them.
Kaitlyn and Fernando are a gym love story from the very beginning. Coming from sporting backgrounds as kids, they always felt the drive to workout. Fernando moved to this country from Mexico and began working at Gold’s Gym in the Inner Harbor. It just so happened that there was a Gold’s gym member named Kaitlyn and they immediately caught each other’s eye. “Eventually, we started working out with each other until Golds closed. We then went to all gyms similar in style, but never really loved any. We have done a few races together, 5k’s and half marathons etc. We always thought and felt as if we were in pretty decent shape until finally joining CrossFit which has completely enhanced our workouts, endurance and attitudes and thus would never go back to a “normal gym” membership again!”
Here we are almost three years later and they both have grown so much both inside and outside the gym. Fernando “Feels good physically and mentally getting up and accomplishing those work outs each day, sometimes even twice a day. Getting on the committed club list each month is something I strive for, and so far I am making it each time. More specifically I am proud of how it has helped me reach weight and body goals and how it has increased my endurance and speed — growing up I never was the quickest one on the soccer field.” and Kaitlyn has “grown tremendously since day one in many ways besides just my physical strength, it has also bled into my inner strength and confidence as well. NUMEROUS times I say to myself… eek I don’t know that weight may be to heavy… but nope I complete it each time and feel so much better in the end. Most recently I am proud of my pull-up accomplishment. This time last year there was no way I could do a pull up. My goal was to get one by the end of 2017 and I did right before Christmas. I slowly was able to increase my reps, string them together and was able to conquer all 100 this past Murph!”
The gym has given them a place to watch each other grow individually as well as grow together as a couple. “We enjoy watching each other progress, grow in strength and courage, crush goals and become more confident each day. It is remarkable to observe in those that mean the most to you, so mostly we are grateful that we are in this together and have each other’s support.”
They have taken the time to focus on their bodies and providing themselves with the right fuel to keep seeing that progress and gainz. “We have been focusing on nutrition much more so over the past few months. We always felt like we ate pretty healthy, but we recently have been doing paleo, although we still enjoy wine probably more than paleo would approve of oops. In doing so though it made us realize and now pay so much more attention to what ingredients are in items. We are trying to continue as much as we can and continue to be more conscientious as to what goes into our bodies we work so hard for!”
Lastly, they want those of you who may be out there thinking about starting your CrossFit journey to “Just come already! It is not as scary as you think it is and it turns out the quote above the entrance “The best hour of your day starts now” is so true each time. You are sooo much stronger than you think you are. Fernando always says.. “A darle que es mole de olla” .. meaning start working on something even if it is daunting or difficult, just do it with energy and enthusiasm.”
We could not be more happy to have this family in our community. They make each of us better every day. Next time you see them around give them high five!