“… I’m a family pastor at Colonial Hills and I have 4 year old and 4 month old sons. My wife and I have been married for 10 years and I’ve gained about 60 pounds in that time. I’ve tried different diets and even joined a gym at one point, but I can’t seem to find something that works. For my boys, my wife, and for myself I want to get it done, but I’m realizing that I need someone to help me. I need nutrition help and exercise help.
If you can help, please let me know. I’m ready to start.”
It was April 20, 2014 when Nate Murray sent this message to Cune Pena. When I asked Nate what made him desperate enough to reach out for help like that he said, “My journey up to that point of reaching out for help was a long process. It came to fruition at Easter of last year, but there was so much that led up to that. I had spent years watching family members of mine suffer through many health problems and diseases. With the state of my own health at that point, I looked at my beautiful wife and my two incredible sons and knew that if something didn’t change, I was going down the same path.”
“Honestly, I felt like I was headed for a 50-year-old death.”
And all of that led up to the moment when that Facebook message was sent. All that struggle and desperation finding its way into words as he typed and pressed send. And within one minute and with one ding, the answer was given.
“Nate, when is a good time for us to meet? I would love to help you. Cune”
Four days later they met and talked about Nutrition and CrossFit. By the next week, Nate had completed the Premier Elements Class to learn basic CrossFit movements and was ready to really begin his transformation. Based on the recommendation of Cune and a trusted friend who was a nutritionist, Nate also took the leap into eating 100% Paleo.
And everything began to change drastically.
In his words, “I remember when I started CrossFit and Paleo, I thought, “If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.” So when people ask me how I did it, how I made this transformation, I don’t know if I could help someone do what I did.
Because for me this was life or death. And I was fighting for life.”
And this determination to make this change for not only himself, but for his sons and for his family, was what pulled him through those first few months that proved to be incredibly challenging.
As he said, “I had to change my whole entire relationship with food. I wanted to blame the way I was raised, but really it was the fact that I always turned to food when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was stressed, whatever. I turned to it for comfort at night. It was an area I felt like I could control, so when other things in my life felt out of control, I would run to food to regain that sense of control.
Practically, I also didn’t really know what was healthy until I reached out and got that help. I learned that true nutrition is not about having a diet coke and baked potato chips, but about nutrient rich, clean food.”
“Mentally one of the greatest things I had to overcome was self-esteem issues.” he said. “You set that low bar for yourself long enough and you think that’s all you can do. And CrossFit always sets the bar high. I used to go into a WOD (Workout Of the Day) thinking, “There’s no way I can do that.” But then I would push through and I would see that I really could do what I thought was impossible.
… And that’s when I realized that really there aren’t many limitations that we actually have, most are self-imposed. ”
Going from a completely sedentary lifestyle and jumping into doing CrossFit was a challenging feat.
Nate said initially it was just pure physical pain. Going from his inactive lifestyle to CrossFit felt like climbing Mount Everest sometimes. But thinking about his family and his sons and having the support of Premier members and coaches was what pulled him through in those first, challenging months.
“Some days I would just repeat, “Solomon. Moses. Amanda.” (the names of my sons and wife) over and over again and that was what pulled me through,” he said. “I would sit in my truck just wondering how I got here. Wondering if I could get out of this. Wondering how I could allow myself to get to this point. Overcoming self-limitations was even harder than doing the workouts, because in your head you doubt whether you’re capable of doing what you’re being asked to do.
I remember one of the most pivotal moments of learning to overcome my self-doubt and low self-esteem was during one of the CrossFit classes that Coach Haley Hudson was teaching. I was doing box jumps and I was using a 20 inch box. Haley comes over to me and says, “Nate, I really think you could do the 24 inch box.” I said, “I’m more comfortable here, I think I’ll just stick with this.” I kept going and she comes to me again, “Nate, your jump is plenty high… you could easily make it to the 24 inch. You should really try it.” Once again I said, “That’s okay, I think I’ll just stick with this.” I kept going and a few minutes later Haley walks over to my box and just shoves it over to the 24 inch side. She wasn’t kidding. She was very confident in what I was capable of even though I wasn’t. And I thought, “Okay, I guess I’m gonna do this.” And I did.
Her pushing past my self-limitations and believing in what I could do was a moment that caused me to begin dispelling those voices in my head that said I wasn’t enough and didn’t have what it takes. I begin to see that my body was far more capable than I had ever realized. I could do so many things that I never dreamed I could do.”
The weight began to fall off quickly in those first few months. The combination of eating Paleo and doing CrossFit several time a week gave Nate immediate results.
