October Member of the Month – Stephanie Lapat!

Weightlifting Tuesday!

On the Minute x 10
2 Power Snatches

Then…

“Power Down”
15 – 12 – 9

Power Snatch (135/95#)
Overhead Squat (135/95#)

Congrats to Stephanie Lapat on being named our October Member of the Month! Find out more about Steff below…

1. How did you get started with CrossFit? I had a good friend who loved CrossFit and brought me with her to Cross Fit New England years ago. From the first day of Elements, I was completely addicted. I loved the challenge of the workouts and once I joined the regular classes, I fell in love with the community. Unfortunately, my CFNE class went through a number of coaches over my years as a member there. I loved each coach and learned something different from each, but the constant changes were frustrating. When I came over to TILT II, it was even better than the community I originally found at CFNE. Not only were all the members incredibly welcoming and super kind, but Brian also was the key difference. Having the same coach for almost every work out brought back the confidence I had lost with all the changes over my years at CFNE. Within my first few months at TILT II, I felt accountable to a person who was invested in my success so I pushed myself even more than I had been pushing myself in years. Erin and Robby just add value to my experience as they demand excellence, too. All our coaches are great at modifying movements so I always know I will find a way to do even the most intimidating workouts. Every day I see the changes in my performance and that inspires me to work even harder!

2. What does a typical day look like for you? These days, my days start early because of Maisy, our new puppy. Then there are two school drop offs. Whenever I can, I come directly to TILT from elementary school drop off. On the days when I have tennis or library duty, I come to the 12:30 class then go directly to middle school pick up. Most afternoons, I tutor high school kids for the SAT, ACT, or college applications. I often have to run to the skating rink, soccer field, fencing studio or some other athletic location to drop off or pick up one of my own children between tutoring other people’s children. Jono usually waits for me to finish working and we eat a clean dinner together before watching something mindless on TV.  

3. When you are not at TILT, what is your favorite thing to do? I love spending time with my family – doing almost anything. My girls are hilarious and a ton of fun and it’s a blast to hang out with them. I especially love our annual trips: we ski at Breckenridge every February break (visiting my little brother in Denver on the way in and out) and we spend a week in Maine every August. These weeks make all the hard work the rest of the year worth it! 

4. What is it like working out along side your husband? How did you finally convince him into starting CrossFit after all these years of doing it yourself? I absolutely love working out with Jono. I have loved CrossFit so much and tried to get him to join CFNE years ago. Once I switched to TILT II, I was determined to get him to join. Brian and I were very strategic in our plan: we got Jono to come to all the running workouts so he would fall in love with TILT II, as well. It’s pretty cool that I get to explain movements and workouts to him and then we talk about how we each did after the workouts. I also love watching how much he is improving. He’s kicking butt every day and it’s fun to see!

 5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I want to go back to Hawaii. We went for our honeymoon and can’t wait to return with our girls.

 6. You just recently started working with Nicole on your nutrition. Tell us a little bit about the progress you have made so far.. 
I can’t say enough good things about Nicole. I love working with her and appreciate just how amazing she is. She’s incredibly knowledgeable and is so supportive. When we first started working together (the Tuesday after Labor Day), she asked a million questions about my schedule and helped me make realistic plans about what would actually work with my lifestyle. Too many of the previous challenges I have participated in made rules that didn’t work for me because of my late evening work schedule. Nicole was also amazing at answering questions as I tried to figure out things that did work and things that didn’t work. I texted her with little questions about nuts and seeds or big questions about what the hell to eat in a less healthy restaurant – she always got back to me with a specific and helpful answer. I’m down just about 20 pounds, but even more importantly, I feel amazing. I confidently handed out candy on Halloween and wasn’t even tempted to eat a bite. I just returned from a quilting retreat in Maine where I passed the table of baked goods a hundred times a day and never too anything off that table but an apple (and I even went to early morning CrossFit classes before I started sewing!). Nicole got me started and keeps me going – she’s always the first person I text with a new weight milestone and the only person as enthusiastic as I am about the success I’m having! 

7. Tell us 3 things we may not know about you! Obviously, it’s very challenging to get to know me because I am so quiet and shy, but I’m still willing to share three things . . .
1. I drove cross country twice writing for a budget guide to traveling when I was in college. I camped out alone and visited hundreds of locations to update prices and try restaurants. I visited some of the most amazing National Parks and can’t wait to go back with Jono and our girls.
2. I played water polo in college and loved every aspect of the game. My grandmother called my mom from a pay phone when she came to watch my first game (she lived closer) and told my mom the game was so violent that she should forbid me from playing.
3. I grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and still get my accent when I’m imbibing a little too much.  

Thank you so much for naming me Member of the Month. I love coming to TILT II every single day and am thrilled to continue challenging myself with the awesome TILT community!