EDWARDSVILLE - Riverbend CrossFit, located at 503 East Vandalia in Edwardsville, is motivating others and transforming lives, one success story at a time.
The 6,000 square-foot strength and conditioning facility offers the latest equipment and educated instructors to help clients in every step of the way.
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For 39-year-old Fawn Dintelmann, the decision to join Riverbend CrossFit started out as a social endeavor after her and her family moved from Godfrey to Edwardsville, where she didn’t know many people.
“Through a church group, I discovered a group of ladies running a Couch to 5k plan,” said Dintelmann. “I thought it would be a great way to meet some new people.”
Even though running was not her thing, Dintelmann decided to give it a go.
“Everyone was so encouraging and positive, they believed in me until I believed in myself,” said Dintelmann. “Running took hold of me and I haven’t stopped! Since March of 2013, I’ve run 12 Half and 2 Full Marathons.”
Since moving to Edwardsville and becoming part of the Riverbend CrossFit family, Dintelmann has taken a healthy turn in life, finding something that she never thought she would enjoy.
“Training to run has just become a part of my life - like brushing my teeth or going to the grocery store, it’s built in to my routine,” said Dintelmann. “I didn’t know that much about CrossFit in general, but I loved that it was a group atmosphere approach to training. The analogy ‘fish out of water’ is a pretty accurate way to describe me when I started attending classes at RiverBend. All of the terminology was new, the exercises were unfamiliar and I was certain I was going embarrass myself with my inexperience. Thankfully, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth.”
Dintelmann gives much credit to the coaches and staff at Riverbend Cross Fit for the success and heightened performance from her training.
“The coaches at RB are amazing,” said Dintelmann. “They are patient and really made me feel like they cared about my success. They watched me carefully and made suggestions to help me improve my performance. They are knowledgeable and focused on safety, so they helped me scale the movements and weights to my ability. I love this about CrossFit, because they scale, you can be successful at your level while still working to improve to the next goal.”
Looking back from the beginning of her journey to now, Dintelmann is proud of her accomplishments and enjoying the new lifestyle she has found in the Riverbend CrossFit family.
“I’ve been attending RiverBend classes for about 9 months now and I’m stronger than I’ve ever been in my life,” said Dintelmann. “I didn’t start 2015 thinking I wanted to run a marathon — ever. But, as I’ve gotten stronger and learned to push myself, I just wanted to see if I could do it and now I have three more planned for 2016. This only makes me want to keep improving to see how much more I’m capable of achieving.”
When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, Dintelmann gives her top three recommendations to stay motivated and stay on track:
1. Surround yourself with like-minded people. It’s so much easier to stay focused if those around you are too. The people that I work out with and run with are some of my closest friends and I look forward to spending time with them.
2. Find an eating plan that works for you, that you’re willing to make a lifestyle. I take Advocare supplements and follow the Whole30 clean eating plan. These two components of my nutrition give me the foundation and fuel to get me through my workouts.
3. Set a goal. I always keep another race on my calendar so I’m continually working towards something. Having a goal is critical for me - I love the anticipation of that next finish line.
When asked for advice from someone just starting to exercise, Dintelmann simply suggests to, “Just start! Pick a date, pick a place and GO!”
“Everything else will work itself out,” said Dintelmann. “Find a place or an activity that you can meet people and be engaged. The people I train with are my reason for going some days; so whatever it takes to get you out the door and moving, be invested in that motivator.”
For more information on Riverbend CrossFit, see riverbendcrossfit.com or check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RiverbendCrossFit.
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