Episode 5 | Natalie Blumenthal

[MUSIC] Constantly varied conversations, all with the aim of building high octane humans. These are the stories from the people of our community, and this is the CrossFit Limitless Podcast. [MUSIC] >> What I have been doing with everybody else is I just record, I'm going to give you some prompts and maybe some questions. I'm not going to let you tell your story, and it's down to you. You can divulge as much information as you like or as you're comfortable with. >> I have no secrets. >> So where the impetus to do these podcasts or these conversations or do these pieces with people are an opportunity to sit down and chat to people. Where the idea came from was one of the members who was training here and she had a background in digital marketing. She said to me, she said, people here have stories to tell, and she goes, why don't you tell them? >> Great idea. >> You were the first person I thought of. >> I'm flattered. >> Yeah, so we've been waiting for an opportunity to get you to jump in front of your microphone and tell us a little bit about yourself and your life and how you found yourself in Ireland and how you ended up here in CrossFit Limitless and the last year in a little bit and everything up into the end. So to give you an introduction, this is Natalie Blumenthal from Shrewl, by way of South Africa. >> County Mayor. >> Very important that the County Mayor, Natalie gives a, well, I'm not going to say a quick introduction, but fill us in on where you have been and how you ended up here. >> So we come from Johannesburg. >> Yeah. >> And after being shot a few times and stabbed a few times, we're going to come back to this. >> Pushed around and no electricity and things were a bit rough. We decided it was time to leave. >> Yes. >> And we weren't going to move to Ireland. It wasn't even on the list. >> Yeah. >> We were going to move to London because everybody wanted us in London. >> Yeah. >> We had a lot of work booked up and lined up. We had a house and office lined up and on the day, we had to fly to be in London to sign all 388 flights were full. >> Okay. >> It wasn't a single flight. And when I saw the African passport, you can't just fly via anywhere. >> Ireland has no visa. >> Yeah. >> So I said, let's fly via Dublin, up on the ferry, go on the train, get to Victoria station. We're there, easy. Solution, solutions, solutions. >> Okay. >> So, get on the plane, land in Dublin. Step out of Dublin airport, we knew, big mistake. We had them as horrible feeling. And Lynn looked at me and I looked at Lynn and she said, I don't think we should move to London. >> Yeah. >> And I said, I think you're right. And she said, where should we move? I said, I don't know, this place feels nice. So I said, let's not go on the ferry. Let's go into your car. And let's get a car, let's drive around. So, I said, dear God, give me a sign. Because, oh boy, we're giving up a lot of work. We're giving up a massive plan. I need a sign in five seconds. Walked into Europe car and the lady behind the counter had the same name as my cat. >> Okay. >> And that was my sign, and we knew, that's it. That's the sign, we're here. >> Yeah. >> Where, so we got in the car and we drove all over Ireland for 10 days, looking to see where we wanted to live. And when we went over the bridge in Troy, we got that funny feeling again. And Lynn said, I want to pull over here and we stopped. And it was freezing cold. We come from 40 degrees Celsius into, I think it was three degrees Celsius that day. We went into the supermarket to try and get a cup of coffee. And we were sitting there in the supermarket and Lynn said, we've got to find a house in this place. And the guy behind us said, my dad's selling the house across the road. He sent me down to take photos today. Would you like to see it? And we said, yes. And Lynn put one foot on the doorstep and she said, this is the house, we don't need to see it. >> Wow. >> And that was that. We knew where we were going to move. We went back to Africa and people said, what drugs did you do in Ireland? You're going where? Who do you know there? You're going where? The population is what, 468? You're crazy. You're giving up everything. At your age, you're moving to where? And we said, we're going to shrew. >> Yeah. Shrew is the kind of place where even if you don't know, if they don't know you, you don't know them, they will make it their business to know you. >> Oh, absolutely. >> In the nicest possible way. >> Amazing, no, we landed there the day. We came with five animals and a 40 foot extra volume container. And the first thing they did was run up to us. They put two flags in