CrossFit Midtown is very excited to announce our March 2017 Member of the Month, Melissa Davis! From her first Lurong challenge to competing in the Open, Melissa has quickly become one of our most dedicated, supporting and inspiring members. Read on to learn more about Melissa and her CrossFit journey. Thank you for being such an outstanding member of the CFM community!
Name: Melissa Davis
Nickname: I don’t have one, but my name in Greek means honeybee (fun fact)
Age: 27
Hometown: I grew up in multiple locations. Family is in Texas now though
How did you get exposed to CrossFit? I took Crossfit for an elective credit in college, and fell in love with it. I fell away from it after college while I was in Philly though.
What brought you to CrossFit Midtown? When I moved to Atlanta in 2015, I was ready for a change to supplement my running, and I needed a way to meet some friends. Crossfit Midtown had the best location and shortest foundations program for me at the time so I signed up.
What was your very first day at CrossFit Midtown like? I honestly don’t remember! I do remember my foundations period as being continually challenging. There were multiple times that Mike would say we are going to work on X movement and I would just laugh at him…It was good to identify my weaknesses and strengths up front though!
What changes have you seen in your overall health and fitness level since starting CrossFit? My stamina has increased substantially, and I am getting stronger every day. Although I don’t run as often these days, I find it pretty easy to run long distances at the same (or even better) pace than I was running before I started. I never expected to fall in love with lifting weights, and it has surpassed my love of running at this point.
What kind of changes have you you experienced since starting CrossFit that were completely unexpected? CFM has truly become my happy place. The people I work out with are now my real friends, and I never expected that. I also enjoy the community that CFM has. We are always supportive of each other and are not afraid to push one another to be better. I have finally found my passion in life (health and fitness) due to this gym and I am forever thankful for that.
Favorite WOD: My favorite “girl” is Grace (30 Clean and Jerks). I also LOVE long AMRAPS or any other barbell workout.
Least favorite WOD: Gymnastics-heavy workouts kick my butt, because that’s my weakness. Just another opportunity to improve though! I also dislike burpees but have come to tolerate them in the past 6 months or so.
Favorite CrossFit Midtown moment: How am I supposed to pick ONE moment at CFM?! This is impossible…so, my favorite moments/happenings thus far (in no particular order): This Lurong Challenge that we JUST finished, Barbell Club, and our social gatherings….but really, I just love to be at CFM, even for a normal class.
Hobbies, Talents and or Interests Outside of CrossFit: I have a passion for health and fitness, so much that I am studying to become a certified Health Coach. I also enjoy hiking on the weekends, running, and cooking/baking.
Advice for new CrossFitters: Don’t give up! Everything in Crossfit is able to be scaled to whatever level you are at, and we aren’t going to judge you for scaling down. Also, the only workout you regret is the one you don’t do. So keep coming back!