Ashley Evans is a 42 year old Marketing Manager for a software company and has been a part of Bootcamp Tulsa since August 2013.
Ashley came to BcT pretty physically fit, strong and playing competitive tennis all throughout her 30’s. She did everything from strength training, group fitness, Pilates, competitive tennis, cross fit, etc. Being strong and pushing herself was her favorite thing to do, but then in early 2012, she was stricken with occipital neuralgia (severe nerve pain in the back of her head). It was debilitating pain that took her to her knees, ER, days in bed, etc. She had numerous nerve block injections and took many medications just to make it through the days.
Starting osteopathic manipulation and acupuncture, physical therapy, getting a TMJ appliance and eye glasses, and starting a gluten-free diet finally brought the pain to only mild by early to mid 2013. Ashley was able to wean herself off all medications and was given the okay to start “working out” again – slowly. She had gone from being very active to doing pretty much nothing for over a year. She was not even allowed to lift dishes into the cupboard.
Slowly she started tennis since her body was more conditioned for that. She still had some tightness in the back of her head and very mild pain every once in a while. She was then ready to get “stronger” and lose the weight she had gained but had to be careful. She needed a plan and she needed motivation.
Ashley says, “I started BcT and my life changed. I began to get my life back.” She started to get stronger and become completely pain-free and started feeling like her old self again. Slowly but surely even the tightness in the back of her head and that mild pain subsided.
Now it is a little over a year later and she has no nerve pain and is stronger, faster, humbled and doesn’t take it for granted. She says she wouldn’t have been able to do it without the women and the coaches at BcT. She says, “To say BcT is special to me is an injustice – it helped me get my life back and for that I am eternally grateful.”
Ashley says that the first time she attended a BcT workout with her dear friend, Heidi Brown, she was scared to death. After little activity for over a year, she was afraid she might die or at best, collapse…….but women whom she had never met before encouraged her and motivated her and inspired her beyond what she had ever experienced before. She says it was phenomenal and Coach Mark was awesome. She says, “Yes the workouts are brutally fantastic, but it is the inspiring and motivating women and coaches that keep me coming back.”
Ashley’s results: Lost 15 pounds, back to wearing a lot of her clothes/sizes she wore before, and more ‘explosiveness’ on the tennis court as well as endurance. She says not only is her occipital neuralgia gone, but she has more energy and has reduced her stress level significantly.
To potential bootcampers, Ashley says, “If you want to improve your overall health, get stronger, eat better, be accountable, push yourself, make friends who will push you and pray with you — you must check out the Bootcamp Tulsa family.” She says if you are thinking you are too out of shape, too old or too embarrassed – no way. The ladies and coaches remove all of that from the equation with their encouragement, inspiration and compassion. She adds, “Don’t get me wrong — you WILL work hard, you WILL be sore, you WILL think you can’t possibly do that again, but you will and you will love doing it. Most importantly, you will feel so much better physically and in every aspect of your life.
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Keep WINNING!
The Bootcamp Tulsa Family