our hands and said, you're male woman. >> Yeah, you told me this story. >> I didn't even know what that meant. I was like, okay, they like flags. >> And yourself and Lynn are very much ingrained yourselves in the community and truly. >> Yes, we're not blow-ins, we're takeovers, they're pointless. >> So from South Africa to shrew? >> First priority to get our clinic up and running. >> Yeah. >> Who did? >> Yeah. >> And of course for me to get permission to live here. >> Yes. >> Because I actually had a 3% chance of being allowed to stay. >> Okay. >> Plan B was Thailand because I could buy a visa for Thailand. >> Yeah. >> But I was really hoping I wouldn't have to. >> Yeah. >> And by some miracle, they let me stay for five years. >> Yeah. >> And then my visa category got canceled. And I had a real chance of being sent back. >> Yeah. >> And oh, some miracle happened. And I, somewhere somebody was compassionate enough to allow me to stay. >> Yeah. >> And when that letter came through the door on that Tuesday morning, it said 10 years. >> Okay. >> It was a life-changing moment for me. >> Yeah. >> And for Lynn. >> Yeah. >> Because we sat down. We looked at that letter and Lynn said, right, we're going to be forever now. >> Yeah. >> And we have to have a life. >> Yeah. >> Because all we'd been doing was working, working, working, working. >> Yeah. >> Because I didn't know, is this going to be where I'm going to be allowed to live forever? Or am I going to have to go back? >> Yeah. >> And when we got that letter, it was like, I'm here. Let's make a life. >> Yeah. >> And then it looked at me and said, I'm going to paint. I'm going to do art. And I got on the internet. And I said, there you go. Art teacher phoned him. She went to art. The first art class was actually two days later for the year. It was a Thursday night. And I had already seen the CrossFit documentary in Netflix, like two years before that. >> Yeah. >> And I thought, you know, if only, if only I was thinner. If only I was younger, if only I was fitter, I could do that. That would, my soul resonated with CrossFit. >> Yeah. >> And I thought, you know what? Just make peace. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Otherwise, you're going to be super depressed. But when she went to art, that night, I sat at home and I thought, you have no life. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> What is your life going to be? She's starting her life. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> And I waited. And 10.30 came and she came back from art. And worse, worse thing ever. She raved. >> Okay. >> She raved. It was wonderful. It was amazing. I love living here. Our lives are finally getting on track. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Oh, that's so nice. I'm so happy for you. See, I told you everything was going to be all right. And then I got into bed. And I thought, yeah. You know, your life's not on track. Well, you're lost. >> Yeah. >> You're so lost. And you're so unhappy with the way your body is. You can't do CrossFit, you fat thing. And I was like, I want to do CrossFit, but I can't do CrossFit. But I wanted that night was terrible. And I had already looked on the internet. I had seen every gym in the area. I knew every CrossFit gym in Ireland. >> Yeah. >> And I knew this was the right one. >> Yeah. >> I just had that feel just like we knew to move to Ireland. Oh. >> No. >> And I tossed an attorney. And I tossed an attorney. And at 2.36, I opened that website again. And thanks be to God. You guys have got that contact form on the front page. >> Yeah. >> Because if you didn't have that, I don't know if I'd be here. >> Yeah. >> So I thought, just type. You don't need to press hand. Just type. So I typed, typed, you know. And I remember exactly what I typed. I typed. I am almost 50 years old. I am 1.6 meters tall. I weigh 132 kilos, which was a lie. Because I actually weighed 148. But when I erased the 148, I thought, oh God, no. You can't say that. You'll break the equipment. If by any miracle they take you, you can't be that high. Just lie for now. And so I put the little lie in there, which was just awful on retrospect. And I said, I'm terrified because I don't know what I can do. And I don't think I can do crossfit. But, you know, here goes nothing. >> Yeah. >> And then the message is sat there for like 20 minutes. And then I just pressed send. I thought, you know what? It's now whenever. Just jump. Close your eyes and jump. And I pressed send. And I didn't sleep, of course. I went to work the next day. And when I opened the email, you guys had replied. