Congrats to our December Member of the Month, Toni Reale!
We caught up with Toni to ask her a few questions about her journey and here’s what she had to say:
Q: What brought you to CrossFit in the first place?
A: My best friend invited me to a class in Massachusetts while I was visiting her. I went a couple of times and loved it. I came back to Charleston and started HITT classes then got pregnant with boy #2 and slacked off. Then one day I started often seeing this very friendly lady in my shop be-bopping around. You’ll never guess who it was… Emma Cohen! I heard more and more people talking about Locomotion Fitness and thought I’d dive in.
Q: What was your first impression? How has that changed?
A: My first impression was that it was a well run, “non-meathead” gym with dedicated, kind members and experienced coaches. My first impression was right-on and since then I have only experienced the bottomless depths of kindness, experience, patience, and fun!
Q: What was your first “bright spot”?
A: My first bright spot was during foundations when transitioning from Boot Camp to CrossFit. I was working on something (I forget what exactly) and Coach Emma told me I was fitter than I thought I was. That gave me confidence that I wasn’t starting at rock bottom and that in fact I was decently strong and could do many things when I put the effort in (running is still a struggle).
Q: What are you working on now?
A: For the longest time I was pretty non-committal to any gym or fitness regime. Since joining Locomotion, I’ve been fairly consistent, have established goals, and have been working toward them. I completely understand that nutrition is the bottom of the pyramid and that I’m not seeing the results I want because I’m not taking it seriously enough (especially when I’m stressed and especially when there’s dessert). So I’m working on my nutrition and looking forward to doing the next challenge.
Q: What’s your favorite Locomotion Memory?
A: Hmmm that’s a tough one. I think when Linda and I were partners for deadlifts and we both PRd (at the time) at 175lbs. It was exciting and I felt pretty badass! Or maybe it was when the workout required a lot of running and Olin came back for me and ran with me. It was a kind gesture and very motivating. I just love this place and all the people in it. Thanks for being awesome!
Toni owns and operates Roadside Blooms right here in Park Circle! She’s an amazing mom to two little boys, takes the time to be a supportive wife, boss, daughter and friend and is taking the right steps to make sure she’s around for a long time to do all those things! Thanks for sharing your story, we love having you in our #LocoFAM
