Erin Bruzzese used to walk past CrossFit Kamloops (TCSC Kamloops) in British Columbia every day on her way home from Gold’s Gym. But she didn’t think CrossFit was for her.
- “I thought I wanted to work out on my own, and I didn’t think I wanted to do what everyone else was doing,” said Bruzzese about her reservations.
But then one summer day in 2023, she experienced what she called a “Jim Carrey moment.”
- “You know that movie where Jim Carrey has to start saying yes to everything? It was one of those moments. I was on my way to my mom and dad’s after the gym to go for a coffee, and I drove by the gym, and I was like, ‘ Screw it,’ and I literally turned the wheel around and pulled into the gym,” Bruzzese, a firefighter in Kamloops, remembered.
The real reason Bruzzese decided to make a U-turn that day was that she wanted a fresh start.
At that time, the now 47-year-old was going through a messy and completely unexpected separation from her now ex-husband.
- “It was a nightmare. My marriage blew up on me, and I needed something for myself, something new. I didn’t want to be at the same gym, with the same people, answering questions,” said the mother of two.
The moment she entered the gym, Bruzzese’s attitude was “sign me up.” And when the owner, Kent Aitchison, asked her for her name, she decided to go by her maiden name.
- “It was my fresh start. Nobody knew me from before. It gave me some autonomy,” she explained.
Two Years Later
More than two years into her CrossFit journey, Bruzzese has gained much more than just a new start at CrossFit Kamloops.
- “It has been a lifesaver,” she explained.
To start, she is much fitter than she ever was during her Gold’s Gym days.
- “I’m lifting heavier than I have ever lifted in my life at 47. I was always athletic and strong, but now I’m really strong for my age,” Bruzzese said.
Today, she can clean 185 pounds, back squat 225 pounds, and bench press 155 pounds, and she’s “stringing muscle-ups together, which is lovely,” she said.
Better yet, Bruzzese really enjoys going to the gym. It turns out she genuinely likes working out with others and suffering through it together.
- “I didn’t think I wanted to be told what to do, but now I’m like, ‘You must tell me what to do. I don’t want to think,’” she said. “I trust the process. What’s on the whiteboard sounds good to me.”
Best of all, Bruzzese has an entirely new group of friends and supporters, who, along with the fitness she has gained, have helped her “come out of the fog” and get through one of the most challenging times of her life.
- “It has given me the validation and confidence I was lacking after my marriage dissolved, where I was questioning my self-worth. And some of the friends I have made, I feel like I have known them for years. They’re that chosen family type of friendships,” Bruzzese said.
She added: “And I mean, how great is it that people are cheering you on because you just did 12 muscle-ups in a row?”
Bruzzese’s Message
What began as a desperate search for a fresh start became the catalyst for Bruzzese to rediscover her strength and confidence. Ultimately, the simple decision she made during that search showed Bruzzese that sometimes, despite uncertainty and fear, you just have to say yes.
Her message is clear: “Don’t hesitate to try things. Don’t let pre-conceived notions stop us from just trying something,” she said.
- “My only regret is how much time I wasted driving by thinking I wasn’t the right fit, or I won’t fit in, or I wasn’t good enough. And now, two years later, I’m part of the fabric of this community. I want to keep doing this into my 70s. And I’m just so happy that I’m stronger than I have ever been,” she added.