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Let's say come in. Oh my gosh. I think everybody in the office was like, you're actually going to go in. What are you going to do? I said, no, they just want to meet me. I'm just going to go see the place. And they actually stood outside this window and watched us. Because they were so worried. I was going to have a breakdown. Because they knew this was so important to me. And they knew that my body was nowhere near. Being able to fit through the door, let alone do the things they saw on TV. Oh, but thank God. >> Yeah. And you come in and you spoke to me? >> Yeah. And you said. >> Yeah. >> By February, you'll be doing your first CrossFit competition. >> Yeah. >> And I thought, oh, this man thinks he's Jesus. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I am pretty sure we looked out the window here and the class was doing a CrossFit Open workout. And I think I said to you, this time next year, you are going to be doing what they're doing. You're going to be doing that CrossFit Open. And you did have a little breakdown. >> Yes. >> You got a little bit emotional. And a year later, you did your CrossFit Open. >> I did. >> Yeah. >> I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. >> Yeah, but every time you come in, you get your work done. You get your stuff done. There's a smile on your face. You bring a great character and a great warmth and a sense of fun to all these workouts and all these classes. And you have transformed yourself. >> Oh, everything's changed. Everything. And not just the physical side. I don't know how CrossFit can get results so quick. It's crazy. It's just mind blowing. Every time I come, what I figured out to do was don't think about anything. Don't try and work it out. Don't question it. The first couple, like the first good year, Patrick was the coach. And I know whatever Patrick says is what I do because Patrick knows. I won't question it. I won't think about it. I just do it. If he says do 10, I do 10. In fact, I took it so literally when I was doing the fundamentals. You know, James said do 29. And at five, my legs were starting to buckle. But I thought, no, James said 29. And that was the glorious day that I did the most spectacular collapse. Okay. And the problem when you're that heavy is that, no, we can just come over and give you a hand. Yeah. Yeah, five people couldn't give me a hand. I couldn't get up. Thank God James was still around. And he managed to haul my ass up off the ground. And then Patrick very carefully explained to Lynn that she always has to park at the door. So I don't have to walk the road. Okay. To get to the car. Because I felt like I had motor neuron. I just kept singing. He said do 29. I do 29. He says, yeah, in the one workout, the first E-Mom, I was a little confused. And I kept singing. I wasn't doing enough of them. And I think the count was like 400. And I did a thousand three hundred. And like nobody stopped me. There's nobody going to stop you from doing more. No, no. It was just so much fun. I just have so much fun. In fact, sometimes I think it's like Lynn says, I think you were a bit loud today. Yeah. I was like, oh God, I just mustn't distract anybody. Who's trying to really focus. There's nothing worse than having a loud person next door to you. So you have a really interesting sporting background. Do you want to tell us a little bit about that? Yes. So I wasn't disabled all my life. Yeah. Which makes this even more frustrating. But aged two, I was a swimmer of the year. I was a really good swimmer. I was in a lift accident. And the lift, my foot actually went in between the lift and the concrete flooring. And I was trapped for 16 hours. And it came eventually. They actually used a sledgehammer. And they hammered out the entire floor to get my foot out. But my foot was as thin as a piece of paper. But very smartly, they didn't cut it off. They let it sit. And because I was a little kid, I was at that stage, I was a year and a half old. The foot had bounced back. Because the bones were very like cartilage. And the problem was they didn't want me walking. So they just threw me in the pool when I was getting too busy. So it was sit, lie down or swim. And by age two, I was a swimmer of the year. By age five, I was a world class swimmer. And by age 12, I was a Olympic level. So I had a lot of swimming, a huge amount of swimming. And of course, been 1980s, BMX came out. And so everybody was on a BMX in those days. And we had the chance to start competing in our hometown. And we were pretty good. So we got signed by a team. And we got sponsored these really fancy bikes. And they were light as a feather. And suddenly we were all around