By July he had lost 30 pounds.
And he said he couldn’t have done it without the encouragement, guidance, and support of the Premier Coaches, friends.
“Each coach is so unique,” he said. “God has gifted them in many ways. All of the coaches are good at setting that mentality, “form before glory”, through their exhortation and encouragement. They push you to compete with yourself and be better than you were last time.
Seth makes everyone feel important. In his very laid back way, he makes you feel like you have his total attention. Every time I show up, he makes me feel important. It’s really a gift to be able to coach such large classes but make each person feel like they’re being given that personal attention.
CT is someone who can come up and give that one tip that changes everything. He tweaks things and gives pointers just when you need it.
Haley will push you but she also takes a lot of time to explain movements and she always makes sure everyone is comfortable. She’s also very encouraging.
Josh Hill (a former Premier coach) was also instrumental in my journey… he was a great coach in so many ways… He knew when to tweak movements, when to push, and when to give encouragement.
John Eikner is laid back but really knows his stuff which makes him a great trainer. You can learn a lot and push yourself but also enjoy the process. He has an ability to understand your goals and know exactly what you need to do to get there.
And I really felt like the coaches cared about me as a person, even outside of CrossFit. Coach Haley and her husband Chad, Cune and Michelle, Coach Seth and his wife Hannah, came to hear me preach when they didn’t have to… Just to support me. And that meant a lot. They communicated, “We’re with you in this journey”. It meant so much for them to show support even outside of the box. It made me feel like they were invested in me. I don’t know where else you would get that.
At Premier, there’s just that environment of encouragement. Helping everyone transform. The atmosphere is such that it’s a place where everyone, no matter what fitness level they started at, can grow and become better.”
With the culmination of Nate’s unwavering commitment to his diet and exercise routine and the support of Coaches and Premier members like Joseph Dappen, Ron Hallmark, Nathan Mickler, and Brian and Tanya Merritt, a huge transformation has been made in just a year’s time.
Nate also credits much of his transformation to the support of his wife, Amanda and says she played an integral and irreplaceable role in his journey. In his words, “She has encouraged me in subtle and obvious ways every single day. From telling me how proud she is of me, to searching for recipes and cooking me Paleo-approved food, to listening sympathetically to me whine about soreness, she has been the most amazing companion through it all.
Nate’s starting weight was 259lbs. and now he’s rapidly approaching that 200lb mark and every day is healthier and stronger. But the drastic physical transformation is only part of what has changed for him. He said that this journey has changed his whole outlook on himself, life, and even discipleship in the Church which is close to his heart.
In his words, “The biggest change has been my mindset. It was huge for me when my eyes were opened to the fact that I had so many self-imposed limitations. I realized that I had so many things I was capable of doing that I had never thought possible. Now all the sudden I’m looking at my life and wondering, “What other ways am I limiting what Christ can do through me? What other areas have I not pushed forward because I don’t think I can?”
There’s a strength of conviction and mental endurance that this journey has grown in me.”
When I asked him what advice he would give to someone who currently finds themselves in the place that he did he when he started he said this, “GET HELP.”
“Don’t try to do it all on your own. Get the help of someone who knows what they are doing. Find something that can work for you and for your family. Joining Premier Crossfit and following the Paleo diet was that for me.
Another piece of advice about diet: educate yourself. Once you know the facts about nutrition, it’s easier to say no to things that are bad for you.
With fitness and diet, don’t assume that your limits are what you think they are. When you see what others are capable of, don’t assume that you can’t do that. With the right nutrition and coaching you can do so much more than you think you’re capable of. Don’t put yourself in a box… Because you can get comfortable there. You have to bust out of that box.
Somewhere I saw the quote, “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” I’ve thought about that as I’m approaching the one year mark of when I started this journey and as I reflect on the hell it took to get here.
Investing in your health, making good nutritional choices, and staying consistent with fitness are the kinds of things that you’ll thank yourself for doing.
It’s all those little choices that add up. Not snoozing through the alarm. Saying no to the cake or pie. Pushing through the pain or exhaustion during a WOD to get 5 more reps or speed up those last 20 seconds.
Those are the little choices that your future self will thank you for. And your children and grandchildren will thank you for. I stand here and reflect on the past year being who I once thought of as my “future self” and I feel so grateful. I will be here for many years for my wife and sons. I have gained hope, strength, health, and confidence that I never through possible.
So if you’re struggling to decide, “Can I do this?” Think of how grateful your future self will be.”
You’re capable of doing so much more than you can imagine.”
