Whole 30 Challenge: Raun Skrym

"Whole9 is a community focused on health, fitness, balance and sanity, all built on a foundation of real food and healthy nutritional habits." (Whole 9 website) CrossFit Akron athletes put their bodies to the test for 30 days. We've had nothing but success. Here are the stories to prove it.  Please vote at the top of the page for the winner.

Overall stats: Feb 2011 to July 2011 lost 14% in body fat!!!

Raun Skrym

My story had been written.  The men of my family don’t have long or healthy lives. My Grandfather had his first heart attack at 67 with many more to follow and finally take his life.  My oldest uncle, heart problems, dying at the age of 52. My second oldest uncle, now 53, in and out of the hospital with diabetes andpancreatitis.  Last but not least my youngest uncle, 5 years my senior, my best friend, died at the early age of 47 of a heart attack.  This may sound like bad

luck, bad genes but it really comes down to bad habits and my footprints were right in line with theirs having ballooned to approximately 350 pounds (not knowing for sure since the scale and I were not  friends).  Every year buying the next size up in pants.  I had started exercising and watching what I ate but never pushing myself.  Walking around the block had me out of breath. 

 I found a flyer for Crossfit at a restaurant one day and thought it looked like it would be fun to try.  Thinking this was going to be another gym that maybe a new atmosphere would spur me on.  Well, it did more than that.  I met with Josh for the first workout.  I was exhausted afterwards.  He said to me that we could cut my time in half in 6 weeks.  I laughed to myself thinking  that he had high hopes for that.  He was right.  Starting on-ramp the following week with Brian and Josh, within a few sessions I was hooked.  Josh was right, by the end of on-ramp my time had decreased almost in half doing that same workout from the first day.  I became a believer.  I started the Whole9 food plan and haven’t stopped.  

 I can buy my pants at a regular store, not a “big and tall” store.  I don’t get winded walking around the block, in fact, I just ran my first 10k. 

 With the help of Brian and Josh, I have been able to tear those pre-written chapters out of my book and start to write new ones of my own. My many thanks and

appreciation to them and the other members of Crossfit Akron that encourage and support everyone every day.