the country doing races every weekend. And then we qualified for World Champs. And then we won the World Champs in Chile. And that was pretty much the end of BMXing because it went out of fashion at that moment. Yeah, yeah. I remember around about that time. But another thing I was doing was my mother took me to a ballet class because she really wanted me to be this awesome ballerina. And like, it's not in my personality to be like that. Yeah. And I didn't like pink. I liked the martial arts colored belts. Okay. So next door was karate. And I kept going into karate. And I ended up doing a lot of martial arts. I did karate and kung fu, taekwondo, kickboxing boxing. And Thai kickboxing too. And so that was my greatest passion. Sports wise was the martial arts. Yeah. It's a very, very challenging. And the full contact fighting really appealed to me. It's not often you get to just knock somebody out and get a medal. Okay. So it really appealed to me. And so I won the World Champs three times. And that's where the crap hit the fan. Because on that third world champs in Singapore. I was flat broke at that time. I just had enough money. I thought to buy that ticket to get to Singapore. So I could compete. I went into flight center and cat was the guy there. And he added it all up and I hadn't added that. So I was 14% short on the ticket. And he looked at me and he said, no, you are going. He said, hang on a second. We'll all take our commission off. And we're going to make the ticket so that you can go. So I thanked them profusely. Because I had a ticket so I could get there. And he said, I won condition. The moment you know what how you've done. When you get out of that last fight. Somebody has to send me a text. Okay. So I said to the coach, this is the condition of my ticket. And they were like fine. So I went up to that final. And I had studied that opponent. I knew her. And she had pulled my eye out the year before. So it was a bit of a grunge match as well because it was legal move. And I'd lost and I hate losing. I can't stand it. Second taking place as first loser. I wanted that gold. And I'd faced her in the US open the year before. And I thought, here we go. And first round, she's a boxer. So I went out. I thought, no, pure boxing. I'm just going to go out there and see if I can beat her at her own arts. Because I got to know I'm the best. I came out the first round and they gave the round to me and I knew, okay, I've beaten you at what you do best. Now, now I want the glory because I was a little arrogant and prick in those days you see. So I said to the corner guy, don't sit down. I said, pick up that phone. And you send a text and tell them I won. And I stepped up on the platform and I just did a kick and knocked her out. Boom, which was lovely. We're still great friends. I mean, that's martial arts. I hit you. You hit me and we're still friends. And the phone rang and the cat said, pick two friends. You're going to Thailand. We're going to send you on holiday because I know you want to go on holiday. You got seven nights in Thailand. I've changed your flights. Tell me who the friends are. So me, Mary Quentin, we got on this plane and we went to Thailand. Never been before. And it was paradise and it was amazing. And I was running up and down the beach at sunset screaming, I am the champion of the world. I am the champion of the world. Oh, nobody could knock me off my patch. Okay. Until the next morning. Okay. Next morning. Oh, man. This is, is this, is this where, where this is changed? This is where the life changing, my big thing I call it. Yeah. Yeah. Everybody gets a big thing. And this was my big thing. Next morning, I'm an ocean baby. I love water. Yeah. To start with all the swimming. You know, I don't think I could live out of water. And I go racing into the ocean. And I mean, it's flat water. There's no current. It's warm like a bath. So we were in there for about two hours. And then Mary stands up. And even like thigh deep in the water. And Mary says, I'm going to get out because the salt water is starting to sting my skin. And I'm like, oh, Mary, you're such a pansy. And I start splashing her. Ah, you're such a pansy, Mary. And then suddenly my foot is stinging. And I'm thinking crap Mary's right. Uh, this water, this water is really stinging. It's quite sore actually. Oh, and then that evil sea creature wrapped around my legs and grabbed me. I felt like a human being had me around the legs. So instinctively I put the one arm down. And then it bit me and grabbed me around the arm and the trunk and the legs. And the other arm went down to save me and I got my left arm as well. And there I