Lauren Banek

• CrossFit Level 1 Certification

• Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification

CrossFit may not be the end-all, be-all, but it is an incredibly versatile piece to add to your lifestyle.

I was fortunate enough to have a little athleticism and wanted to be that kid who tried everything. Involved in every team sport growing up, I settled into tennis, gymnastics, softball, and track in high school and continued with rec tennis in college and after.

Like others, I became a pro on the treadmill and elliptical, losing weight but feeling tired. I needed frequent naps at the office, wasn’t sleeping well, my skin was breaking out, etc. I wanted to try something different, and I saw this thing on ESPN 3 called... CrossFittness?!

My cousin was a coach at a CrossFit box that happened to be owned by an old neighbor. It was a little too far (Excuse #8), so finally Googled places near me. Two popped up and luckily Amplify was one of them. I remember my first time walking in— it was right after the move from the first location and I vividly recall the faces that greeted me. After my intro, which I still laugh at, I told the coaches, “Oh, I'm only looking to do this two times a week and do other stuff as well.”

A couple weeks later I was hooked and the competitive drive regenerated. My body composition was changing, I was sleeping better, I was eating to fuel my body, and I looked and felt 10 years younger. In my nature, I started to help with community events with the gym, helped restructure the nutrition programs, helped our members raise over $100k for Barbells for Boobs, and have now transitioned into coaching.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to help others and to constantly challenge myself.