Junction City woman helps mom, dad improve health with CrossFit
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (KSNT)– A Junction City woman is helping people be the best they can be when it comes to fitness and wellness, even helping to improve her parent’s health.
Christina Spencer and her parents, Pia and John Ison, have become a CrossFit dream team.
Christina started doing CrossFit when she was in the military on immobilization in Kuwait.
“There were marines there,” Christina said. “And they asked me to do a workout with them one day and I was in love.”
When she came back to Junction City, she continued her love for the training.
Christina and her husband Vince started their own CrossFit gym in their garage. Then they moved to bigger locations once they became more popular, opening Junction City CrossFit.
Pia and John are now regulars, but they were hesitant at first to try the high-intensity workout. Then one day they finally came around.
“Last year, I fell and I couldn’t get up,” Pia said. “That was the last straw for me. I have arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and I was getting really sedentary.”
“I had high blood pressure,” John said. “I was getting ready to start Type 2 Diabetes. They put me on Metformin. I needed to do something.”
“He started having some health issues,” Christina said. “My mom was super active when I was younger and I saw her kind of stop doing that as well because of her rheumatoid arthritis. So I really just begged. I did a lot of begging.”
The begging finally worked as she got her parents into the gym, and back to their normal selves.
John is no longer on Metformin.
“His A1C is normal,” Christina said. “His doctor has told him as long as you continue to exercise and eat well, you don’t have to do that anymore.”
Pia is able to do things she never thought was possible.
“I do push-ups,” Pia said. “I couldn’t even do one sit up, now I do five rounds of 15 sit-ups. Which may not sound like a lot to other people, but for me, that’s really awesome.”
The wellness doesn’t just stop at Christina’s parents, it’s a priority for everyone who walks in Junction City CrossFit.
“We want people to be able to live the highest quality of life,” Christina said. “We know that training and nutrition is a big part of maintaining that.”
Christina and Vince just moved into their new location in Junction City earlier in January. It’s the only CrossFit affiliate in town.
The gym is located at 1017 N Washington St., Junction City, KS.
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