was trapped on this stupid jellyfish. And I look up at Mary and Quinton and I say, guys, I think I'm being attacked by jellyfish. And they start laughing and splashing me. And I said, no, I think I'm in trouble. And I waddled out and I said, Quinton, because now the locals are gathering around. The locals are gathering around. And they just looked at me and they said, Oh, man, you're dead. Oh, man, you're dead. And I'm looking at them thinking, I'm not dead. I'm the champion of the world. Yeah, this is a jellyfish bite. Yeah, I really think I looked down. I knew it was a box jellyfish, but at that stage I was still on a high from winning. Nothing can beat me. Did you realize that a sting from a box jellyfish could be that dangerous or that fatal? I did, but I was so arrogant. Let's just jump into action. It was really my heart was killing me. I think my heart rate must have been about 200 and something thousand. And the pain was incredible. But the adrenaline takes over. And in a crisis, my head just went, Quinton grabbed that knife from the coconut lady, cut this thing off me. And Quinton was great. He ran, he got the knife, and he started hacking this thing off me. It took him 10 minutes to get it off. And the thing with the jellyfish is like you can kill it and it still pumps that venom into you. So I had this. I could just feel these massive injections of venom everywhere. And Mary was going on how to you. Okay, now to you. I was like, I don't know if I'm okay. I said, Quinton P. Quinton P and Quinton was a little stressed. He couldn't pee. Nothing was coming out. And I said, we got to get vinegar. And nobody in Thailand had vinegar. I said, I just run a hot bath. And the heat will be nature the venom. And I got into the bath. And I lay there for two hours, got out and I was the champion of the world. I was fine. Oh, look at me. And once again, I ran up and down the beach screaming, I'm the champion of the world. And Quinton was behind me. And he said, and you beat the jellyfish, the box jellyfish. I was like, yeah. Until seven days past. And we got on the plane. And the cabin pressurized. And everything went south really fast. I started oozing green stuff out of my skin. I started feeling really bad. I couldn't breathe. And that Singapore flight comes into Johannesburg at 6.30am. And when it landed, I thought, okay, you know what? You're going to have to just buckle to the pressure and get an anti-history. So I drove the 75 kilometers from the airport into Johannesburg and went to the pharmacy. I leaned against the window because it was way early and they weren't open. And the pharmacist finally arrived. And he went in and then he came out and he said, are you waiting for the pharmacy? And I said, yes, I think I need an anti-history. And he said, no, you need a doctor. You have to get to a doctor. I said, I don't have a doctor. I just don't have a doctor. And he said this one down the road. So I went down the road. And the guy thought, I still had the metal around my neck. You can imagine what I was looking like. The guy thought I was coming in to show him the metal. And then I said, no, I have a little problem. I was attacked by a box jellyfish. And I'm really not well. And he said, no, you're really not well. You have to get to the hospital. So they get me to the hospital at that stage. And then everything went south like really fast. Because they were taking blood and they did a scan. And they did a check on this and a check on that. I never been checked like that in my whole life. It was the first time I ever had blood tests in my whole life. And so the consultant comes back in and he says, okay, so you have to go home. Because everything's failing, your heart's failing fast. Your liver's gone. Your kidneys are gone. Everything's gone. And so you got to go home and manage your fears. And I said to him, what are you talking about? And he said, no, you're not going to make it. You're going to die in a few days. I said, what? And he said, can't you just give me some like a tablet? And he said, no, go home and die. He said, and you better hurry up because we need the space. Go home and die. So I went home, but it obviously didn't die. That's when you realize all the people around you. You start to realize over the years who these people are. Yeah. Yeah. Those kids in my gated complex. I arranged like Halloween for them and Santa Claus for them. And never thought anything about it. Just thought, ah, that would be nice for them. They were around my windows. Nat don't die. Ling was there. And she was like, take this pen, take this paper. Figure it out. Tell me what to do. And I said, I don't think we