Andrea Wallace - Member Transformation - Maui's Aloha Kihei CrossFit

“Im feeling THE BEST at 42 than I ever have in my whole life. In fact, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my whole life. No question about it.”

How did you get into CrossFit?

Competitive gymnastics was a big part of my childhood and I was also a high level gymnastics judge for many years. I really loved the athletic part of life, but had a child in 2008 and stopped doing most physical activities for about 4 years.

When I finally got back into it, I started walking and doing other light activities, but after a while of trying that, I have a distinct and shocking memory of feeling weak. I had never felt “weak” before. That needed to change.

Around 2014, I had friends from back home in Massachusetts tell me that CrossFit would be something I would enjoy because it had a lot of gymnastics elements. I decided to give it a try and they were right. I really did enjoy it.

So, did things change immediately for you?

Yes and no. I joined the only CrossFit box around here at the time. I started going about 2 times a week for a couple of years and starting to feel a little like my old self.

It really wasn’t until I came over to Aloha Kihei CrossFit where I started to see a big shift in my fitness.

That’s so awesome. What changed?

The changes came in stages, but one of the first things I realized is that wasn’t really “coached” until I got here. For example, being a former gymnast, pull-ups and toes-to-bar came more easily for me. I was performing them for years before coming here, but within two weeks of joining Aloha Kihei, I was able to get my first chest-to-bar pull-up and a bar muscle-up a couple months after that.

More importantly, Coach Frank also sat me down to have a serious conversation about my fitness goals. I had never had anyone sit me down and ask me about that. He said he saw a lot of potential for me to excel and even have fun competing. After our conversation, I started to come out more frequently and started to see some major changes in my performance.

Another big shift happened when I finally started to dial in my nutrition.

Interesting! What made you finally start paying attention to your diet?

It was mostly through influences of the friendships I had made here. I was doing all the right things in terms of training by that point…and nutrition was something I had ignored even though I was something people were doing.

You see, I always thought you could eat as much as you want as long as you exercise enough to offset it… so I NEVER really tried.

I had a BIG aha moment, though, when I finally started paying attention to what I ate. I was never “overweight”, but I was getting to be little... “extra”. After 3 or 4 months of dialing in my nutrition, I was starting to see significant slimming and more muscle. Performance-wise, I had a much stronger engine and I could maintain a higher level of intensity for longer.

What’s been your biggest challenge with your CrossFit journey?

I’ve had 2 reconstructive ACL surgeries from old gymnastics injuries that plagued me from age 15-25.

So, when I first got in, I avoided ANYTHING to do with squatting…or anything that I felt put excessive pressure on my knees.

Once I started to get my nutrition dialed in, especially, I noticed a huge difference in the strength of my legs as well as my confidence in them. I’m still working through challenges with any squatting movements, but the improvements have been dramatic.

What would you say is some of your proudest moments in your journey with CrossFit?

• Im feeling THE BEST at 42 than I ever have in my whole life. In fact, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my whole life. No question about it. I also can’t believe how different I look since getting serious about it.

• Up until I was 41, I’d NEVER gone a full day without sugar. Doing the nutrition challenge this past January was the first time I did and it was an incredible mental victory for me.

• Doing my first crossfit competition. I came to watch the Aloha Games one year and thought to myself that i could NEVER do something like that…. and then I did. Even participating was HUGE and now I try to do as many comps as I can.

What’s your favorite thing about Aloha Kihei CrossFit?

The community is amazing. The coaches are amazing. Everyone is so supportive of each other. It’s a great combination of fun, real fitness, and expert guidance. When my sister and friend came into town and met everyone, they kept commenting about what a great group of people we have. That’s why i’m here 5-6 days a week these days.

So, what’s next for you in terms of goals?

I’m currently working on getting my lift numbers up for any and all the Olympic lifts. I also want to keep having fun competing.

What advice would you give to anyone who never tried CrossFit before?

As Coach Frank likes to say “trust the process”. The results will come. You’ll find yourself doing things that you never thought was possible… and the confidence that it will bring will change your life.