Kelly is a little modest when it comes to all he has achieved. She is an inspiration to a lot of people. She is a girl on a mission for sure!

I knew I liked her the second she came in the door. I knew she was ready to make a change; a fitness professionals dream come true (the eager ones ready to conquer the world)! I really knew I liked her when she came to the Spartan 1000 Challenge after ONLY 3 weeks with us. We have campers who haven’t done it and they have been with me for 1-2 years.

The Spartan 1000 she did was one I will always remember. She got to 200 burpees and was angry and wanted to quit (her legs were tired). I know what you’re thinking –lol! At that point, I told her to take a break. She has the personality that if she would have quit, she would have been very upset with herself, so I took the chance to have her mad at me. She took the break and then at 270 burpees she fell down. Her legs were TIRED! I looked at her and said “you ok Kelly” and she said yes. She went on to finish 400 burpees and her 1^st Spartan! The cute thing about it also, was 2 of the other campers who were done a while back, stayed to cheer her on. She had already made others want to be around her and of course, that is the kind of people who come to Get  a Grip – and Kelly is no exception.

As you will read, she is doing mud races, 5k, ½ marathons, and so much more…who would have thought. I’m SO proud of her and looking forward to seeing what else she can get her hands into.

Here is her story…

I have been heavy most of my life and knew that I deserved better but didn’t know how to do it on my own.  I had been struggling with my weight and fitness for years and when I came to Get a Grip in August 2011, I was ready for a change. 

I was already down 25 pounds from my highest weight and it had taken me about a year to get there. I knew that if I was to get to where I wanted to be, I had to do something radically different than I had tried in the past. 

I started coming to Carrie’s Hardcore Abs classes and once I got to know Carrie’s personality, I was hooked.  She didn’t take herself too seriously but I knew from the first meeting she was serious about what she does and is dedicated to getting results.  After going to the abs class for about 2 weeks, I decided it was time to commit to Bootcamp. 

I signed up for a 12 month commitment having never attended one of her camps.  I knew that if had done a month-to-month commitment, I would be more likely to give up.  The first time I went to camp, I thought to myself “What have I gotten into?”  I was so sore that I even emailed Carrie asking if I should come back that Wednesday.  Of course, she said yes and I showed up.  To my surprise, I felt better and wasn’t nearly as sore after camp that night. 

It also helped that Carrie was genuinely happy to see me back.  That changed my mind.  I knew if she was happy to see me, she cared enough to help me get the results I wanted and deserved.  Then, I was really hooked.  I guess you could say that’s when I took my first sip of the “Kukuda Coffee”. 

Carrie convinced me to do my first Spartan Challenge in September and I haven’t looked back since. 

I have lost an additional 26 pounds since I started with Carrie and I have completed 3 more Spartans and a half marathon since I started in September. I am also signed up for 2 more half marathons and a 10 mile race within the next year. I have even had a few people let me know that I have inspired them to start running. It’s still surreal, at times, that people ask me for advice when it comes to fitness and eating well.

The people I have met here are incredible.  They have accepted me as family and I am so thankful for them.  Carrie and I have set goals and I CRUSH them! I never imagined that I would have reached the milestones I have when I started and I am looking forward to what’s in store in 2012! BRING IT ON!!!

Kelly Pacing Sandra in her First 5K

Kelly’s story and determination gives you inspiration to change your life as she has tremendously her own!

Kudos, Kelly!