can't. She said, tell me what to do. You can't die. You're going to live through this, but you've got to tell me what to do. So I had a little bit of a think here and there. And a day and a half later, I sit to her. The only way is if we can get into a sauna. And we've got to get the venom out. And we've got to get a lot of heat and blood to all the organs. So I said, we've got to start to juice fast. The body needs a break. So every kid in the neighborhood was a juicing elf. They lined up from shortest to tallest. And they juiced 80 liters of juice a week for me. I poured it into cups, froze it, had everything ready. Lynn went through the hall at Johannesburg looking for somebody who would let me into their sauna, because the legal implications of somebody dying in your sauna are very high. And there was this lovely guy called Ian. And he finally agreed, very nice guy, very conservative, suit and ties on their shoes. And I said, I will sign anything. I said, if I die, phone Lynn, she put the body in the back of the car. And she'll take the body away. Nobody ever saw you. I promise. So sat in the sauna eight hours a day, 80 degrees Celsius. Drank a liter of walnut oil. The handfuls of B vitamins and 50,000 milligrams are nice. And four liters of cow mag. And after 11 days, we could make the progress. The venom was out. And 92 days later, all the organs were back. But you think it would be a lovely happy ending there. The one little problem, my wonderful lovely body, who is so good at surviving. The kidneys then decided to mimic quarter zone. And somehow, some way, they just decided, you know what? You're never going to be attacked again by anything. We're going to pad you up. And so the weight just flew on like 10 kilos a night. It was crazy to the weight reach 300 within the first three and a half months. And it was so bad. I would pick up the phone. I'll be crying to Lynn say, my underwear doesn't fit. Nothing fits today. Everything's too small. I don't know what to do. And Lynn would pull up in the car. And the one day she pulled up. And she said, though, something will fit. And she looked around and she looked around. And we tried everything. I have to go to work. I got no clothes to wear. I can't wear my swimming costume even. And I'll never forget it. She pulled the shower curtain off. She cut a hole in the shower curtain, stuck it over my head and said, there, you're not naked. We're going to get through this. We're going to figure this out. And that was the start to the fat problem. Yeah. What was that? So the jellyfish attack was 13th November 2006. I officially got out of the sauna just before my birthday, 4th of April 2007. Yeah. The weight was, I had said sword. I think the shower curtain, the shower curtain was happening around about June, July. Because it was winter. And then the biggest battle of my life started. That was just crazy. Everything. I had never been fat before. I had never been out of shape before. I had never been not able to do stuff. And I went from champion of the world to, hey, I used to know you when you were thin. But you were alive. Yes. That was super important in one way. Yeah. There were many a days when I thought, oh, why didn't that jellyfish just kill you? This is too hard. This is so unfair. Because the only thing that happens is you keep saying, this is so unfair. I did martial arts on my life. I've diverted all my life. I have weighed in like almost every day of my entire life. And then this happens. And you think, I didn't even get a chance to eat this way. So you were finding your, you were laughing now. Oh, there's some dark, there's some dark, dark stuff there. You guys see it around. Yeah. Look how great she is. She wasn't great before she met me. Yeah. She has been there every step of the way. And she has been through the darkest of the days. Oh, my goodness. Because you can get the weight down. And then like two days later suddenly just goes up by 12 kilos. And you're like, she's like, how? And I'm like, I don't know. I thought I knew everything in life. But very quickly life has a way of putting you into place. Yeah. And it was like, you know what, this is something you have to work at. It's just like winning a world title. It takes a lot of work. You don't just go out and you're a brilliant. So you win it. Yeah. I'm actually not talented in anything. I wasn't a talented swimmer. I wasn't talented in BMX. And I definitely wasn't talented in martial arts. You can ask the first instructor I ever had. My cohorts are awful. But that consistent work delivers results always. It's funny. You should say that because that's what I think I was when I see you here. When