Changing Priorities: Stephanie Murphy

March 20, 2013

Laura Rice

“My priorities have completely changed. I'm no longer letting the amount I weigh dictate whether I am going to be a happy person. I'm more interested in eating well and fueling my body to make me stronger and better in the gym ...”


 

Like thousands of others across the world, Stephanie Murphy is doing the Open for the first time this year.

The 32-year-old spent much of her adult life going through cycles of diet and exercise, followed by inactivity and unhealthy eating. Her health and fitness was driven by transient weight-loss goals centered around achieving some number on a scale. She has been a yo-yo dieter since her teens. 

“For me, working out has always been about weight loss, period. The scale was the judge and jury,” Murphy says. “I allowed myself be consumed by the number on that display. I had to hit that goal weight, and I did, over and over. In retrospect, it is obvious that I set a goal, did what I needed to do to achieve it and then slipped.”

In November 2012, encouraged by friends, she joined North Shore CrossFit. Even after meeting with owner, Dave Picardy, and hearing about the principles of CrossFit, the community, good nutrition and the importance of form and technique, she still didn’t quite get it.

“After talking to Dave, all I still cared about was, ‘will this make me thin?’” she says.

But within weeks of starting, and witnessing the camaraderie in the North Shore community first hand, Murphy began to have an epiphany.

“CrossFit began to push me in every way: mentally, physically and emotionally,” Murphy says. “Knowing that people are going to be happy to see me when I walk through the door and that they're going to motivate me to finish strong and not give up is huge. The community is truly a blessing.”

Since starting CrossFit, she is down 22 pounds. She has gained strength, confidence and proficiency with the foundational movements faster than she expected. She has never felt better.

“My priorities have completely changed. I'm no longer letting the amount I weigh dictate whether I am going to be a happy person,” Murphy says. “I'm more interested in eating well and fueling my body to make me stronger and better in the gym. I am now focusing on how much the number has increased on my bar or how many pull-ups I can string together at once.”

Murphy’s perennial weight-loss goals have been replaced by a new one: competing in the Open.

“I am competing! I am challenging myself,” she says. “My goal is to give 100 percent, post my scores and be proud that I am among the ranks of those brave enough to sign up and fight until the time is up. For the first time in my life, I am an athlete … CrossFit has done this for me.”

For Murphy, CrossFit has helped her achieve what she could not do on her own. It has helped her change her focus from the number on a scale to the number of reps in a workout, from pounds lost, to pounds lifted. Competing in the Open for her, was the next step in this evolution.

“I want to be the best person I can be, and for once, I want to be satisfied with myself. I'm already on my way and I am forever grateful to this sport and community.”