Name: Valerio "Vurpees" Da Silva
Hometown: Rome, Italy
Age: 26
CrossFitting Since: March 2012

What advice do you have for other people considering trying CrossFit? The first time I told my mom about CrossFit, I told her about how great it was because everyone was doing the same thing at the same time. We are sharing a moment together. For me, it was really bewildering to see twenty five people waiting for the clock to start to do the exact same thing. It really motivates you to finish. You can't do CrossFit by yourself - you need that group environment to motivate you. You suffer together. When you see someone finish before you, you're motivated to finish. It's very beautiful and incredibly inspiring.

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Name: Michele Kelber
Hometown: Westfield, NJ
Age: "Bitches! I'm 39 1/2!"
CrossFitting Since: January 2010
What is different about CrossFit? CrossFit has made me say, "you can fucking do this, you want this, pick up the bar and find out what you've got." When you PR that lift or get yourself on the leader board or do something else that you never thought you could do, you walk away with a spring in your step. You've blown the glass ceiling off of your life. Yeah, your life. Sounds dramatic, but CrossFit enables you to see yourself differently. There are opportunities inside these walls that don't exist anywhere else. CrossFit isn't solely about fitness, it has the capacity to alter your self perception. You just have to get here.

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Name: Ariel Fernandez
Hometown: Corona, Queens, NY
Age: 26
CrossFitting Since: I've known about CrossFit since 2010, but I joined Virtuosity about one year ago (in February 2011.)
What advice do you have for other people considering trying CrossFit? You just have to get in there, go for it, and be fearless. Don't fear the weights. You might not be great at the moment, but if you come in and work on things, you'll get better.

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There’s a lot of shit in Practical Paleo. Literally. The first few chapters are all about your digestive system: how it works, what comes out, and what it says about what you should be eating. In his forward to the book, Robb Wolf commends Diane Sanfilippo for taking complex ideas, like a leaky gut, and making them easy to understand. As a lady with her own set of digestive issues, this is what appealed to me when I first picked up my copy.

Name: Anne "Annemal" Maldonado
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Age: 30
CrossFitting Since: September 2008

What made you decide to continue CrossFitting while pregnant?
Being active and healthy has always been important to me, and that didn't change when I became pregnant. There are so many changes that go on when you are pregnant, so it was really nice for me to keep workouts as a consistent part of my schedule.

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When I started CrossFit four years ago I never thought I would be where I am today athletically, professionally, and personally. In the beginning, just showing up and getting through the workout was all I could manage. Eventually, I got comfortable and ambitious enough to set some real concrete goals.

My first CrossFit goals were: Get a pull up (at 36 I had NEVER been able to do this!) and deadlift 200lbs (what?!).

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Who are the Front Desk Interns?
You'll find these Interns at the front desk (hence the "Front Desk Intern" group name) before, during, and after classes.

What can the Front Desk Interns help me with?
The Front Desk Interns can help you with membership questions, billing issues, iPad sign-in problems, and general questions about the gym.

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Guest author Michele "Bitches!" Kelber brings you her take on Dallas and Melissa Hartwig's new book about their Whole30 plan for heath and wellness, It Starts With Food.

Dallas and Melissa Hartwig tag team their way through the world of food. Their approach to health goes beyond the traditional outlook of “you should eat this and you shouldn’t eat that.” In a somewhat comedic way, the dynamic duo take a different and novel approach.

Name: James Hirschfeld
Hometown: Jericho, VT
Age: 30
CrossFitting Since: September 2011

What advice do you have for people who are on the fence about CrossFit?
If your goal is to get in shape, there’s probably no quicker way to do so than by joining CrossFit. Like I said, I got into the best shape of my life in 4 months. I’m sure everyone has had the experience of walking by a NYSC and seeing a line of 50 people on elliptical machines. It really kills me to see those people on the ellipticals. I remember being one of them. I think about all of the time I wasted, staring up at a tv.

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Name: Elizabeth Wipff
Hometown: Mill Valley, CA
Age: I'll be 40 on Sept 22nd
CrossFitting Since: January 2009

What is your favorite part of your job? Any examples?
Watching somebody do something they never thought they could do, watching people amaze themselves.

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