A long time ago, let’s call it the 90’s, I was an athletic teenager. Sports every season. Through most of my 20’s and 30’s I was moderately active, with rock climbing and hiking.
In 2016 at 36, my son was born. I’d gained weight. My knees hurt when I walked or tried to hike. My back hurt. My creativity suffered. I was now a stay at home mom with an infant, trying to keep a small gallery afloat. Mentally and physically I was shot. The stress felt immense, and there was no outlet. My diet was terrible. And then we moved to Harvard in 2018. I was 38. The small gallery closed. Things continued the way they were. And then I met a mom at my son’s preschool who was a fitness instructor. It was a turning point. She was forming a team of mom’s to run an OCR (Obstacle Course Race) the following year. It took me about a day before I made the choice to sign on. Something had to change. Our team encouraged each other to reach our goals. Lucky me, one of those mom’s happened to be none other than Title Boxing Club Littleton’s own Ali Sweeney. After lightly training for two OCR races in 2019, I began running more, completing three 5k races. But all of the stress from the years before had built up, and I was in and out of the doctor’s office, with an MRI, and endoscopy to attempt to figure things out. In the end. Stress. So much stress with no release, along with poor nutrition, had wrecked my digestive system. So I made another choice. I chose me. It was hard, but I had a support system of amazing mom’s and my husband and son behind me. My diet changed. I left behind the things I already knew weren’t good for me.
And then Ali mentioned she was a trainer at Title Boxing Club Littleton. When I was a kid, my brother and I would hang out in the basement. Various things would keep us occupied. But there was always our dad’s pair of old lace up gloves. Too big for a little kid. And an old speed bag with the leather coming off. I would put the big gloves on and use a folding chair to get up to the bag. It was something to do. We were kids in the 80’s. Rocky was our favorite.
So in January 2020, I took a class with Ali. That day I signed up for a membership. It felt right. I chose me, again. It’s up there on a list of best decisions. Through the first four months of covid isolation I’d replay the live Saturday workouts. I ran more. I turned 40. And now I am mentally and physically healthier than at any other point of my life. Finally back in the club, but with OCR races cancelled this year, my benefactor (husband) and I decided I needed an extra challenge. Private Training with Mike Fontanez. It’s definitely a challenge. And hard. But SO worth it. I even manage to haul my butt out of bed on Wednesdays for Katie’s 6am class…. who am I????
Every single person that works at Title Boxing Club Littleton wants to see you reach your goals, whatever those are. We are all on different journeys. And the club oozes encouragement and respect for whatever that journey might be. So if you’re reading this and have been wondering if this is for you, come by. Take a class. CHOOSE YOU.