you're here doing classes is that it's consistent work. It is. You just got a hack at it. You've, you've ticked some boxes in the last few weeks and the last few months. You're, you're a running type Pokemon now. Yes. So the cost will avoid me because if they hit me, they don't get consciousness. I just watched you do a workout that had that has over four and a half K of running in it. So first time I ever did two loops without stopping. Awesome. Yeah. It was a goal for today because I looked at that and I thought, well, you can do one. We know that. Yeah. But can you do two? Yeah. And if you're not sure, you can try. But if you try, you may as well just do. Because as Josie says, Josie said to me, to is easy. He said, keep breathing. Don't stop breathing and don't stop moving your feet. So as I was running there, I'm just thinking Josie said, breathe and Josie said, move your feet. Yeah. And Josie said, don't worry about anything else. So I have to follow that advice where one foot in front of the other and breathe. I love that. Yeah. And if it feels like you die and just remember, you survived the jellyfish. Nothing can kill you now. Is alone, are you available in running flavor? I've seen you do bird peace. It's the first time I can get on the floor and get back up again. Oh, my. I've seen you do bird peace of life changing because we can go out. And if we have to sit on the grass somewhere, you can get up. I can get up and I used to have to stand for everything. Len could sit down, but I couldn't because Len can't lift me off the ground. If I was down, I couldn't get up. Now I can. It was just. And the burpees that that's a big thing. I knew that I could get up once. But that one day, that was your birthday, actually. And the day before the summer game started, it was a Friday, the 21st of June. And Andy said, do you want to try the burpees? And I was like, I'm sure I can do one. And then I said to him, maybe I can even do three. And then Audrey said, I'm sure you can do 10. And do you know who was right? Yeah, your gym mom Audrey, who you did the workout with just now? Yeah. You have been become a very big part of our community. And Lin has and Roy has and Yvonne has. What do you guys call yourselves? So Lin and Yvonne and Roy, because they're over 60. Yeah. Yes. Because they're over 65. They call team Jurassic. Okay. Yes. And I figured out when they start a CrossFit, they needed to feel that same sense of community. Because for me, for me, it didn't matter so much. For me, it was about the progress and the goals and just feeling that challenge. It's so nice to be challenged when you get given something that you think you can't do. Yeah. And you say, you know what? I'm going to die trying this. And by dammit, I'll either die or I will do it. And I'm not good at dying. So I do it. And then I get this massive thrill. But they've got like a little bit more of a, I don't know if it's just like the generation they were born into that they've got to be part of the cool kids. So I thought, well, if they grouped together, they can have their own cool kids. Yeah. And they did. They've got a gang. Oh, they got a gang. Yeah. And they've left out of the gang, by the way. You were. You're too young to be in. You don't meet the age criteria. No. They have adopted Pat's mom Patricia as part of. They have. Part of their crews were. They have. And they were adamant that she had to be at the open. Yeah. On the same day that they were. Yeah. Because team Jurassic has to stick together. They do. They were actually devastated that they didn't just automatically go through to the world CrossFit Games. Yeah. Next year. I said to them, you know, it takes a bit more work than just showing up. Next year. Next year. Next year. So it's been quite a journey. The last year in a bit. We're not finished yet. We've got a lot of work to do. And then you're starting now because the big thing is is like, I'm 50 in April. And 50 is not a big number because I don't even know how old I am half the time. Yeah. But if you think before I start a CrossFit, I mentioned 50 a lot. You hear me saying that word a lot because that actually at this, at the weight, I started CrossFit at the 148 kilos. 50 was my life expectancy. Okay. Yeah. And when you hear me say the word 50, it's because I'm focusing a lot on not dying again. