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For Olivia Vollmar, CrossFit Saved Her Life

January 3, 2019 by

Some background.

In November of 2016, Olivia Vollmar was a freshman in college. Away from home for the first time, and suicidal, she struggled with fibromyalgia and panic attacks, drowning in coursework, and helping to take care of her father. It was was taking a toll on her physically and mentally. Twice that year, she contemplated suicide.

But on November 6th, her roommate turned to her and said, “I’m going to start CrossFit tomorrow. You should join me.”

Finally, she could tell someone.

What her roommate didn’t know was that Olivia had been quietly studying CrossFit for two long years but was scared to try it.

“Heck, I had talked to Dan Bailey on Instagram more than once. I figured if I went, I could at least tell him I finally tried it out and I could rearrange my plans to end my life another day,” she told us.

“Did I really just agree to start going to CrossFit tomorrow?” she tweeted before she went to bed. When she woke up, nervous to start CrossFit with her roommate, she discovered that all night long CrossFitters everywhere had been sending her encouraging tweets.

Did I really just agree to start going to @Crossfit tomorrow?

— Olivia Vollmar (@vollmar1997) November 7, 2016

She went to CrossFit and she loved every second of it. Two years later, she has completely changed her nutrition, completed her CrossFit Level One training, managed her fibromyalgia completely free of medication, and even got to meet Dan Bailey.

But it’s not just for Dan Bailey.

The number one reason Olivia does CrossFit is her dad. In December of 2015 she got a call that her father had had not one, but three massive heart attacks. She remembers the doctor telling her, “His life is in your hands, don’t screw this up. I had to learn very quickly how to cook for a heart attack survivor, manage his medications, help with scheduling doctors appointments, cardiac rehab and everything else in-between. It was hard. But, we did it.”

Olivia and her father changed their diet and started walking. Olivia changed the course of her life with CrossFit. Together, the two are down 270 pounds and healthier than ever.

3 years ago my dad had 3 massive heart attacks and I almost watched him die. Now? We are down a combined 270 pounds and perfectly healthy. And yet again I say, thank you @CrossFit. pic.twitter.com/jqYabpTMl6

— Olivia Vollmar (@vollmar1997) December 18, 2018

“With never doing CrossFit a day in his life, he is the reason I do CrossFit. Watching him change his lifestyle gave me the courage to step out and change mine. He tells me a lot how happy he is that I’m healthy…but really, knowing I have a healthy parent is the best gift I’ve ever been given. Plus, I never want my future children to get a phone call saying that I’ve had three heart attacks. I want them to come watch me compete and compete alongside of me.”

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