The other night I was at Pin Up CF talking to Erica, and we started talking about Paleo and the Paleo Challenge. She started to tell me about her friend Julia and how she developed
Rheumatoid Arthritis, and how she had started to eat Paleo and it changed her life. So of course I wanted to share her story with as many people as possible. I ask Erika to ask if she would send me her story. And here it is, and I forgot to say she is a CrossFiter now too.
My Paleo/Crossfit Journey
Hello, my name is Julia, I live in Ireland and I am a Crossfitter.
I was asked to share my story, it’s an ordinary story but it’s one that has turned this formerly sick, pain ridden individual into the super kick ass cave girl that I am today, so I’m very happy to share it with you and, if it makes you smile or encourages you to start or stay on your own journey, then I’ve done a good thing and your journey in some way will become part of my journey.
About 10 years ago within the space of 6 weeks I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis, going from healthy to not able to dress, walk, shower or use the bathroom facilities on my own. To say Arthritis threw my world into complete chaos is to understate the impact of the illness on me. I can remember talking to a lady in the hospital, who was trying to be helpful when she told me I’d soon get used to only wearing running shoes. There and then I vowed I would wear heels every single day for the rest of my life…
Over the course of the next 10 years at times it was impossible to work, my relationship ended and looking back, I‘m sure that the illness had a lot to do with the break up. Over the years I’ve been on too many different drugs treatments to mention, all of which helped keep my symptoms at bay - at least for a short period of time then it was back to the Doctors to try another combination of drugs. Eventually my regime included taking medications to counteract the effects of my Rheumatoid medications it felt like my life had become a constant battle to just contain my condition while also trying to live a normal life that had at least some quality to it -that was tough for me to achieve. In honesty I never really succeeded in that goal…
Throughout this time the hardest part was not being able to do simple things like raising a coffee cup to my lips, or to put my own underwear on, not being able to do these things wear you down in the end.
Jumping forward to 2010, one day it occurred to me that I hadn’t worked out in such a long time, 9 years to be exact; in turn I wondered if I could actually complete a workout? Would I keel over after 10 minutes? What would be the arthritic effect on my body? That sounds like a challenge right? Enthused by the thought of the challenge I choose to take a Kettle bell class, now I have to be honest with you it took me about 4 weeks to build up the courage to go to a class, I’d almost go in the doors only to back out at the last minute. Eventually I did make it into the class and almost instantly loved it, loved that it was tough on me but from somewhere, I’ve got no idea where, I found the balls to not give up, to keep going no matter how hard I found it. After about 4 months of kettle bell classes, I came across Paleo…
I bought the Paleo Diet Solution and took Robb Wolf at his word when he said give it 30 days. If it doesn’t change your life, what have you lost? (I’m paraphrasing here!). Paleo wasn’t easy at first, I think it took my body about 4 or 5 weeks to begin to feel real again, by that I mean my body started to feel healthy for the first time in probably 15 years. By the time I got to week 7 of Paleo I woke up one morning knowing that I wasn’t going to continue taking my injections and the other 10 drugs that I was taking on a daily basis… That was 10th October 2010, I have not taken any of the drugs since that day. I have lived pain free since the same date.
Shortly after taking the huge step of stopping treatment, I started to believe. I mean really truly believe that I can achieve anything I put my mind to, so with that in mind I realized I needed a new challenge, you probably know where I’m going now, yes I found Crossfit…
Crossfit was tough, I can honestly say I hated Fundamentals (sorry Coach) there was stuff I wasn’t able to do, it hurt, and often I wondered why I was putting myself through this crap. But I wasn’t about to give up just because it wasn’t easy. I graduated fundamentals and did my first ’big girl’ WOD the very next day. What can I tell you? If Paleo is the tool that allows my body to function at a level that someone with Rheumatoid Arthritis would never expect Crossfit is the thing that makes me glad to be alive, really, really alive - what a feeling, you can‘t buy that. I’ve done Murph just once so far, we all know how tough that WOD is my high was so great following it that I walked to my office with happy, emotional tears in my eyes - one of the best emotional feelings I’ve experienced - ever. So no matter how hard the WOD, despite the blood (ya gotta love those rips on your hands), the sweat and the tears of frustration, I can tell you that I truly love each and every single second of it.
I am so very excited by life, and life is exciting because I am living, hand standing, jumping, skipping, climbing, running, lifting proof of the fact that this stuff really does works.
Am I slightly obsessed by Crossfit? Yes of course I am, better that than being obsessed by what drug regime might give me a better chance of being able to get out of bed unassisted right?
If any of this rings a bell for you, if you’re trying Paleo and finding it hard, going through Fundamentals and wondering the hell why you’re doing it, I’d urge you to stay on this path, you are going to gain so much from the journey I promise you that, So now go get some, go on I dare you!!
Julia xx