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. My life explained the expectancy when I get to 50 is not going to be 50. Because joining CrossFit and then realizing, okay, you know what? I can save my life here. You hear me say there's a lot. You save my life. Thank you. You save my life because it's actually the truth. You can. Sugar coat everything in life and you can pretend things are going to be fine. But the honest truth is 50 is where I would probably die if I didn't join CrossFit and start making some changes. It doesn't matter how healthy you are. The Fed catches up with you. I am certainly not going to take the credit and we are not going to take the credit. You're the one that puts the work in and and that's not me to use an Irish term. That's not me. Plone wasn't yet. Like you said, when you when you mentioned earlier about your sporting achievements that you're, you're a graft or you're a worker and you're someone who puts inconsistent effort. That's what saving your life. That attitude is what saving your life and showing up here and being responsible and taking charge of the stuff, taking ownership and sending that initially mail, getting in touch with us, coming in, chatting to us, and then committing to that and putting that one foot in front of the other, taking those steps. That's where it's gotten, you know. Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? You don't ask me anything. I have no secrets from the world. So, 148 kilos was where you started. So, where is it this morning? Yeah, where is it this morning? So this morning at 505 AM, I'm sitting on 117.2. Wow. Yeah. No. It's a lot of weighted vests that have come off because everything's in terms of weighted vests. I am giving you some assistance with the nutrition stuff going forward and we've set some lofty goals. Yeah, and you see, that's why I'm not going to diet 50. For sure. Yeah, because you're going to see big things happening. I've got big things planned for you. Don't leave you me. I'll do anything you say. Anything you say. You got to hand it over and you can't question it and you can't think it. You have to take the instruction and carry through because that's what a coach does. Yeah. They give you instructions. They're the ones that know. Well, if you want the best results, don't question it. Don't think about it. If they say you can do it and you don't think you can, just do it anyway. Because that's what coaching is and you've got to have 100% trust and you've got to hand it over. Because if you hold on to a little bit, the success is not there. You don't know better. You never know better than the expert. And that's what it's about. And now now the next half, which is the nutrition, is going to be super interesting. For sure. Because there's a missing piece of a puzzle. And when you find it, you get that just that funny feeling. Like, I think this is the missing piece that I've been looking for and it's relying on the floor under the carpet. And you find it and you say, I'm sure this is going to fit. And that's a feeling I had. I was just terrified. I wouldn't get a spot on the program. Oh my God. And it was like the busiest day at work and I didn't have a chance to fill the form. And you got like a thousand forms to fill in. It's like question after question. I'm like, oh crap. I got to fill this stuff in. And so I just came into work early the next day. And I was like, okay, first thing, shut that door, get this form filled in. And hopefully they still have a spot for me. I was so relieved. And you're on my team. So that's your your your your release now. I can't wait. I can't wait. So future looks good for you. We're going to have a lot of fun. Natalie, the last year in a bit, it has been our pleasure to have you. I couldn't live without you guys. I would die. No. Literally. So we're going to leave it there. Thank you for everything. Thank you for having me. We are going to come back. We're going to bring you back on in a couple of months time. And we'll talk a little bit more about where you are then. Sounds good. I love wrestling king. It's been great having you. And thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for listening to the podcast. We hope you're enjoying them. If you have any suggestions or anything that you would like to see featured or anything you would like to talk about. Shoot us an email in forward CrossFitLimitles.ie or just talk to us in person. Our alternatively just drop a message into the WhatsApp. We've just launched our CrossFit Limitless Nutrition Coaching. That's our one-to-one service. We've put a lot of work into this behind the scenes. It's been a labor a little for quite some time. Anybody who's interested just give us a shout. Again, sling us an email in forward CrossFitLimitles.ie or speak to one of the coaches in person. As always, we appreciate you all. We appreciate your listening, your efforts. There is no gym in the country like us. Go on the limitless. [Music] [Music] [Music]