Congratulating our September Members of the Month, Alex DeBorde and Melissa Bunch
Warriors, join us in congratulating our September Members of the Month, Alex DeBorde and Melissa Bunch! We asked them to share a little bit about their time here at Mighty Warrior and we hope you enjoy their answers as much as we did!
What’s been your proudest moment at Mighty Warrior?
Alex – I’m not sure if I can pick just one. But the two that come to mind the quickest are probably being able to finally see progress on a handstand push up and figuring out how to improve my double unders. Those are two things I honestly never ever thought I would be able to do and being able to see myself get closer to those goals gets me so excited.
Melissa – Wow! Where do I begin?! CrossFit has shown me so much about myself that I am super thankful for. To narrow it down to the most important and proud moment for myse
lf is simply, showing up. By making the conscious decision, every time I walk in that door to better my physical and mental health is the greatest gift of my CrossFit journey so far. Showing up is more than half the battle for me, it’s much easier to say that I’m tired from work all day or that I want to go home and watch a movie with the kids and veg out. CrossFit has shown me that I am worth showing up for that 1 hour of my day.
What’s your favorite workout?
Alex – Probably handstand push ups and back squats! Actually I like most lifts, please don’t ask me to run for fun though because..no.
Melissa – I would say the back squat. This has a bit of a story behind it. My very first day of CrossFit with coach Laura, she had me do 5 squats. My legs were cramping so bad already. Then she enthusiastically requested that we go ahead and do 40. My heart about stopped. 40 squats! I am hurting after 5! So, I reluctantly did them and could not sit down for 5 days. Now, 40 squats is a pretty easy warmup for me. So, every time I add weight to that barbell and do a back squat, I am immediately taken back to that day with Laura and it makes me smile with pride.
What advice would you give to someone who is hesitant to start CrossFit?
Alex – Not to be intimidated. I’m very shy and awkward when it comes to meeting new people sometimes, especially in a vulnerable atmosphere. But if you don’t let yourself be intimidated by others and focus on your own progress and motivating others that’s when working out becomes fun!
Melissa – DO IT! You can do this no matter what weight or fitness level that you are! Everything can be modified to your fitness level. I started my CrossFit journey getting dangerously close to 300lbs, and that’s OK! I modify everything I can’t do….yet. I have never felt so strong and superhero like in my whole entire life. DO IT! Also, the support is beyond amazing. Everyone at the box is so unbelievable supportive and sweet. Even people I have never spoken to come up to me at some point before, during or after a workout and offer words of encouragement. I also can’t say enough about the coaches, you guys are just plain amazing. Hands down you make the journey that much more awesome. Having great coaches makes me want to come in more and I don’t think I am alone in that feeling. So, don’t be hesitant… come in!
What’s a fun fact about you that most Warriors might not know?
Alex – I have an unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter and I’m a dietitian! Which is cool, depending on who you talk to. No one ever really likes the person who tells them they should limit their cookie intake.
Melissa – I used to play bass guitar in a cover band several years ago with my dad and my uber talented brother. We always had a blast playing and it was just for the fun of it and hanging out together. We only played out a few times for charity shows. One day soon, I would love get the band back together!
What’s the next goal you’re looking to achieve?
Alex – Just being better than I was yesterday and continuing to improve at the movements I struggle with most. It’s easy to get better at things you’re already good at, but improving at the things you’re not so great at is the hard part.
Melissa – My next goal is to just keep improving my health one day at a time. I also plan on competing and ultimately winning with myself on getting more reps every time and….some heavier ones too. Of course, I secretly want all of my winter clothes to literally fall off me when I have to start wearing them again as fall and winter quickly approach. I mean, better health benefits means sometimes the clothes are just getting too big! That’s a great problem to have in my opinion.